do you plan your meals ahead? eating healthy seems daunting.

Megabot

I'm thinking of trying to plan my meals ahead. I've been finding that I'll wait until I'm actually hungry to eat these days. That's good because I'm starting to consume less food - but then I reach for canned foods, or "healthy" frozen dinners. (smart ones/lean cuisine) and don't want to spend the time cooking something that takes 30 minutes.

So do you plan your meals ahead? Daily? Weekly? Do you know what you're having for dinner, tonight? Do you plan your snacks, too? I feel this might be a good step towards both controlling what I eat and starting to add in healthier dinners.

I never have anything interesting planned, or have ingredients for anything. I'm hoping if I choose some things, go get the ingredients, and just stick to it, I will have healthier food kind of lying around. And then also if I decide to cook at certain times, maybe I'll actually attempt cooking something prior to when I'm starving for food.

So - How much do you plan vs. just "eating well" on your own? I am still a little daunted by people who eat healthily all the time, and somehow have the wherewithal to actually cook food that's good for them consistently. (Also I fear that they might be imaginary, and that I'm holding myself up to a standard that I can't possibly achieve.)

Flafster

I batch cook at the weekends. Nothing more stressful that trying to cook when you're Hank Marvin.

Radio on, cup of tea and a few hours pootling about in the kitchen means I have most of the week's food sorted.

Lots of veg curries, slow roasted meats & casseroles, ragus, breads so all I need to do in the week is take it out the night before take it out & bung it in the fridge. Come home, cook carbs & veg and dinner is fast & easy.

(Also you have far more options if you're not restricted to a 30 min time limit for meals)

Megabot

This sounds like great advice. Didn't really consider cooking FAR in advance of when I'd need dinner

I batch cook at the weekends. Nothing more stressful that trying to cook when you're Hank Marvin.

Radio on, cup of tea and a few hours pootling about in the kitchen means I have most of the week's food sorted.

Lots of veg curries, slow roasted meats & casseroles, ragus, breads so all I need to do in the week is take it out the night before take it out & bung it in the fridge. Come home, cook carbs & veg and dinner is fast & easy.

(Also you have far more options if you're not restricted to a 30 min time limit for meals)

lyttlewon

Both. I plan dinners ahead by the week. I try to eat about the same thing every day for breakfast and snacks so the only thing I really have to do is choose the dinner or lunch for the day. I also eat my snacks whether I am hungry or not. I cook healthy dinners but it isn't grilled chicken and broccoli every night. I usually just take normal every day meals and make them healthier. I also plan at least one meal that can be cooked in a very short period of time. Some days I don't feel like cooking so I need a simple fast dinner to avoid fast food.

lancasrj

I plan a week of meals before I go shopping every week. Most of my recipes make 3-4 meals so I save time that way as well. Also, This planning keeps me from buying pre-prepared foods at the store. It also allows me to balance my macros for the week with one planning session so I don't have to think about it later.

Megabot

Both. I plan dinners ahead by the week. I try to eat about the same thing every day for breakfast and snacks so the only thing I really have to do is choose the dinner or lunch for the day. I also eat my snacks whether I am hungry or not. I cook healthy dinners but it isn't grilled chicken and broccoli every night. I usually just take normal every day meals and make them healthier. I also plan at least one meal that can be cooked in a very short period of time. Some days I don't feel like cooking so I need a simple fast dinner to avoid fast food.

I'd honestly eat grilled chicken and broccoli every night, if I remembered! That sounds fine. But I think you're right on, with a "fast" meal for once a week meal that is fast. Do you eat snacks on a schedule at all? It sounds weird to me, but I'm wondering how to make my life more consistent, and wondering if a schedule could work. Just set my phone to "snacktime!" and let it remind me to snack healthily every day or something.

mfpcopine

No, I don't plan meals ahead. I tend to eat the same basic combinations several times a week and I log as faithfully as possible most days.

drgmac

Hi, I don't plan my meals in the strictest sense of "planning". For me, I keep lots of frozen and fresh vegetables on hand as well as cottage cheese, Egg beaters, protein bars, fruit, and yogurt. I really hate to cook, so I also rely on Lean Cuisine from time to time as well as Dr. McDougall dried soups. I try to keep my calorie limit between 1200 to 1500 calories. If I go out to eat, I generally try to keep a lot of vegetables and low fat meats in mind. I do also, from time to time, make a batch of vegetable soup and eat that throughout the week as a way to feel full and get my vegetables in. I also like to throw in some high Protein Kashi cereal to satisfy my cravings for a crunchy carb.

Megabot

What do you mean by balance your macros? Do you do all the heath /diet info for a week, and just divide it out?

It also allows me to balance my macros for the week with one planning session so I don't have to think about it later.

michellematteson

I try entering what I plan on eating the night before or in the morning so I can keep an eye on sodium, which is my biggest struggle to control. Like what someone else mentioned, I have the same thing for breakfast and snacks, so lunch and dinner are the bad guys. Also helps if I plan to go out, I enter what I will be eating and plan the rest of the day around that.

amy1612

I like to plan ahead and cook my own food, but its often quick things like stir frys, or whipping up a batch of houmous. I'll also usually have things in that will make a quick healthy meal, like tinned tomatos, anchovies, etc, to do a nice sauce for something.

Megabot

I think I have a problem with keeping things on hand - they never get used! (Except frozen veggies - I usually have those on hand, and they're fine!) I hate wasting food, so my solution of the past was to cook less, instead of using up fresh veggies/etc. Maybe I could start with one or two things in the fridge that I'm always going to be using, and base recipes off that...

Hi, I don't plan my meals in the strictest sense of "planning". For me, I keep lots of frozen and fresh vegetables on hand as well as cottage cheese, Egg beaters, protein bars, fruit, and yogurt. I really hate to cook, so I also rely on Lean Cuisine from time to time as well as Dr. McDougall dried soups. I try to keep my calorie limit between 1200 to 1500 calories. If I go out to eat, I generally try to keep a lot of vegetables and low fat meats in mind. I do also, from time to time, make a batch of vegetable soup and eat that throughout the week as a way to feel full and get my vegetables in. I also like to throw in some high Protein Kashi cereal to satisfy my cravings for a crunchy carb.

kittyhasclaws

I always plan ahead for the week. It keeps us on budget as well as keeping the crap food out of the house. If it's not on my list, I don't buy it.

lyttlewon

Both. I plan dinners ahead by the week. I try to eat about the same thing every day for breakfast and snacks so the only thing I really have to do is choose the dinner or lunch for the day. I also eat my snacks whether I am hungry or not. I cook healthy dinners but it isn't grilled chicken and broccoli every night. I usually just take normal every day meals and make them healthier. I also plan at least one meal that can be cooked in a very short period of time. Some days I don't feel like cooking so I need a simple fast dinner to avoid fast food.

I'd honestly eat grilled chicken and broccoli every night, if I remembered! That sounds fine. But I think you're right on, with a "fast" meal for once a week meal that is fast. Do you eat snacks on a schedule at all? It sounds weird to me, but I'm wondering how to make my life more consistent, and wondering if a schedule could work. Just set my phone to "snacktime!" and let it remind me to snack healthily every day or something.

I eat snacks on a schedule because my breaks are on a schedule. On the weekends I have a hard time remembering to feed myself enough. My first break I eat my veggie snack and my last break I eat protein because I work out after work. I eat a snack as soon as I come home while I am cooking, because if I don't eat a small snack before dinner I over eat at dinner.

lkcuts

maybe this is bass ackwards, but i go to the store, knowing what is good for me and go for the basics fresh veggies,meats,lean hamburger fresh cut meat not pre packaged, eggs,low cal bread skim milk, coffee beans (Igrind my own) maybe one kind of healthy cereal.(Ifind Aunt Milles light whole grain is pretty good) once I have at hand I deal with it either the day before on planning my meals. when Iget home from the store i seperate the meats in smaller portions and clean up and store my veggies. I think ok now i know what i have , what do i do with it? I do have peanut butter and light butter, coconut and olive oil to cook with. Example: morning time 3 egg whites cooked in either light butter or coconut oil. coffee and 2 slices of toast sometimes I make a breakfast sandwhich and add 1/2 slice american cheese, tomato and 1/2 teasp of mayo. i measure everything for logging as I go. One morning I don't feel like cooking alot so I opt for 2 slices of toast,honey 1 T of peanut butter and cinnamon.
any way i already have my meat out of the freezer for the next meal. I may log ahead to say I am gonna have a certain thing, but my taste changes somewhere in the mix and I use something else. If I put out hamburger, i may have just a hamburger and whats left i may make a taco salad. its good to read different recipes to give you more options. If you already have the meat cooked up, its easier just to add the veggies etc. Itried doing it all ahead and freezing it.. I found out that certain things do not freeze well, like potatoes become spongy etc..Cooking, like anything you do, has to become a habit , an automatic thing you do..and yes you do have to think ahead or you will be back on the old junk food trail,

mcarter99

I batch cook at the weekends. Nothing more stressful that trying to cook when you're Hank Marvin.

Radio on, cup of tea and a few hours pootling about in the kitchen means I have most of the week's food sorted.

Lots of veg curries, slow roasted meats & casseroles, ragus, breads so all I need to do in the week is take it out the night before take it out & bung it in the fridge. Come home, cook carbs & veg and dinner is fast & easy.

(Also you have far more options if you're not restricted to a 30 min time limit for meals)

I do this, too. But with the tv on DVRed shows. :happy: A pot of steel cut oats = 6 breakfasts. Last week I had a big bowl of quinoa salad = 8 meals. A batch of chickpea cutlets = 8 'meals' (add veg or other side). It's repetitive but stress-free and it makes the logging super easy! You're far less likely to make a poor meal choice when the healthy choice is sitting there in the frig, just needing plated up or warmed.

This week I think I'll make an egg casserole and a curried lentil soup. And it's Sunday so I better go get crackin...

loztredders

I usally plan everything the night before, that way I can wake up and know whats for breakfast and what I have to grab to take to work with me, and also when I get home at 6.30pm I can start preparing dinner straight away.
If I don't plan, I tend to make poorer and less healthy food choices when it actually comes to making my meals.

MissCheese

I plan ahead, try to log the next days diary the night before and have an idea of meals for the remainder of the week at the back of my mind for when I go to the supermarket.

I don't keep any rubbish in the house, just lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, canned tomatoes, yoghurts, beans and pulses, granary bread, butter, oils, milk. I buy meat/fish every other day.

It's the only way it works for me, if it isn't in the house I can't have it.

None of my meals are time consuming or hard to prepare.

To satisfy my sweet/naughty tooth I do home baking and try to make healthier versions of naughty recipes. I probably have one or two pieces of cake a day, but its high fibre, low fat and low sugar generally. Helps to keep me away from crisps, chocolate and biscuits. A loaf of banana nut bread will last me all week, just made one now.

quill16

I am a bit OCD about my food plan. I found out that it worked best for me. I plan my meals a week ahead on the day before grocery shopping day with the sale circular at my side. I make a list and stick to it except for the variety of fresh veggies that might be on sale. I buy no junk food and shop produce , meats and dairy. I have a gluten allergy so there are no breads, pasta ,crackers, or prepared foods.I basically eat the same foods each week and vary my snacks.

beccahummel423

I plan my meals a week at a time. I spend about an hour on Sunday afternoon pre-journaling the week. I find that it works best for me this way. Plus if I know a particular "meal" is coming up, I get really excited.

smartandtrim

I don't plan ahead. What I do is keep only healthy foods in the house (which makes my dad and sister eat well too). No red meats, no fatty snacks, nothing overly salty or sweet. I always have fresh fruits and veggies around to snack on, and ABSOLUTELY NO SODA. I find that when I keep only healthy ingredients around, I am more likely to make good food for all of us (I cook for the three of us).

webdaughter

What I did that helped me is I cleared my house of EVERYTHING that was processed and sugar filled and gave it to a local food bank. I basicly started with bare cabinets. I now only buy fresh fruits, veggies, chicken, fish, greek yogurt, cheese, eggs, keifer, skim milk, ground turkey, protien powder, and maybe a couple of other things. If I have the other stuff in the house and I am hungrey....I will get weak and eat it.

I drink a protien smothie every morning and then bring a packed lunch (that I made the day before) to work. I work 12 hour shifts so I pack my dinner too. If I am off work that day then I just pick something that I have at home. I pretty much stick to the same few things...it is eaiser for me at this point.

Good luck!

Megabot

thanks all

meshashesha2012

i plan ahead. i also have a few items that i rotate that i always make stuff like crustless quiche, turkey chili, a big salad for the week, sweet potato and chicken salad, black eye peas and kale, etc.

60% of my food is the same stuff and tends to be stuff i love eating so i never get tired of it. the other 40% comes from new things i might try making after looking through my cookbooks

TheArmadillo

I meal plan each week as am on limited budget and also don't always have a long time to prepare dinner due to small children needing to be fed.

I often preprepare stuff sometimes the day before, sometimes earlier than that so I can just put it in the slow cooker (crockpot) or it can be thrown in the oven at the last minute.

Also sometimes I cook extra portions of food and freeze them as homemade ready meals that I can just chuck in the microwave when I need something quick. Sometimes its a full meal sometimes its e.g. chilli or pasta sauce or sometimes it is side dishes e.g. potato boulangerie.

I keep frozen veg in, also things like chopped tomatoes, tinned beans (usually kidney beans, chickpeas), plus herbs and spices and things like rice, pasta. Chorizo. It gives you enough to throw together a quick meal.

I buy fresh fruit/veg every couple of days so it doesn't go off and so I use what I need.

SweetxCatastrophe

I usually ahop once a week and have a general idea of my meals while I'm there. I plan my meals at least a day ahead and make adjustments if necessary. Like today: I was going to have cacciatore (but made with cabrilla -- a big whitefish) for breakfast, leftover rotisserie chicken and green beans for lunch, and a big salad with scallops for dinner. I woke up with a migrane so I didn't go to work and slept through breakfast, threw together a chicken taco salad from leftovers for lunch, and ate the cacciatore for dinner. Tomorrow I'll eat the chicken and green beans for lunch tomorrow since its already made, and do my scallop salad for dinner, and for breakfast cook up a half steak I have frozen with a couple eggs. I like to make sure my meals are easy to rotate to another meal or day if something comes up since life can be so unpredictable

Christine1110

I do plan my meals. I cook two meals at a time. I make dinner for that night, and make lunch for the next day at the same time.
That way if I get busy it's really for me to just warm up.

shorty35565

I plan my whole day the night before. I just got finished prelogging a few minutes ago. I plan everything out, the whole day.
When I got to the grocery store, I have planned out what I want to have for supper every night, that way I know what to buy. I eat the about the same lunches every week & pretty much the same dinners because I'm an incredibly picky eater.
I think people who eat COMPLETELY CLEAN aren't very common. I eat about 75% clean or so my friend who always looks at my diary tells me I do. The rest I still consider pretty healthy, just not clean. You can eat healthy consistently. I don't find it so hard, because I'm so hyper focused on my goal. But don't try to hold urself up to other people's standards. Do what is best for you Gradually go into eating healthier if you need to.

scubachick2287

I think I have a problem with keeping things on hand - they never get used! (Except frozen veggies - I usually have those on hand, and they're fine!) I hate wasting food, so my solution of the past was to cook less, instead of using up fresh veggies/etc. Maybe I could start with one or two things in the fridge that I'm always going to be using, and base recipes off that...

I buy almost everything fresh and if I don't use it, I clean, cut and freeze it. Especially berries. They are too expensive to be tossing every week. I use them to make fresh sorbet or smoothies or froyo. I'm not saying wait until they are moldy and then freeze them. The veggies you freeze.. you can cook with like any other frozen veggie. I batch cook on the weekends too. Egg muffins for breakfast, chicken or veggie lasagna for lunches and healthy desserts for when I want something sweet. Takes me about 2 hours on Sunday to prepare all of this. That leaves me with only 1 meal left to prepare for the day (dinner) and usually I find something new and healthy on pinterest. Left overs from said meals means I'm only cooking 2-3 nights of the week if I'm lucky. HELLO crock pot :-)

If you have a sweet tooth I feel like you would benefit from baking a batch of healthy muffins (or whatever) so you can grab that and stay on track. Much harder to bake at the last minute when you want something sweet. Otherwise, If you don't like the idea of planning, just keep some of the basics around. For instance I always keep brown rice, onions, peppers, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, squash, greek yogurt, apples, berries, and a selection of lean meat (in the freezer.) There are tons of easy recipes that call for these. For snacks I take apples, grapes or carrots and yes, I use light ranch sometimes. It is very easy once you get a system that works for you.

Feel free to add me if you want some recipes!

susannamarie

I usually plan the day ahead.

I keep frozen meats and veggies on hand but I don't buy a lot of fresh produce. Especially vegetables. I buy fruits but only a day or two's worth. I don't really eat a lot of fruit though.

roguestates

If I wait until I'm hungry to prepare food, I end up making bad choices or snacking while I'm cooking and end up eating things I didn't intend to.

What has helped me on both the eating well front and the preparation front: always having a healthy dish I can grab in the fridge when hunger strikes. I don't eat the same thing every day, and I don't plan, but I do make enough food to have leftovers. This way, "eating healthy" is more or less an easy choice -- I'm hungry, and that plate of veggies is right there.

Usually veggie stir-fries are a great healthy staple that you can just eat on its own or with some rice/bread/whatevs and some protein. I like to try different combinations that are both nutritious and tasty. Try broccoli tossed with bean sprouts. Or you can do eggplant, tomato, and onion wedges. Spices are up to you, but I usually toss in garlic, black pepper, and some fish sauce (soy if you're veggie or don't care for FS).

It doesn't have to be complicated, and it doesn't have to take long. And when you're hungry, there's no excuse!