Healthy eating starts in the kitchen; it does not matter if you are working or a housewife, if you want to stay on the healthy track, a little time spent in the kitchen would help you get through the week with an ease.
Weight loss and overeating often mushroom from the fact that you are eating on an impulse or mindlessly making dietary choices. A proactive approach to selection and preparation of food items on a weekend is not only a time saver technique but is also a smart way of getting healthy calories on your plate regularly. This leaves you with fewer chances of putting on extra pounds when the weekend is over.
The fine aspect of this approach is that any day can be delegated for this purpose as long as the essence of the protocol is applied, you might actually find yourself inviting your friends over for a brunch on the weekend and have quality time with your family. This is in addition to the health benefits you will achieve with the deliverance of a sense of accomplishment among other things.
Here are some rules, which you will find are not rocket science, easily adaptable to the busiest of schedules.
1. Pay a visit to your local grocery
Shop for dry rations to adorn your pantry, this might be required fortnightly only. For fresh and frequently used ingredients, you might want to make two trips per week. If you would summarize the food groups underlined for your meal plans for the week, it would be easier to get the shopping done. For example, if white meat is the highlighted item, then you know the shopping list should include chicken and fish in varying recipes.
2. Select and choose your salads
Salads and fruits should be obligatory for your meals and prepare them beforehand would save you lots of time on chopping. Prepare your salad items as cucumbers, celery, carrots, lettuce etc and place them in zip locks or plastic containers. When you hit home after a busy day, all you have to do is mix the ingredients, drizzle olive oil and some salt and you are good to go.
3. Chop and freeze your fruits
Parallel to salad ingredients, chopping and preparing your fruit in advance would help you in making smoothies in the morning or a fruit parfait in the evening or simply munching them on their own. Use them as dessert option after dinner with dark chocolate or frozen yogurt, they are sure to deliver a ton of vitamins in addition to satisfying your taste buds.
4. Prepare healthy snacks
Preparing a batch of mix nut trail or nuts with peanut butter or dark chocolate on the weekend might seem lumbar but it will save you a lot of time on snacking afterward in addition to saving on some zero calories and your precious pennies, which would be otherwise spent on junk.
5. Add more of soups
Soups are healthy because they have a huge filling effect and curbs hunger. The best thing is that it will not be spoilt if frozen or simply refrigerated; a moderate serving of your favorite soup can be reheated and enjoyed while your fish serving is being grilled for evening supper.
6. Set up your meat
Seasoning and freezing your protein portions, chicken, fish or meat would save a major effort in the kitchen after a demanding day. Your fish or chicken would be baked along with vegetables and ready to be served while you take a shower. But do not forget to get it done ahead of your busiest days. Cooking an extra amount of meat would save some portion for sandwiches the next day.
