Ever find yourself with a growling stomach at 5 pm, and your fridge is empty? Yeah, I’ve been there, too!ย If I donโt plan ahead, things go awry and I eat whatever I can findโฆ which isn’t the best for my health and wellness goals! Let’s talk about how to get back in the swing of things!
Food Ideas for getting back in the Swing of Things:
As we begin to get back into a routine with summer dwindling and school starting back up, I thought I would share my favorite food ideas to help keep nutritious meals on our plates both at home and on the go! Try not to get caught up in putting a food into a breakfast, lunch or dinner category, explore what works for you! H2 Tip: The best method is the one that works for YOU and your family!
Some of my Favorite Go-To Lunches:
Eggs: (I know these can go in the protein section but I think they deserve their own category – they’re so versatile!)
- Hard boiled eggs are great to pack and also are a wonderful snack – you can also chop up some veggies and other protein (I love to use high quality tuna and chicken) to make an egg salad! Dip with celery sticks, or your favorite cracker or pita bread, YUM!
- Scramble with veggies and some avocado on the side
- Crumbled on top of salads
Meat/Protein:
I typically have at least one if not two types of protein ready to go for the week. Some of my favorites are:
- Diced chicken – H2 Tip: Play around and experiment with seasonings! Start off with Italian, Paprika, Cumin, and Taco-style seasonings. This way you can keep it interesting and have lots of different flavors!
- Ground beef with organ mixture
- Navy and pinto beans
- Nuts (great by themselves, on yogurt or in salads) – or make your own trail mix!
- Canned fish such as mackerel, sardines and whitefish
Vegetables/Fruit:
This is my favorite part! The sky is the limit when it comes the the vegetables you can add into your lunch. Fruits and vegetable are where you’re going to get in a lot of your micronutrients – those vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that keep our internal health in top shape!
I nearly always have at least a few cooked and ready to add into a bowl or even a salad.
- Steamed asparagus
- Roasted carrots
- Sweet potatoes (the instantpot is a huge timesaver for potatoes!)
- Steamed or pickled beets
- Diced onions
- Diced garlic
- Diced celery
- Diced cucumber
- Oranges peeled and ready to use
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Watermelon, cantaloupe, etc
A lot of days I make a bowl with whatever I have in the fridge. This might include rice, one of the protein sources listed above, mixed greens or spinach and I love throwing some cooked veggies like asparagus or root veggies into the bowl.
Another go-to for me are salads where I add either eggs or some type of protein source, olive oil, and all types of other yummy things. For salad building see my previous blog post here!
I love having this ready to go early in the week so I never have to think about what Iโm going to eat. If I donโt plan ahead, that is when things go awry for me and I eat whatever I can find… which sometimes leaves me hungry before my next meal or worse, the meal is not as nutritious as I need which leaves me feeling sluggish and blah within a couple of hours! Can you relate?
Planning ahead is key and makes for happier, healthier you! Have a life-changing food prep tip? Leave it in the comments below! Let’s all share and learn together! If you need more guidance and help with eating and how to properly fuel your body, I’d love to personally help! Consider joining my group program, where I provide nutrition guidance, or message me on Instagram.
You’ve got this!
H2
