Most people know that meal planning and prepping can be of benefit to save us time and money throughout our busy week. But sometimes it’s hard to know what first step to take. Taking two to three hours out on your day off to prep for a weeks’ worth of menus will save you hours of planning during the week.

• Don’t think ‘all or nothing’:  Start with a small step and work your way up.  Maybe start by prepping your veggies for the next week, planning only a couple dinners, cooking some grains, etc.  It doesn’t have to be done all at once!
• Make a List: Start by finding recipes that appeal to you.  List the ingredients for meals you plan to make during the week. Check to see what items you already have in the refrigerator or pantry. 
• Make your produce last:  Set aside time to wash and chop your produce.  Doing this all at once saves time and makes healthy food more convenient and ready to eat! Store washed and chopped produce in air tight containers or plastic bags.  Some produce is “ready to eat” and doesn’t require any prep work and make perfect quick and easy snacks (apples, oranges, baby carrots).
•  Buy or cook brown rice, couscous, barley, whole wheat pasta, or any other whole grain side you might use for your meals for this week. Cover tightly and reheat in the microwave or on the stove when you want to use it. Remember 1 serving of grains is about 1 cup!
• Clean and cut up the veggies that you will be using in your meals for the upcoming week so you can just pop them in the oven or a pan to cook. You can also blanch  (briefly boiled and put into ice cold water to preserve color and texture) the veggies after you prep them so you have raw and cooked veggies on hand throughout the week.
• Clean and cut up fruit that you will be packing in your lunch and for your meals, and combine your fruit salads that you have planned for the week. Squeeze some lime or lemon juice over the fruit to keep it from browning. If it is fruit that browns easily, you might want to cut it right before it is eaten. Fruit doesn’t last long once it’s cut, so you might want to designate 15 minutes midweek to cut up the rest of your fruit for the end of the week.
• Clean fresh herbs to use for your recipes. Wrap in damp paper towels, put them into individual baggies, and label each baggie with masking tape. Put them in the refrigerator or freezer to use whenever you need them!
• Pre-portion servings of crackers, nuts and other healthy snacks into individual bags. You can then grab them to pair with your packed lunches, stash them in your car, and your office at work. Having snacks ready to go will help you eliminate worrying about eating more servings than necessary and get you back on track with the proper serving sizes.
• Make marinades and homemade salad dressings to use throughout the week on salads and meats. Homemade marinara sauce is also good to have on hand in the freezer for meats, pastas, and appetizers.
• Pre-cook ground meats (beef, chicken, turkey) and put them in the freezer (be sure to date them). You can use these for lasagna, tacos, sauces, etc.

Sometimes we just need some new and creative recipes to get away from making the same dishes over and over again.  Below are 5 fresh spring recipes to try and incorporate all the food groups to give you balanced meals.
 

Farro Salad with Arugula, Radishes and Feta

Asparagus, Quinoa, and Chickpea Salad

Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Bowls

Roasted Beet, Carrot and Lentil Salad

Curry Chicken Salad

For more healthy recipes, check out Zipongo through Virgin Pulse! To access Zipongo for healthy recipe ideas, sign into your Virgin Pulse account at http://yp4h.osu.edu/. Click on “programs” and type “Zipongo” in the search bar. Earn YP4H points for browsing recipes and planning your meals.

Join me on Thursday’s from May 2nd-23rd from 12:00pm-12:30pm for a 4 week Group Health Coaching webinar series “Prep for Success!”  We will take a more in depth look at what successful meal planning and prepping looks like for you and your family. Click here to sign up today.