We all strive to eat better, feel better, and nourish our bodies, but what does this tangibly look like? How do we fit in more home cooking and less processed fast food into our already over-booked schedules? As a mom of three children under the age of five this has challenged me now more than ever. It is essential to feed and nourish my family, but equally important is modeling for my kids what that looks like on a daily basis. Some days are better than others, but it is consistency that tips the balance one way or another.
More often than not, eating healthy takes advanced preparation. Wholesome, healthy food is the opposite of fast food. So in order to fit more of it into a busy schedule we must plan ahead. This means creating a weekly grocery list with at least four dinners to make at home. Lunches can be leftovers, salads, wraps, or sandwiches. And don’t forget about the most important meal of the day! If you don’t eat breakfast before leaving the house, at least be prepared to bring something with you when hunger strikes.
If meal planning and grocery shopping on a weekly basis are not already engrained into your routine, I recommend repeating the same meals for a couple of weeks. When we overload ourselves with too many new tasks at once we get easily overwhelmed and go back to old habits. The goal is to strive towards more home cooked food.
To take things a step further into the healthy zone, set aside some time in the week to prep some items that take longest to cook. For example, make a batch of brown rice, bake some sweet potatoes, roast hearty vegetables, wash your lettuce and assemble some salads in Tupperware (undressed). In my experience, when I have salads made in advanced I always eat more greens. For myself and children, I make sure to have an abundance of fruit and nuts to snack on. Their lunch boxes are packed right alongside my husbands in the morning before work so we’re ready for whatever the day brings. And we all start our day with a smoothie, packed with seasonal fruit, greens, and yogurt nearly every day (even in winter!)
No matter how busy or rushed you are, never leave the house empty handed. The more you practice eating food from home and less eating out, the easier it will become. You may even realize it’s more convenient than our ever-evolving fast food system. You won’t be wasting time deciding where or what to eat, driving to the destination, or waiting for it to be delivered. You will simply eat what you have or prepare the meal you planned in advance. It will get easier as we strive for progress, not perfection.
