These simple hacks will keep you on track. Employing these simple strategies will stop you slipping back in to old habits.
Eating well really doesn’t need to be difficult at all, but sometimes we can find ourselves slipping back into old habits. A little bit of organisation and you can stay on track.
Plan your meals
Plan your weekday meals. Get a bank of healthy recipes that you really enjoy making together, and start planning your weekday meals from them. I say weekday meals only because I personally like to chill out a bit at the weekend and be less strict with myself. Obviously Im not saying any of you need to be strict, its just a personal choice that I have made for myself. Planning meals means you have one less thing to worry about during your busy week. Dinner is taken care of!!
Shop to your plan
Go shopping after you have planned your weeks food and shop to the plan. List all the ingredients you need for the weeks planned meals and stick to that as your shop. A targeted shopping list will keep you focused, just make sure you keep away from those impulse buys that supermarkets often lure you in to.
Batch cook
This is one of my absolute favourite hacks. I seem to talk about it constantly, but it is such a no brainer. When you have a little extra time, say at the weekend, spend a little time in the kitchen cooking. Make dishes in batches 4-5 bigger than you usually would. Get yourself some takeaway containers from the supermarket, and divide these meals out in single portions in these containers, then throw them into the freezer. You are basically starting to stock pile your own healthy ready meals. This can be an absolute godsend for those days where you have had the day from hell, or end up getting home late. This is when dealing for that pizza can become super tempting, but with this, you just need to go to the freezer and you have good, healthy, wholesome home cooked food at your fingertips. Great dishes for batch cooking include curries, stews, chillies etc. Trust me, this one tip can save you so much time and money and keep your diet goals on track.
Have some pre cooked staples on hand
Nowadays, with greater interest in healthier food, there are so many options in our supermarkets. Things like packets of pre cooked brown rice, pearl barley, quinoa, pulses etc mean that you can have nutritious accompaniments that will be ready in minutes. Get some of these and keep them in your store cupboard. These can be perfect options to go alongside your batch cooked meals. A healthy meal at the end of a long day with minimal effort!!
Give your favourites a facelift
The final thing and one that I feel is just SO important, is DONT deny yourself of the food that you love. Just learn how to pimp it up! If you love pizza – awesome, use a ready made wholemeal bread mix to create a healthier base, top it with greens, red onions garlic, whatever. You like burgers? Awesome. Learn how to make home made burgers that are bursting with flavour and more nutrient dense. You get the idea. Learn ways to make your every day favourite foods healthier. This way you can enjoy the foods that you love AND eat healthier at the same time. Thats the ultimate win win as far as Im concerned.
