As I have gotten older and with sometimes a hectic schedule, I have learned that how I eat impacts how I feel and planning ahead makes things 10 times easier. While I am not someone who is strictly eating healthy and only eating healthy foods. I love pasta, wine, pizza, etc and have 0 intentions of giving those up However, most days, I do eat healthy. And I can promise you, you can tell the difference once you start and continue to do so.

I understand fully that part of the reason eating healthy(ish) is hard because it requires planning ahead and sometimes getting started leaves you unsure where to start. I am not a dietician and am not a professional but wanted to share what I do to make this easier and most sustainable. I will be honest, when I meal plan, I base it on how many times I actually want to grocery shop. And I hate grocery shopping so I try to plan ahead as much as I can.

Plan Ahead:

I know, I know…this is a daunting task. However, this is the key to making things easier. I am stealing a page in my Mom’s books here with meal planning. The first step is to take out your calendar so you know your plans for the week or two ahead. Based upon your schedule, you may want to plan quick meals on the nights you are busy or plan for left overs. Having your schedule out in front of you helps with planning if you are meeting up with friends for dinner or if you will be out of town.

Create a list of the meals that you would like to make. I usually plan for two weeks worth of meals since I am cooking for one. So depending on how much in advance or how often you prefer to grocery shop, this will determine how many meals to plan. So take the time to physically make a list of the meals you plan to make. Things to keep in mind-will you be making enough left-overs for more than one meal, do you plan on going out for dinner, etc? For those of you with families, try and get your family involved as well. Something my Mom did growing up was each of us kids picked a day during the week to decide what was for dinner.

Are you more of a snacker like I am? Plan for snacks as well. I will take the time to make a list of snacks that I will have as options-this helps with eating healthy and sticking to it.

What about breakfast? Typically I will make a list of options to have for breakfast and stock up.

I know this seems like a lot of list making and will take some time. But you guys, this makes things so much easier! It takes the guessing game out and if you are working towards being healthier, if you only have healthy options it will keep you on track.

Create Grocery List:

Good news, you have already planned out the meals for the next week or two. With the list of meals you plan to make, make that grocery list and head to the grocery store. OR if you are like me and hate grocery shopping, utilize grocery pick ups. These have been a game changer for me.

I am a very type A person and a planner so while it would be nice to be able to plan every detail, however, life does not work that way. With my grocery lists, I also add a couple staples for quick meals just in case. Pizza is always in my freezer because who I am as a person. Some other staples I keep are stir fry veggies, buffalo cauliflower “wings” (10/10 would recommend…but make sure they are crisp), pre-cooked chicken strips, etc.

Meal Prep:

Even if you are not a full on meal prep person, are there things you could prep in advance to make this easier for you? I would say I do a hybrid of meal prepping. I prep all my fruits and vegetables as well as anything I can make in advance such as an oatmeal bake for breakfasts for the week. If I have a meal that requires ground beef or turkey, I will make that in advance and freeze it. With having night calls during the week, I aim for making my life easier when it comes to meal planning/prepping for the week.

Again, I am a snacker all day every day. So I will prep snacks that are ready to go that I can grab when needed. To keep things easier, I have added small organizing containers in my fridge and cupboards so I can quickly grab snacks an go. This also helps with staying on track…but also curbs going grocery shopping hungry because you have snacks ready to go. To the parents out there, how much more convenient would this be having all the snacks ready to go?

Pro tip: if you are someone who makes smoothies in the morning, make smoothie packs.

Again, I am not a professional, just sharing what works for me. What are some of your meal planning hacks?