Menu Planning: Fitting a Healthy Lifestyle into a Busy Schedule

I've been asked by several people to write this post, so here goes! A lot of people want to eat healthier, but they think it's going to take too much time and convenience foods are just that...convenient. However, if you can set aside a little time on Sunday (or whatever day works for you) to plan out your week and even prep your dinners ahead of time, you can take the guesswork out of eating healthy. If it's already ready to go, you won't be as tempted to drive through Jimmy John's on your way home. Here's what a typical meal plan looks like for me and I'll break down how I prep it if necessary.

Mon- Taco salad - Which means I can go ahead and brown the ground turkey/chicken/lean beef and mix in the taco seasoning (I use Trader Joe's all natural) and then put it in a container. You can go ahead and chop up the lettuce and veggies and store them in a baggie/container. I make my own dressing (1 TBS oil, 1 TBS balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp lime juice and 1 tsp taco seasoning), so I will go ahead and make the dressing and store it in an airtight container. Then all you have to do is heat up the meat and mix it together! If you want to modify it for your kids, simply heat up some tortilla shells and make them tacos. So easy.

Tues- Sauteed fish and veggies- I take frozen tilapia or salmon filets (you can use any kind of fish) and put them in a freezer bag with a little oil and some seasonings and make sure they are coated, then put them in the fridge to let them thaw. They'll be perfectly seasoned and ready to go by Tuesday evening. I cook them in a pan on the stovetop with a little olive oil spray and then add some steamed veggies. Frozen veggies are just as good as fresh, sometimes even better because frozen veggies are picked at the peak of freshness and then frozen. If I need another side dish, I will steam some brown rice (Trader Joe's and Walmart sell steam bags of brown rice) or I will heat up a sweet potato in the microwave for my husband and russet potatoes for the kids.

Wed- Crock pot chili. The most recent recipe I followed is here. So on your prep day, you could chop all of the veggies and store them in a bag and just make sure you have everything else on hand to throw in the crock pot in the morning. You could even go ahead and throw everything in the crock pot and store it in the fridge.


Thurs- Chicken dish. This can vary, but for example, I plan to make this next week. If it's a crock pot dish, just chop and prep anything that needs to be ready to go to make it easy on yourself. Invest in some Rubbermaid storage containers or even use freezer bags if you want. Even if it's not a crock pot dish, just know what you're going to need and make sure it's ready to go. Sometimes I will go ahead and get out all of the non-perishable food items I'm going to need for that night's dinner and have them out by the stove ready to go. For side dishes, if you're pressed for time just keep it simple: frozen veggies, brown rice, quinoa or brown rice pasta are all great options. Another piece of advice is to invest in some good spices and herbs. They can turn a simple piece of chicken into something amazing.



Fri- I work on Friday nights, so this is usually a simple meal. We LOVE breakfast for dinner and there's nothing better than eggs and chicken sausage! Aldi makes a great all natural chicken breakfast sausage. Add some fruit and you've got a meal. I also love to add pico de gallo to my eggs, but it's not for everyone.

Scrambled eggs are good too. I made hard boiled eggs in the oven this week, so I've been eating those. (put eggs in cupcake pan and bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 mins)

Sat- Usually on Saturdays we have to eat early, so I'll put something in the crock pot in the morning to eat before I go to work around 4. This Saturday I think it'll be chicken breast with taco seasoning, black beans and diced tomatoes. Then my husband can make soft tacos for himself and the kids if he chooses or he'll have a taco bowl like me. I use brown rice or quinoa, top it with chicken and spinach and peppers and some pico de gallo or mango salsa (Trader Joe's sells awesome salsa, but Walmart has some good salsa as well in the produce section). This is pretty simple, so there's not much to prep, except making sure you have the stuff to make it.

Sun- I usually go all out on Sundays and try out a new recipe or do something a little more involved since I have more time. I'm going to try out cabbage rolls, which I'm sure the kids will turn up their nose at. I may have to do stuffed peppers or mini-meatloafs for them instead using the same filling. I found the recipe for that here.


So that's a typical week, but it varies. The most important thing is having a plan and having everything on hand and prepping what you can to make life easier throughout the week. One of my favorite quotes is "Failing to plan is planning to fail." So true. If you have a plan, you're less likely to fail. I plan out my snacks and breakfasts for the week as well. I am planning to make 2 batches of muffins on Sunday and I have my snacks prepped and in baggies/containers. I clean and slice fruit, bag nuts in proper portion sizes, chop veggies to have with hummus, etc. Take an hour out of one day per week and focus on what you're going to eat for the whole week. I usually make my grocery list/meal plan on Friday, shop on Saturday and prep on Sunday, but do whatever works for you. It makes life so much easier and it's less stress on yourself. Of course you could make it even easier on yourself and make bigger portions and have leftovers one night too. I prefer to eat my leftovers for lunch. If you usually eat out one night, that's one less day to have to plan as well.