Evolved Sport and Nutrition
  • Home/ News
  • About
    • ESN Sports Nutritionists >
      • Ben
      • Emilie
      • Stephanie B
      • Vanessa
      • Ashlen
    • Partners
  • Services/ Store
  • Media
    • Blog
    • Podcast
  • Learning Center
    • Professional Learning Center >
      • The ESN Sports Nutrition Certificate >
        • ESN Learning Center - Sports Nutrition Certificate Level 1 >
          • Module 1 - Exercise Physiology and Metabolism
          • Module 2 - Determining Energy Needs in the Athlete
          • Module 3 - Macronutrient Needs in the Athlete
          • Module 4 - Hydration and Micronutrients for the Athlete
          • Module 5 - Sports Nutrition 101
          • Module 6 - Meal Planning for the Athlete
        • ESN Learning Center Sports Nutrition Certificate ​Level 2 >
          • Module 1 - Sports Supplements 101
          • Module 2 - Sports Supplements 102
          • Module 3 - Nutritional Strategies for Competition
          • Module 4 - Weight loss and Body Composition changes for the Ahlete
          • Module 5 - Disordered Eating in Athletes
          • Module 6 - Counselling Strategies for Athletes
        • ESN Learning Center - Sports Nutrition Certificate Level 3 >
          • Module 1 - Periodization for the Athlete
          • Module 2 - Nutrition Strategies to Optimize Recovery
          • Module 3 - Sports Nutrition for Children and Young Athletes
          • Module 4 - Sports Nutrition for the Aging Athlete
          • Module 5 - Nutritional Strategies for Injury Prevention and Concussions
          • Module 6 - Nutritional Strategies for the Travelling Athlete
          • Module 7 - Tournament Nutrition Strategies
    • ESN Athletic & Healthy Lifestyle Learning Center >
      • The ESN Marathon Runners Guide >
        • Module 1 - Macronutrients for Runners
        • Module 2 - Micronutrients for Runners
        • Module 3 - Nutritional Supplements for Runners
        • Module 4 - Fueling for Different Types of Runs
        • Module 5 - Injury and Illness Prevention
        • Module 6 - Carbohydrate Loading
        • Module 7 - Race Day Nutrition
        • Module 8 - Nutrition for the Master's Runner
  • Contact

Meal Planning Made Easy

24/9/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
Photo from: Valley Parent Magazine
It’s back-to-school season. That means back to routine and (hopefully) some sense of normalcy compared to summer. Regular schedules make it easier to predict mealtimes. However, school commitments can also lead to less free time. What does this mean in terms of healthy eating? Meal planning is key. Many of my clients get so overwhelmed by the idea meal planning they don’t know where to start. Following the steps outlined below will help provide you some guidance.
 
Step 1: Determine the number of meals you need to plan for
Our routines may be predictable, or they may change week-to-week. Consider prep time, food budgets and eating environments when planning meals. For example, perhaps you want to have 3 dinners and 2 lunches planned for the upcoming week. Do your lunches need to be ‘grab-n-go’, or can you heat up food in a microwave? Do you have time to prepare dinners from scratch at home, or should one be a ‘set-and-forget’ meal done in the slow cooker. Write down the number of meals you need to prepare for the week and any necessary details (e.g. packed lunch, quick dinner).
 
Step 2: Plan your menu
Balanced meals should contain a variety of whole foods (i.e. food that doesn’t come out of a wrapper or package). Ideally, ½ the plate should be veggies and/or fruit, ¼ of the plate lean proteins and the last ¼ whole grains.
 
Meal inspiration
There are many places to find healthy meal ideas and recipes. Cookbooks and food magazines are great resources. But, most of my clients search the internet. I personally use Pinterest to find new recipe inspiration. Just be sure to read ingredients lists and find recipes that align with your nutritional goals. Also look at serving information if you are feeding a family or are planning for leftovers.
 
Family favourites list
I encourage my clients to create a list of at least 10 recipes that the whole family enjoys. These meals should also be easy and quick to make. Keep this list on the fridge when you run out of meal inspiration and ensure you are always stocked with the necessary ingredients. Some examples of quick last-minute meals include:
  • Greek salad with chickpeas or chicken
  • Eggs with whole grain toast and fruit or an egg omelette made with veggies
  • Black bean quesadilla with salsa and veggies
  • ‘Cold Plate’ of lean proteins (hard boiled eggs, rotisserie chicken, edamame), whole grain pita or crackers, low-fat cheese, veggies with hummus and fruit
  • Whole grain pasta with meat sauce and a side salad

Overlap ingredients & plan for leftovers
To save money, time and food waste, plan to make recipes that use similar ingredients. For example, if you want to make a recipe that calls for ½ a red onion, choose a second recipe that also incorporates red onion so that you use it up!
 
The freezer is also a key tool when it comes to saving money and time. You can pretty much freeze anything so plan to cook once and eat twice by making extra recipe servings that you can freeze away for busy weeknight meals.
 
Step 3: Make a grocery shopping list
Shop your fridge and pantry first to make note of ingredients you have on hand. Then based on the recipes you’ve planned, create your shopping list. I’m a pen and paper type of person, but there are many apps to help with creating grocery lists (e.g. myShopi). The key is sticking to it!
 
I also advise my clients to stock up on non-perishables as back-ups when they are on sale. Examples of non-perishable food items to keep on hand that make healthy additions to last-minute meals include:
  • Canned tuna and/or salmon
  • Frozen meat/fish/poultry
  • Frozen veggies and fruits
  • Soup (meat or legume based)
  • Whole grains (quinoa, couscous, pasta)
  • Beans and legumes (chickpeas, lentils)

Step 4: Schedule time to shop and prep
If you are new to meal planning, set aside 3-4 hours each week to meal plan, write your grocery list, shop, and meal prep. Practice makes perfect. Over time you’ll become faster at every stage of the process.
 
Healthy eating is hard work and meal planning takes effort. But, coming home to a delicious healthy meal, without the stress of figuring things out on the fly, is well worth the time and energy put into meal planning. 

Writer: Kerry Miller (Private Practice Registered Dietitian & Sport Nutritionist)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerry.millerrd/
2 Comments
Best essay writing service link
22/6/2020 02:27:00 am

I’m sure you will give the more overwhelming blogs like these blogs that I’ve enjoyed a lot. Thank you because you have been willing to share it in sequence with us. We will always be grateful for all you have done here because I know you are very worried about us. It was very healthy authored and easy to understand. Unlike added blogs I have read which not that are good. I also establish your posts very interesting. In information after reading, I had to go explain it to my friend and he enjoyed it as well!

Reply
MckinneyVia link
11/5/2022 06:34:21 am

What an exquisite article! Your post is very helpful right now. Thank you for sharing this informative one.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Fitness
    Nutrition
    Sports Nutrition
    Weight Loss
    Women's Health

    Archives

    November 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020
    December 2019
    January 2019
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home/ News
  • About
    • ESN Sports Nutritionists >
      • Ben
      • Emilie
      • Stephanie B
      • Vanessa
      • Ashlen
    • Partners
  • Services/ Store
  • Media
    • Blog
    • Podcast
  • Learning Center
    • Professional Learning Center >
      • The ESN Sports Nutrition Certificate >
        • ESN Learning Center - Sports Nutrition Certificate Level 1 >
          • Module 1 - Exercise Physiology and Metabolism
          • Module 2 - Determining Energy Needs in the Athlete
          • Module 3 - Macronutrient Needs in the Athlete
          • Module 4 - Hydration and Micronutrients for the Athlete
          • Module 5 - Sports Nutrition 101
          • Module 6 - Meal Planning for the Athlete
        • ESN Learning Center Sports Nutrition Certificate ​Level 2 >
          • Module 1 - Sports Supplements 101
          • Module 2 - Sports Supplements 102
          • Module 3 - Nutritional Strategies for Competition
          • Module 4 - Weight loss and Body Composition changes for the Ahlete
          • Module 5 - Disordered Eating in Athletes
          • Module 6 - Counselling Strategies for Athletes
        • ESN Learning Center - Sports Nutrition Certificate Level 3 >
          • Module 1 - Periodization for the Athlete
          • Module 2 - Nutrition Strategies to Optimize Recovery
          • Module 3 - Sports Nutrition for Children and Young Athletes
          • Module 4 - Sports Nutrition for the Aging Athlete
          • Module 5 - Nutritional Strategies for Injury Prevention and Concussions
          • Module 6 - Nutritional Strategies for the Travelling Athlete
          • Module 7 - Tournament Nutrition Strategies
    • ESN Athletic & Healthy Lifestyle Learning Center >
      • The ESN Marathon Runners Guide >
        • Module 1 - Macronutrients for Runners
        • Module 2 - Micronutrients for Runners
        • Module 3 - Nutritional Supplements for Runners
        • Module 4 - Fueling for Different Types of Runs
        • Module 5 - Injury and Illness Prevention
        • Module 6 - Carbohydrate Loading
        • Module 7 - Race Day Nutrition
        • Module 8 - Nutrition for the Master's Runner
  • Contact