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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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!

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!