When it comes to healthy eating for weight loss, it really is true that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail! Getting home after a hard day’s work to find the cupboards are bare or that you’d have to spend hours defrosting, chopping and cooking food can very easily put you on the road to your nearest restaurant or takeaway for a quick and easy fix.

If you plan your meals ahead you’ll avoid these moments of weakness and increase the likelihood of stress free weight loss success! Below are some tips to help you plan ahead and save time!

1. Sit down and plan out the week (or even the whole month). Note down how many people will be at home for each meal (if you have a family to cook for) and any events or nights out where you will be eating out. Now if you work shifts or are busier some evenings than others, the trick is to plan to cook more complex meals on the days you have the time and have something simple for dinner on your busier days. There are a few ways you can make this easier.

• Try cooking double what you usually would on an evening when you have time to cook, put half the food straight into container suitable for freezing, allow it to cool and put it in the freezer. If you have containers suitable for freezing and using in the oven, even better (try www.pyrex.com) – you can get the meal out to defrost in the morning of the day you want it, then put it straight in the oven when you get home from work. Only one dish to wash!

• If you have enough containers, have a cooking afternoon and make loads of meals to freeze. A quick and easy option for this is Soup for your lunches. Why not try the Soup Recipe below. It can be kept in the fridge for around 4 days, and freezes really well. Defrost before microwaving.

Simple Butternut Squash Soup
Makes between 8 and 10 servings at around 70 Kcals per bowl!
You will need:
A kettle full of boiled water
Two stock cubes
A whole Butternut Squash (peeled and deseeded)
An Onion
Half a Cabbage
A Red Pepper
A tin of Tomatoes
Tabasco, dried oregano and dried Italian herbs to taste

Pour boiling water into a large pan and add stock cubes to dissolve. Chop all veg into cubes (the smaller they are the quicker they will cook) and add to pan. Simmer until Squash is soft. Add the tin of tomatoes and continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Add seasoning. Use a hand blender to blend until soup appears smooth. It’s ready to eat now, so serve up, or allow to cool before dividing between containers and freezing.

2. If there simply aren’t enough hours in the day, why not try doing your food shopping online? You’ll be less tempted by treats, as away from temptation you’ll be able to detach yourself from the shopping experience and just buy from your list. You’ll probably save money by avoiding all those impromptu buys, and it makes sense to plan meals out as you buy. Once you’ve shopped online once, most supermarkets’ online services have the facility to store your shopping list so next month you can just tweak it a bit for some variety, rather than having to do the whole shop again.

3. If you enjoy trying new foods and having a ‘foodie experience’ like going to a restaurant to look forward to at the weekend, why not try having a ‘recipe night’ instead? Pick a healthy new recipe either from a book or online and ensure all the ingredients are included in your planned shop. You can look forward to learning new cooking skills and trying new foods, and if you discover something you like, you can add it to your monthly meal planning repertoire! You could even try inviting friends to take it in turns to plan healthy dinner parties! You’ll still get a night out with friends, but you’ll be eating healthier, saving money and helping each other discover new recipes!

4. Never be caught out without a healthy snack. Keep an apple or some nuts in your handbag for in case you get caught out between meals. Knowing you have something healthy in your bag, you’ll be less likely to reach for the quick fix chocolate bar or bag of crisps. Packing lunches for work will mean you are eating well, and spend less of your lunch hour deciding what to eat/buying food. You could even use that extra time to get out of the office for a quick walk and some fresh air! You’ll be saving money and your waistline; you may even find you’re more productive at work after a proper break.

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This entry was posted on March 23, 2011 at 8:36 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Weight Loss Strategies by jango | No Comments Yet