I think one of the toughest things to figure out about a meal is how to eat healthy when you’re super busy!  Want to know what happened when I went back to school a few years ago? …. I gained weight.  Oh hey… would you like to know what happened when I found a great job that required long hours and a lot of desk time? …. I gained weight.  I bet you guys will never guess what happened when I picked up a second job last year?  …. You’re stumped, I KNEW it!  I’ll save the suspense… I GAINED WEIGHT!

Honestly, the single best advice I have here… planning!  And no, I’m not talking about spending hours sweating over a hot stove, buried in spreadsheets of lists & groceries & nutrition labels!  …. Well, I do that, but it’s kinda part of the diet tech thing & I love it.  THAT’S another story.  ::ahem::

ANYWAY, back to planning.  You know how people say you shouldn’t go grocery shopping hungry?  Well, you shouldn’t go without a plan either.  You can totally think about this at random intervals during your day too… it’s a time saver!  You know you’re going to shower (well we all hope you are), and brush your teeth, and take some type of transportation to a job/class/friend’s, etc.  All that time adds up!  Take those moments and brainstorm what you want to eat for a few days.  How about texting?  Do you text?  Do you facebook? Tweet? Snapchat?  When your phone is open, text yourself whatever ideas popped into your head!  Just whatever you do, don’t go into that store as a blank slate.

You have to plan for snacks too!  If you don’t, the ice cream is going to jump in your cart when you have your back turned looking at the frozen veggies!

So how about a few ideas?  Planning is a wonderful tool that you can sneak into your thoughts at any time…. but not so much when you planned on a roast & you only have 30 minutes to eat & then go pick up the kids!

I’m going to take this moment to sound like a broken record because I bet you guys have already heard what I’m about to tell you: Breakfast.  Breakfast is important!  🙂  Do you know why?  You’re giving your body fuel for the day.  It affects your cognitive performance, your mental well-being, & setting the stage for that day.  Some of you may be familiar with the public school’s breakfast program that has grown over the years?  There’s good reason for it!  We’re trying to give our kids the best start, but a lot of times, too many times, adults overlook the same recommendations out of habit.  There are lots (LOTS) of studies that show a relationship between skipping breakfast and obesity.  And that just brings on a lot of other problems you want to avoid (totally a new blog post idea there!)  For any of you guys who really like the numbers & data, I’ll just leave these right here….

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4310153/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743511003367

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2017-10-04-regularly-skipping-breakfast-linked-to-hardening-of-the-arteries/

SO…  who has time for breakfast?

… YOU DO!  🙂  This does not have to be a banquet, I promise!  On your way out the door?  Grab a hard boiled egg & an apple.  Don’t like eggs?  Try peanut butter.  Have a cup of milk & a banana.  Any yogurt fans?  There are so many different kinds of yogurt in the world now…. you’re bound to find ONE you like!  Maybe you just don’t have the stomach to eat in the morning.  That’s ok too.  Drink then.  Have you ever tried a carnation instant breakfast drink?  They’re pretty good!  Not to mention they’re light, and quick when you’re running out the door.

Regardless of your choice, you should still bring a few other things along for snacks during the day.  It takes about 15-20 minutes for the signals in your stomach to travel to your brain and then let out a body wide notification that you’re not hungry anymore!  So it’s pretty easy when you’re busy & skipping meals & finally get a moment… to overeat!

So we’ve talked about planning, covered breakfast, & snack ideas!  What about lunch and dinner?  If you plan, you can have food in the freezer that you just pull out for a quick throw together…  For example, I always bring my lunch to work…. & I’ve had a few comments that they look elaborate.  But they’re really simple!  If I can’t throw it together in 15 minutes, I can’t eat it during the work week.  I usually have some kind of meat or beans in my freezer that I cooked ahead of time (about an hour out of my weekend, tops!)  Last Friday, I threw diced chicken in a bowl, opened a can of green beans… threw about a cup in with the chicken, topped it with grated cheese & garlic & my main dish was complete!  I grabbed a slice of whole wheat bread, tossed a yogurt & some fruit in my bag and that was lunch.  It was DE-LICIOUS!

And while we’re on the subject, I’ll throw in my little plug for adding more veggies into our day.  The nutrition benefits of veggies are fantastic!  It doesn’t matter if they are fresh, frozen, or canned.  It’s true!  You will still get benefits from veggies if you don’t have time to cook them & choose the frozen or canned versions.

So there you have it!  The official Erin’s-on-the-move-and-doesn’t-have-much-time-to-cook meal plan.  🙂  I hope I got you guys thinking a little anyway!  If you have any ideas, please feel free to jump in!