Take the guesswork out of what’s for dinner.
Meal Planning Principles
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
I believe you have the right to choose what and how much you eat. No two people’s food preferences are alike. That’s why I teach YOU how to plan your own meals instead of handing you a copycat meal plan.
Keep it Simple
You don’t have to cook gourmet meals every night to be healthy. Delicious, quick and easy meals exist! Feel free to take shortcuts. Try steam-in-a-bag vegetables, instant rice, pre-cooked patties, and more. There are dietitian-approved recipes all over the web you can access from your smartphone. Ask Kelly Cornelius, RD if the recipes you are choosing from are ones that will fit into your plan.
Align with Your Goals
You will be at a different place than other people on your nutrition and lifestyle journey. That’s OK. Maybe you are currently eating out three or more times per week. Your goal may be to cook at home 6 out of the 7 days. Maybe you already have home-cooked meals every day, but you want to include more vegetables. Whatever your goal, the key is to stay consistent and accountable with your meals.
Make it Adaptable and Flexible
Things don’t always go as planned. It is important to stay open-minded when navigating life’s challenges. Don’t beat yourself up if something didn’t go according to your original meal plan. A plan is a guide to a steer you toward a healthier lifestyle. Yes, you can enjoy ice cream with friends, pizza night with family, or popcorn at the movies and stay consistent with your meal plan the majority of the time.
Start Planning
Food Groups
The basic food groups include fruits, vegetables, grains, healthy fats, and protein foods. Aim for 2 to 3 cups of vegetables and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fruit per day. The easiest way to do this is to include fruit with breakfast, another fruit with your snacks, then vegetables with lunch and dinner. Lastly, add a vegetable to another snack if you didn’t reach your goal at dinner.
Plating Method
Another way to plan for serving meals is to use the plating method. You could also apply this to meal prep food containers. Half of your plate should be vegetables and fruit, a quarter whole grains, and a quarter protein. Remember, this is just a guideline, not a law. Some foods may fit into more than one category, like beans.
Get Meal Prepping
First, you will need appropriate food storage containers. You can use today’s dinner leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. A second option is to keep lunches simple with a meal you can prepare in the morning, like a hearty sandwich or filling salad.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can freeze leftovers to makes them last for a few months. Some meals freeze better than others. Take advantage of this and batch cook to save time later on. Pasta works well for this.
Daily method: Meal prep in the morning or evening for the next 1-2 days. The “leftover dinner for lunch” method is one way to accomplish this.
Weekly method: Meal prep on your day off or your least busy day. Prepare meals for the next 3-5 days, or longer if freezing. You can make the next few lunches the same dish and then your next few dinners another dish to make it easy. Just make sure it is something you enjoy and won’t get tired of.
Important: Don’t feel obligated to clean your plate just because you prepped it ahead of time. The same goes for if you are still hungry 20-30 minutes after a meal. There is nothing wrong with keeping an additional snack on hand. Especially if these snacks are fresh fruit or vegetables!