Each day we get up with great intentions of eating well but how often does your best intentions get derailed?

Sometimes our day doesn't plan out the way we want it to. Running around, doing errands, work meetings popping up when we didn't expect them, time just slips by.

At these times it is really easy to grab foods that are a quick-fix, convenient and not always as nourishing as we would like.

So, how to do deal with this? Meal Planning is the key!

Planning does take some time but it should not take an hour, or more!

Here are 10 tips that lead to successful planning:

1. Pick a day to plan and make sure that you have time set aside. Saturday mornings always work for me.

2. If you are planning for more than 1 family member, ask others for their input. However, be prepared for "I don't knows", don't let that derail you.

3. Make sure that you have a great planner that you can write your meal option on. Don't have a great planner, we have made one for you! Click on the link below to download a copy of our meal planner.

4. Think about what activities and work you have on for the week (even mark them on your planner) and ensure that you chose meals to fit in with those times. Do you need to batch cook so that you can pull prepared meals out of the fridge or freezer?

5. Don't complicate your meals. Sometimes quick and simple meals are just as delicious and nutritious.

6. You do not have to have a different meal every day! Sometimes you can repeat the same meal which will save on the amount of ingredients that you have to shop for.

7. Pull our the recipe books! If you are struggling for inspiration check out the recipe books or have a look around the internet at some ideas.

8. Consider what is currently in season. If you plan and then head to the shops to find that you cannot get the produce you need you will struggle to stick to you plan!

9. Once you have finished you plan make a shopping list to include all the foods that you need for the week.

10. Head to the shops and buy all the delicious nutritious foods to make you meal plan a success!

Bonus Tip: Put your planner onto your fridge so that it is easy to read. So often we don't follow a plan because we can't be bothered to get the plan out!

Benefits of meal planning

• Good for your health and wellness

• Saves time: by investing less than a hour each week you won't have to spend time working out what to eat every single day!

• Saves money: Less waste, less eating out, less spending money on foods that you just don't want!

• Saves on food waste: By making a list before your grocery shop you end up buying only the items you need.
  

Inspire Wellness provides health and vitality through nutrition and other holistic health services. We specialise in the Metabolic Nutrition through the Metabolic Balance nutrition program. Metabolic Balance is a great way to stick to a meal plan with individualised nutritious foods to help you in your health and wellness journey. If you would like to learn more about Metabolic Balance and how an individualised plan can help you achieve your goals book a free Metabolic Balance Discovery Call.