How to meal plan regularly even when you hate it

One of the biggest problems my eCourse students and readers have is meal planning.  It seems so daunting and too time consuming that it can paralyze people from even trying.  Many students feel like meal planning is the key to their success eating plant-based.

Although it's absolutely possible to eat a plant-based diet successfully without meal planning, knowing how to meal plan regularly, even if you don't like it, can be a very helpful skill to have. Here's  5  tips to meal plan quickly and regularly, even if you hate it.

1.  Have someone else meal plan for you.

The easiest way to meal plan when you hate doing it is to have someone else do it for you! There are a few services you can order from that will send you healthy, plant-based meal plans with recipes so all you have to do is show up at the grocery store (full disclosure - I've never tried these two vegan meal planning services before nor do I get any kickbacks for sharing this with you). 

• Forks Over Knives Planner 
• Meal Mentor by Happy Herbivore 

This is also one of the reasons my husband and I founded Trisha's Healthy Table in Columbia, SC -- to make eating plant-based dinners easier when you're not up for planning or grocery shopping.  Just order online and pick-up on the date you've scheduled and you're done!

Okay well what do you do when you actually have to meal plan but really don't like doing it?  

2.  Schedule 10 minutes a week to meal plan.

Schedule just 10 minutes a week in your planner (seriously! - schedule a time to plan!) to do this every week.  Once you start doing it continuously every week, it'll become a habit.  

You don't have to make a brand new meal plan every single week.  Keep it the same as the week before, or just switch out one or two meals for something new.   

3.  Choose simple and quick meals

I use to make meal plans for clients (years ago) that included a different breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snack for every single day of the week.  Problem with that was, it was too overwhelming for people to try and make 32 different food items a week (they did get a lot of recipes though!).  

I don't recommend trying to cook gourmet meals, or spend 1.5 hours cooking every night, especially if you're busy.  Make eating a healthy, vegan diet as easy as possible on yourself.  Your meal plan should reflect this.

You can use the microwave, a rice cooker, boxed soups, an electric pressure cooker etc. to help make eating plant-based easier.   

Remember all of this when you meal plan.  Don't try and make more than 3 brand new dinners in a week.  Stick with planning and cooking what you already know and slowly add new recipes over time (if you want.  You don't have to!).   

The simpler you keep your meals, the simpler eating a healthy, plant-based diet (and meal planning) is going to be.  What's easier... preparing 100% whole wheat spaghetti with jarred marinara sauce with a side of pre-cut and pre-washed salad mix OR making veggie lasagna from scratch for dinner?  Bake a butternut squash and saute kale and garlic while the squash is in the oven and dinner is done.   You're more likely to eat healthier keeping your meals simply this way too.

4.  Just focus on planning dinner.

Breakfast is generally pretty easy to eat plant-based and lunches can be dinner left-overs.  You're biggest concern, and where you should focus the most energy meal planning, is dinner.  

To avoid being overwhelmed, just pick 3 to 5 dinners that you'd enjoy eating for dinner that week.  Then, rotate through them throughout the week.  This means you might eat pasta on Monday and Thursday.  Here's a few examples of quick dinners to choose from...

• Pasta (100% whole-grain), jarred marinara and a side salad
• Burrito bowl: a mix and match of rice, corn and or beans; salsa, tomatoes, romaine lettuce or spinach and avocado
• Cashew-alfredo linguini and broccoli
• Veggie burgers, oil-free potato fries and a salad
• Veggie pizza (we buy Trader Joe's whole-wheat crust)
• Bean and veggie soup

You can also make these same dinners a little different each week to make the planning easy but the taste a bit varied.  Use different types of pasta for pasta night; different veggies and grains for burrito bowls; seasonal veggies in the veggie burgers and different toppings for pizza.

5.  Store your meal plan on your phone or make copies

Take a photo of your list of dinners and the ingredients they include on your phone.  You can also store this info on an app, in your notes or in email.  Just make it accessible on your phone.  That way, when you're in the store but didn't actually make a meal plan for the week (or forgot it), you'll still know what to buy and make for dinner.

If you're a pen and paper type person, make copies of your dinner meal plan.  I recommend storing a few copies in your glove box, your purse, as well as your kitchen.  Just be sure they make it to the store with you!

Now it's time to hear from you!  Your voice matters and it's helpful for others (especially women!).  Answer today's Take Control Now Question by clicking 'comment' below...

Take Control Now Question

Do you meal plan? If so, what's your system?  Have a time-saving meal planning strategy that could help others?  

Smoothies: Three Things to Watch Out For

Smoothies can be a great way to eat more fruits and veggies but I don't recommend drinking them with reckless abandon.  And here's three reasons why...

1.  Smoothies aren't a panacea for good health (for two reasons).

Smoothies can be a great addition to a healthy, plant-based or vegan diet, but they can also trick you.  Here's two different ways...

One - when you blend up your food, the blender is actually doing some of the pre-digesting of the food for you.  This makes it easier to consume more calories without feeling as full.  

For example, if you were to drink a smoothie made of 2 bananas, 1 cup of frozen cherries, a half cup of almond milk, 5 dates and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (that's an awesome smoothie that I love by the way), you could fit all of that food into just one glass.

(There's a little left-over.  This is a small mason jar.  This is would all fit into a pint glass).

Same amount of food as the smoothie on the left but you actually have more food to eat when it's whole.

If you were to eat 2 bananas, 1 cup of cherries, 5 dates and a half cup of almond milk whole (not blended), you're going to feel more bulk in your stomach.  This will make you feel fuller.  

When you physically munch of food (versus sipping it through a straw), your insides are going to have to burn more calories to actually digest the food as well.  

Eating the whole fruit is more likely to fill you up than eating it blended.  however, it's the same amount of calories.

Two - if you ate the standard American diet and did nothing but drank a smoothie everyday, yes that's better than not, but it's unlikely you'll experience any tangible health benefits from it.

You're more likely to fit into those old clothes you love in the back of your closet by eating whole, plant-based meals 80% of the week and not drinking smoothies.

However, if drinking healthy, vegan smoothies is going to help you eat healthier throughout the rest of the day, then that's freakin' awesome.  Drink 'em up!  Just avoid these types of smoothies...

1.  Avoid smoothies with dairy products

Dairy is associated with asthma, allergies (1), type I diabetes (2), multiple sclerosis (3), acne (4) and it doesn't promote weight loss (5).  If the reason you're drinking a smoothie is for health, ditch the dairy.  

Use plant-milk or silken tofu for a healthy plant-based or vegan smoothie instead.  Silken tofu (not firm or regular tofu) is soft and creamy like yogurt and takes on the flavor of whatever you mix it with.  

2.  Avoid smoothies with added sugar.  Here's where you'll find them...

There's a good chance there may be added sugar in a smoothie when you buy it at a smoothie chain... fast food smoothies so to speak.  

I was in the Philadelphia airport a few weeks ago and stopped at smoothie and frozen yogurt place in the food court.  Sugar was listed as an ingredient in a lot of the smoothies.  So, I ordered one that didn't include sugar (who needs sugar if you're eating blended up pineapple and mango?).  

It just so happened that I watched the person make the smoothie (for no particular reason) and, she added sugar.  Argh!  So I kindly pointed out the listed ingredients and she made me a new one.   

It's common for "smoothie restaurants" to use added sugar.  Stick with sweeter fruits for a naturally sweet taste instead.

If you're making smoothies at home and won't it on the sweeter side, add dates (pick or cut them into pieces) or date paste.  Dates are incredibly sweet and they're packed with nutrition.

Take Control Now

Are you a smoothie drinker?  Why or why not?  If you have a great smoothie recipe, please share it by clicking 'comment' below.

References

1. Sackesen, C. et al., 2011. Cow's milk allergy as a global challenge. Curr Opin Allergy Clin immunol. Jun;11(3):243-8

2. Gerstein, H., 1994. Cow's milk exposure and type I diabetes mellitus. A critical overview of the clinical literature. Diabetes Care, Jan;17(1):13-9.

3. Malosse, D. 1992. Correlation between milk and dairy product consumption and multiple sclerosis prevalence: a worldwide study. Neuroepidemiology, 11(4-6):304-12.

4. Melnik, B. 2009. Milk consumption: aggravating factor of acne and promoter of chronic diseases of Western societies. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. Apr;7(4):364-70

5. Lanou AJ and Barnard ND, 2008. Dairy and weight loss hypothesis: an evaluation of the clinical trials. Nutr Rev. May;66 (5): 272-9.

5 freezer friendly plant-based meals

Freezing plant-based or healthy vegan dinners can make eating healthier easier.  When eating plant-based is easier, and done continually, it's more likely you'll feel less jiggle in your belly.

I love being able to pull out a home-made frozen meal on the nights I need lunch for the next day, but don't want to prep it.

I pop my frozen vegan dinner in the fridge and then by 12pm the next day, it's ready to be warmed in the microwave.

Whether for lunch, dinner or natural disaster, having healthy and delicious, home-made plant-based meals stocked in the freezer can make eating healthier much easier.

Here's 5 plant-based dinners that taste just as good as they did fresh once thawed using Trisha's Healthy Table dinners as an example (Trisha's Healthy Table (THT) sells prepared, plant-based dinners to-go in Columbia, SC to make eating healthy easier.   The chance to get a Spring-Summer, 2017 THT membership with discounted dinners ends on Friday, March 31st).

 

5 Freezer Friendly Plant-Based Meals

Using Trisha's Healthy Table dinners as examples

1.  Vegetable Lasagna

Trisha's Healthy Table makes lasagna using 100% whole wheat noodles, with roasted veggies, a "beef" marinara and a tofu-based ricotta cheese.  It's one of our member's favorites.  

Vegetable lasagna is perfect for freezing whether it's a four person serving or single size.  

All of Trisha's Healthy Table containers are freezer and microwave safe making it easier to freeze, thaw and eat.  You could use a glass tupperware container at home to do that too.

2.  Soups

I enjoy freezing and then reheating THT's cauliflower soup and lentil soup.  Add cashew sour cream and some nice hearty bread to cauliflower soup, and I have a yummy and refreshing meal.  The lentil soup is so filling, delicious and nutrient dense -- it's an awesome and easy meal to reheat as well.

3.  Meatballs and Sauce

Many plant-based meatballs freeze excellently.  Freeze home-made marinara sauce in a separate container.  Once both are reheated, you can add them to pasta or to hotdog buns to make "meatball subs."

4.  Chili and cornbread

Chili freezes really well and maybe to your surprise, cornbread does too!  To freeze cornbread, tightly wrap it in foil (don't forget to date it) and then place in a sealed ziplock bag or tupperware container.  They store well for 3 months.  To eat, heat in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through.

5.  Enchiladas

At THT we love layering enchiladas like lasagna and calling it... enchilasagna!  I've frozen this dinner multiple times and it comes out perfect.  Whether you're eating THT's enchilasagna or one you've made yourself, this is one of my freezer favorites.

If you're in Columbia, SC and are interested in having Trisha's Healthy Table cook you dang delicious plant-based dinners, Friday at 11 pm EST is the last day to become a Trisha's Healthy Table member and get discounted dinners for Spring and Summer 2017. 

Now it's time to hear from you.  Answer today's Take Control Now Question...

Take Control Now Question

What are your top three favorite meals to freeze and why?

Answer by clicking 'comment' below.