Planning Healthy Meals for Your Family

Why is it that during the summer months we seem to have more time to enjoy everything? Is it because the days are longer, the expectations lazier? Or maybe our attitudes are adjusted because the warm, sunny days demand happiness and will not tolerate hectic schedules. Unfortunately as the days slowly close in upon us and the warmth of the sun begins to cool a bit, most of us find ourselves sliding back into routines that are not always the healthiest.

Planning healthy meals for you and your family is another one of those after-summer conundrums. With less time between activities it is tempting, and understandable, that we would grab the most convenient item and call it a meal. However, I challenge you to rebel this year and make a conscious decision to make healthy meals a priority for you and your family.

Healthy meal planning can be easier than you think. The operative word in that sentence? Planning. A small amount of planning each week can help you and your family stay on track with healthy eating. Here are some quick tips to get you started.

Before shopping make a weekly menu.

Ask all the family members to contribute so that everyone has a say in what they will be eating. Look for recipes online that only take 30 minutes or less to prepare. Eating healthy really doesn’t require chef’s training or hours in the kitchen.

While shopping stick with your list. Add as much perimeter food items to that list as possible to avoid becoming trapped inside the aisles of the supermarket. When we get trapped in the aisles of the supermarket it is harder to resist the temptation of pre-packaged food that does not offer the same health benefits as fruits, vegetables and fresh meats. Only 20% of your shopping list should be within in the aisles. Remember a handful of grapes is just as convenient as a package of “fruit snacks.”

After shopping unload, divide and organize.

If certain food items are for specific meals, group these together in the refrigerator or pantry. This way you will spend less time gathering ingredients. If your schedule allows, prepare some of the meals immediately, storing them in the refrigerator so you simply have to heat and serve when it is one of those insane nights when everyone has to be at different places at the same time.

There is one more aspect involved in planning healthy meals for your family. It is the act of eating itself. I am not sure how your family operates, but I know that when school starts up and extracurricular activities begin to crowd the individual daily squares on the calendar, family dinners tend to become less prioritized. This bothers me so much. Why? Family dinners are the heart and soul of our family bond. It is the hour out of the day where attention is focused solely on each other and not distractions from the outside world. Phones are put away. Doorbells are ignored. We spend an hour sitting around a table, taking our time with our meal, rehashing the events of our day while we eat a meal that is not handed to us through a drive-thru window or obtained from the picked-over convenience store island where one’s choices after six o’clock in the evening become a pickle or a stale sandwich.

We lead busy lives. It can be difficult to have a traditional, round-table family meal every night. However, when planning your menu try to include a least two or three meals each week that require you to sit together as a family to savor the flavor of your food and the good company.

Healthy meal planning goes beyond the grocery list and the grocery store. Healthy meal planning meets the nutritional needs of your family, but should also meet the emotional needs, too. Happy eating!