We are in the fall full swing of things. No more daily flying by the seat of our pants. Which means I am at the peak of my meal planning, prepping and cooking. Somehow the busier days of fall really get me into my cooking A game… or maybe it is the promise of shorter and cozier days at home … either way I am all in.
Before I share my hacks and methods I will break the news to you that I break to my clients … For most of us, it is only possible to have a clean, non-inflammatory and healthy diet if you are eating the majority of your food at home (unless Erewhon is your daily neighborhood grocer which I know is not the case for most of us). This always comes back with a “I don’t have the time.” “I am not a good cook.” “I am not home most of the day.”
Which takes us to step 1 – meal planning and grocery shopping has to be carved into your calendar just like any other priority you have. Like literally book at least one hour every week dedicated to this. I normally do this on Sunday myself. Instead of it feeling like a chore, I use it as a time to get my husband’s help with the kids and to give myself the time to get organized and reset for the week ahead. Yep my meal planning and grocery ordering has turned into a bit of Sunday self care!
I old school pull out pen and paper on Sunday morning with my cup of coffee and first look at my calendar of evening activities and then work backwards for which days would be better for a slow cooker meal that is prepared earlier in the day, which day which best be served with leftovers from the night before, which day allows more time for some cooking, which days are open days for eating out/takeout, etc.
And then I go to my recipe resources! I have a huge Pinterest board I am constantly adding to. I also have a couple of cookbooks that are my favorites which I’ll list below.
Here’s my week ahead:
Monday
- This is a game night for us that will have me out the door by 5pm so this is a cook earlier in the day and something easy and light that I can eat before heading out the door (because I do not want to wait until I am home at 8pm as I know I will be magically consumed by concession stand junk food and late eating is not good for sleep, but we’ll save that topic for another day)
- Paleo Chili
- I substitute ground bison for ground beef and also sweet potato instead of zuchinni for the sake of my zuchinni hating husband
- Also know this easily makes for great leftovers which is perfect for my Tuesday when my husband is traveling and I’ll also be playing uber for my kids
Tuesday
- Yay cooking break! Chili leftovers
Wednesday
- Another afternoon of after school practices to run around to and husband who will not be back in town until late so 10 minute chicken sausage air fryer recipe it is!!
Thursday
- Everyone will be home by 4:30 today!! Love my Thursdays with everyone at home.
- A little more time calls for a fresh salad by my favorite healthy recipe source, Goop!
- But I make it a little less healthy by often adding some salami and cheese – ha! I do uncured salami and goat cheese to get the healthiest version of these two amazing things! To be honest if salad is serving as my main dish I have to add some type of meat or cheese to it which seems to work for me. Another easy thing to add for protein and fat would be hard boiled eggs and/or avocado. And I love to top all salads with salted sunflower seeds – this is my substitute for the crunch of croutons! We want to enjoy our food – take recipes and make them yours to best fit you.
Friday – Sunday
We normally do 1-2 meals that are out or take-out. A lot of times my husband will make a meal one of these days, which is such a nice treat! And then I always try to meal prep when shopping earlier in the week for at least one weekend meal … so something super easy to put together when I don’t feel like cooking something intense but also don’t want take-out. So tacos, homemade pizza, a pasta dish, heck even some tuna fish sandwiches!
I input the items into an online grocery order while I am going through and picking out the recipes and normally have the food delivered Monday morning. Then while my daughter is at dance Wednesday evening, I go next door to Whole Foods to go in and grab a handful of things that are often best picked out in person (avocados, fruit, sometimes a meat selection) or just anything I forgot.
For breakfast I normally do a smoothie and then for lunch I try to have chicken breast on hand that takes all of 5 minutes to sautee with some garlic powder, salt and pepper and a side of avocado and veggies. Or an egg tortilla wrap is great. And always always try to have as many leftovers as possible.
I have found that actually cooking goes a lot better for me if I get it done earlier in the day. So if a slow cooker meal I’ll do it right after I get kids to school. No better feeling than dinner already prepped at 9am. Or there is often a little lull from like 3:45-4:30 when kids are relaxing between school and activities/homework so I use that time to prep dinner. Once we are back in the car or working on homework, cooking just becomes a nightmare.
Truly healthy home cooked eating comes down to planning and time management. It will probably take you a couple weeks to find the rhythm that works best for you but once you do it becomes a well-oiled machine you don’t even have to think about it anymore – it is just a part of your new routine. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every week. Find your mo-jo and stick to it. Don’t overthink. Just schedule an hour each week. Ourtsource your grocery shopping to Instacart or Whole Foods and plan in your day the 20 mins here and there to actually cook the food.
