Petite village

    by Amy Vig, Natural Food Chef

 

One of the biggest barriers to eating healthy is making the time.  This can be especially challenging when you’re juggling carpool, kids, home responsibilities and more.  Luckily, there are some simple and easy ways that you can make getting dinner on the table easier and more manageable for you and your family on a day-to-day basis.

 

The key, menu planning, is exceedingly simple but can also seem daunting if you don’t know how to do it.  After all, in reality it’s just a matter of picking a few favorite recipes you’ll make throughout the week, but many of us get bogged down in choices and details until it seems like too much.  Luckily, we have a few tips for you that can help you make menu planning a long-term habit that will help your family to eat better and healthier.

 

If you are new to planning, the idea is to plan out your menu for the week including a full shopping list.  Not only will this help to ensure you have something healthy to eat, but it will also eliminate unnecessary food spending.  Interested in creating a menu plan?  Here are my top 5 tips for doing so successfully:

 

• Pick just 3 meals that you’ll make this week: While there are some folks who plan every single meal, I prefer to just plan a few for the week in order to increase flexibility and minimize the pressure of having more food than you want to make.

 

• Mix family favorites with new recipes: Keep it fresh and interesting by throwing in a new recipe each week, but don’t feel like every item you make has to be new. 

 

• Create a database of recipes you like: Once you try a new recipe and your family enjoys it, file that recipe away to include in future rotation.

 

• Pick 2 simple recipes and 1 challenging one: Not every meal has to be gourmet or complicated, it should just be healthy and something your family will like.  Keep the challenging ones (if you choose to include them at all) for the weekends or light nights!

 

• Make leftovers: Leftovers can be used in all kinds of creative ways.  It can be as simple as eating it for lunch the next day or repurposing it for a totally new meal. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at this!

 

Ready to get started? Here are a couple of my favorite recipes to use in menu plans:

 

• Chicken Cutlets

 

• Roasted Veggies

 

• Chicken and Roasted Veggie Quesadillas

 

 

Amy Vig is a natural foods chef and blogger. You can find more of her recipes and tips at Delicous by Nature.   She will also be teaching a series of Cooking for a Family classes this fall.  For more information, please check  Petite Village Events.