15 Ways to Simplify Healthy Eating by Planning Ahead

In this article:

• Eating for health and weight loss includes controlling portions and choosing nutrient-dense foods. Planning ahead can help you stay on track.
• Planning can help you make sure that healthy foods are available.
• Ways to plan include choosing nutritious recipes and cooking ahead of time.
• If you’re going to be away from home, plan to take healthy foods with you or order nutritious options at restaurants.
• Lark can help you manage weight with or without GLP-1s as you log food, get tips for eating healthier, and make small changes that can turn into healthy habits.
  

If you’re trying to eat well for health or to lose weight, there’s a good chance you already know what foods you want to eat. A greater challenge for many people is getting those foods onto the plate.

Waiting until the last minute can lead to poor food choices. Instead, the American Heart Association says that planning ahead can help ensure that you can eat well. Here are some tips for planning ahead to purchase, prepare, and serve healthy foods all the time.

1. Plan your meals

Set aside time to plan meals. Identify what you’ll have for each meal and snack, keeping in mind where you’re likely to be at that time, so you can keep your plans realistic. With practice, planning will become faster and turn into a habit.

2. Make a grocery list

Based on your planned menu, take note of the ingredients that you’ll need. Use paper or create a list in your phone. Remember to include all of your meals and snacks, and consider both fresh ingredients and staples.

3. Develop a weekly menu rotation

It’s quicker to plan meals when your menu repeats weekly. Meals don’t have to be identical week to week, but they can follow similar patterns. They can also account for things like your work schedule and trips to the grocery store. If the details change from one week to the next, fill those in during your meal planning sessions.

Here’s an example of a dinner pattern that can be easily tweaked from week to week.

• Sunday - Chicken with potatoes or sweet potatoes and asparagus, or chicken stew with vegetables and corn
• Monday - Seafood like baked salmon with lemon and green beans, stir fry shrimp with vegetables, or baked zucchini boats with tilapia, black beans, lime juice, and mixed vegetables
• Tuesday - Whole-grain pasta like spaghetti with chunky garden marinara sauce and lean ground turkey or baked penne casserole with tomatoes, eggplant, and low-fat cheese
• Wednesday - Frozen, pre-made soup, stew, or crustless casserole along with a garden salad and whole grain roll
• Thursday - Prepared food like supermarket rotisserie chicken and a salad kit, or take-out falafel or chicken skewers with Greek salad
• Friday - Tacos or burgers using last night’s protein
• Saturday - Something fun like a new recipe or going out to eat

4. Repeat breakfasts

Many people eat the same thing for breakfast every day. If you’ve found a nutritious breakfast that you enjoy, embrace it! It makes meal planning and grocery shopping easier and faster.

Good choices have protein and fiber and fit within your calorie budget. Egg white muffins with vegetables and cheese, overnight oatmeal with plain yogurt and fruit, and avocado with egg on whole-grain toast are examples of nutritious breakfasts.

5. Prepare large batches

Making large batches of food gives you more meals without spending more time or effort. Large pots of chili, soups, stews, and large casserole dishes are great for freezing.

Almost any recipe can be good for at least another day. Shrimp fajitas, eggplant parmesan, roast chicken, broiled salmon, and roast vegetables are a few examples of foods you can refrigerate and enjoy the next day.

6. Prepare foods in batches

It can save time to prepare multiple meals and snacks at one time. You can spend less time setting out ingredients and utensils and cleaning up afterwards. In one session, you might cook 1-3 dishes with a protein like chicken or fish and some vegetables. At the same time, you can peel and chop additional vegetables and fruit for snacks and breakfast. An article published in American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine suggests cooking a large pot of beans and cooking vegetables in batches.

7. Organize your kitchen

Knowing where everything is increases efficiency because you spend less time looking for it. An organized kitchen also makes cooking more inviting. It’s easier to plan meals when you know where all of your items are like cutting boards, knives, ladles, pots, potholders, and containers. Be sure to have counter space or space on your table where you can prep food.

8. Repurpose ingredients

Prep once, eat twice…or more. You can save time by prepping common ingredients for more than one meal or recipe at a time. Here are some examples.

• Peel and refrigerate plenty of onions to use in salads and cooked dishes for days
• Cook enough skinless chicken breasts to have some today and others in salads, stews, and soups this week
• Peel and slice or chop carrots for soups and stews, as well as for snacks

9. Use leftovers

Use leftovers to save time and make healthy eating easier. You can often eat leftovers from dinner for lunch the next day. If you eat lunch away from home, just pack your dinner leftovers in portable containers while cleaning up from dinner.

10. Always have nutritious ingredients on hand

It’s easier and quicker to plan and prepare healthy meals when you’re certain you have healthy ingredients. While it’s good to shop for fresh foods regularly, you can also be sure to have certain ingredients on hand, so a balanced meal is available.

Here are some examples.

• Frozen vegetables and fruit
• Canned tomatoes, low-sodium canned beans, and canned or pouch tuna
• Olive oil and cooking spray
• Peanut butter
• Frozen proteins like salmon or tilapia portions, chicken tenderloins, or veggie burgers
• Brown rice and whole-grain pasta
• Dried herbs and spices

Check these grocery shopping tips for more guidance on shopping.

11. Use meal helpers

You can speed meal prep by using ingredients that are already prepared. Pre-cut vegetables, bagged salads, rotisserie chicken, and pre-cooked refrigerated chicken strips are examples. Marinated chicken and fish are available at many meat counters, and canned beans, pouch tuna, and canned beans can help you get meals on the table quickly.

12. Use appropriate containers

Use containers for cooking, storing, and transporting food. If you need to buy some, look for containers with tight-fitting lids. You may want a variety of sizes for different purposes. For example, large containers are good for storing cut vegetables and salad, while small containers are good for holding condiments like salad dressing. Check for microwave and dishwasher safety if you need to.

13. Schedule time to prepare

If your goal is to cook recipes in big batches and prepare certain ingredients ahead of time, be sure to schedule time for it. Setting aside time on weekends for some cooking or food prep is common. Putting it in your calendar can help you remember.

14. Make simple meals

Simple meals can be easier to plan and just as healthy and satisfying as more complicated meals. Here are some examples.

• Wrap or sandwich on whole-grain tortillas or bread with chicken or tuna, vegetables, and hummus, plus a side of baby carrots
• Scrambled eggs with spinach and low-fat cheese, plus a baked sweet potato
• Chicken breast and cut vegetables and potato tossed in balsamic vinaigrette dressing and baked in a foil pocket

15. Have a backup plan

Have a backup plan for times when you may not complete your healthy meal or snack prep intentions. This may happen when you’re exceptionally busy, get stuck at work late, or forget, for example.

It’s a good idea to always have a last-minute fall-back option that is healthy and ready to eat within minutes. Here are some examples of meals and snacks that you can make quickly with foods that keep for months in your pantry or freezer.

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with peanut butter and frozen berries
• Lunch: Tuna salad with green beans (from fresh, canned, or frozen), canned tomatoes, canned corn, and vinegar, olive oil, and herbs
• Dinner: Frozen salmon filet or veggie burger in a whole-grain tortilla with broccoli or other vegetables from frozen
• Snacks: Heated frozen vegetables with cheese or dressing, low-fat string cheese sticks, microwave popcorn

How Lark Can Help

Weight management and health are about daily healthy choices, and meal planning can help make these choices easier. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for nutrition and physical activity coaching and tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle, so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications.

Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!

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