To help maintain good nutrition, I cannot stress the importance of meal planning enough. Especially when you are working and have a ton of things to do in the evenings. Many people might not know where to start with meal planning, but it can be easier than you might think. When preparing to do your grocery shopping for the week, write down the meals you are planning on having - taking into consideration how busy you are that week. Below are some meal ideas to help get you through the busy work week:
Monday
- Pork Loin
- Cook it in the crock pot with carrots and sliced potatoes, broccoli on the side.
Tuesday
- Leftover Pork Loin
- Take the pork from the night before, shredding it to make BBQ pulled pork. Put about half cup over a plain baked potato (trust me, it's amazing!) Veggie of choice on the side.
- This is SUPER easy! I like to buy the microwave baked potatoes, so while those are cooking, I warm up the meat/BBQ on the stove-top. Dinner is ready in 10 minutes!
Wednesday
- Salad Kit
- Check out the bagged salads at the store. Our favorite is the Southwest one!
- Every so often I buy a rotisserie chicken and pull all the meat off and freeze portions in baggies. I pull out the pre-portioned chicken and heat it up for an easy protein option to top the salad.
Thursday
- Homemade Pizza
- I like to use the whole-wheat thin crust, traditional pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni (tastes the same as the regular), green peppers, mushrooms and the low-fat mozzarella cheese for our homemade pizzas. We usually have a side salad with this or apples or grapes.
Friday
- Typically, our family goes out to eat on Fridays
- We try to make smart choices about where we choose to dine and what we order.
As you can see, meal prepping and making wise choices doesn't have to be super complicated! Most of the meals we make in my house throughout the week take 20 minutes or less to make - sometimes you just have to get a little creative!
Allison Collins, Registered Dietitian and Wellness Coordinator at MHP
317.398.5315