How to Start Healthy Eating Part 3 by Sandy Ryan

The most difficult time of the day is the time between 4:00pm and 8:00pm. This is when your kids get home from school and bedtime. There's homework to do, kids wanting to play outside, play video games, after school activities, baths or showers for the next day. Notes from the school to keep up on, the mail to go through. On top of all that, there's supper. That includes meal prep, cooking, eating and cleaning up. I said it is the most difficult time of the day! Wouldn't it be great to have supper in the crockpot ready when one got home? Sadly, we can't do it every day because life just happens. But you can have a simple plan.

One way to solve this problem is to plan out your evening meals for the week. Plan your meals for the next week while on your lunch hour or while watching TV just one day a week. The next day, use that meal plan to make your grocery list. Keep meal ideas in a notebook with the recipe. I have a binder I keep mine in. It makes planning meals and grocery list so much easier.

Then, when you go shopping REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR LIST. I'll type it into my phone or have a hard copy and put it in my bag as soon as it's finished. Another warning: when going to the grocery store, or planning your order for delivery, do not do it while hungry. This is when impulse buying happens and can derail your healthy eating habits. I ALWAYS have a drink with me while shopping. It keeps me from shopping hungry. And, it helps get my fluids in for the day.

What are some meal ideas??

Well, here's an example of our menu. I no longer plan by the day, because we may not feel like having that specific thing, or I'll be too tired to cook it. So, rather we have a weekly

1. soup night, chili, chicken tortilla soup, gumbo, sausage Tuscan soup, Buffalo chicken soup

2. green salad night, with chicken, shrimp, Tuna, burgers

3. breakfast for dinner night, egg bake or my favorite egg scramble!, pancakes with scrambled eggs

4. meatless night, stir fry with tofu, cajun beans and rice

5. clean out the fridge night

6. Nice dinner night usually Sunday ~roast chicken, meatloaf, roast pork

This gives you lots of flexibility and a night for carry out with no guilt.

It's providing all food groups balanced for nutrition, leftovers for lunch if you'd like and this kind of plan will help you feel great physically, help save you money, give you empowerment.

Need a couple recipes? Here's my egg scramble. This makes enough for 4 LARGE serving.

EGG SCRAMBLE

4 piece bacon or 2 sausage patties, cooked in the oven and crumbled.

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped small

1 bell pepper, diced

1 stalk celery, chopped small

2 c sliced mushrooms

1/2 t salt

2-4 cloves garlic

2 c fresh spinach

A leftover potato if you have it, chopped

6 eggs beaten

1/2 c coach cheese (or your favorite)

Beat eggs and set aside.

Heat oil large skillet on medium high heat.

Saute onion, celery, bell pepper about 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Add

mushrooms, let cook 4 minutes without stirring. Then stir, add salt and garlic. Stir and cook 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Add chopped potato if using, sausage and or bacon, cook 1 minute. Add spinach, stir and cook til wilted. Add beaten eggs. Mix well and stir only enough to keep eggs light, evenly distributed and cooked. When eggs are set (no longer runny), add cheese, cover and turn off heat. Leave the lid on just long enough for cheese to melt, 1-2 minutes.

My family like this with a little ketchup or hot sauce.

Serve with fresh fruit.

Don't forget, I prepped my celery and washed my bell peppers when I got home from the store earlier in the week. Veggies can be chopped while the bacon or sausage cooks. I've been known to steal a couple tablespoons of bacon fat in which to cook the veggies.

If your family doesn't like mushrooms, leave them out. Add zucchini or yellow squadh if you'd like. Or any leftover veggie in the fridge.

This speedy dinner will give you lots of health in every bite while tasting AMAZING!

Each nightly meal is easy, full of healthy balance vitamins, minerals and protein.

What are you interested in hearing about? Please message me or leave a comment.

Remember, it's OK to not be perfect. Just keep moving in the right direction.