Eating Right with a Busy Schedule

If you’re anything like me, you keep a busy schedule. Ideas for new stories come at you from all directions — the news, the book you’re reading, your dreams, bits on conversations you over hear, etc. You do keep a note book with you at all times to jot this stuff down, right?

Anyway, the reason I mention all this is that being busy can prevent us from doing do diligence with our diet. We forgo prep time and grab something convenient, like a cookie or a burger. But this can be a slippery slope that not only takes away from your appearance (which can have far-reaching psychological effects), but it takes away your energy and, at least some of your health.

There are things you can do, however, that will reduce the temptation to hit the drive thru and keep you on course with your healthy diet needs. Now, just to make this clear, I’m not talking just about diets to loose weight — I’m talking consuming nutritious meals that support your body so it, in turn, can support your talent.

Here are some tips that can help you leverage your meal prep time, so that you have more time to write without sacrificing nutrition.

Once a Week Cooking
With this method you cook in one day enough meals to last you a week. This means that for every night of the week you have a nutritious meal ready to go. Incorporating healthier eating habits into the food for your entire family is a great way to set an example for your children, as well as keeping you motivated and removing temptation.

With once a week cooking, you freeze the food that won’t be immediately consumed and thaw it the morning you will be eating it. This is a process that works well no matter how many soccer games, deadlines, dance practices, and band recitals you have on your calendar for the week.

Even better, meals that work well in the freezer are often also quickly prepared. Think casseroles, soups, stews and the like. This is a great option for the winter months. And if you have a crock pot, even better. Plop your dinner in the crock pot in the morning, turn it on and 8-10 hours later, you’ve got dinner.

Stock Up on Health Snacks
Make sure to have a nice supply of cleaned and cut fruits, vegetables, and salad ingredients in your refrigerator. That way you will have these dishes readily assessable for quick lunches or snacks. Having these foods readily available will help you resist the temptation to snack on higher calorie prepackaged food while also helping to insure that you have a ready supply of fresh fruits and vegetables to help you get your 5 servings a day.

You should also keep some conveniently packaged yogurt on hand as a good quick and easy dairy product. Sugar free pudding cups are another decent snack.

Preparation and planning are essential to successfully meeting your nutrition goals while leveraging your available time to best effect. By preparing as much of the food as possible ahead of time you will never even miss the convenience of those high calorie pre-packaged meals and snacks.

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Stuck on what to cook once a week? Check out these books at your local library or bookstore.