Staying healthy and fit is not easy, especially during pregnancy or as a new mom. It’s also the MOST IMPORTANT time to make your health & wellness a priority. Staying nourished will give you energy, vitality + the essential nutrients you need to grow, feed, and provide the best life possible for your family!!
Sounds basic, but creating and printing your family’s staple list of groceries will save you time, energy, and money during your weekly trips to the grocery store. Spend 10 minutes right now and create your list – make sure to include a healthy variety of fruits, veggies, protein, whole grain, frozen and/or canned foods. Grab my FREE Nourished Mom’s Guide for my recommended staple list!
While I don’t believe in strict meal plans, I do believe in meal planning. Taking a look at your week ahead & tentatively planning out what meals you’ll eat throughout the week will take added stress and time off since you won’t be scrambling last minute to get a meal on the table. In my downloadable Nourished Mom’s Guide, you can see what works for me and my family, and I encourage you to customize to your own lifestyle and food preferences.
The weeks get busy, and while you may have a plan to dish out an elaborate, delicious home-cooked meal, I find it best to have 3-5 “go-to” meals that I know how to confidently & quickly prepare. Off hand, I have a few meals that don’t require pulling out a recipe book, running to the grocery store to pick up the missing ingredient, or crossing my fingers the dish turns out the way it was supposed too. Some example Go-Tos include:
You’ll also want to be prepared with healthy snacks and convenient foods for grab & go or extra busy days. Check out my list of healthy snacks for some inspiration!
As you plan your staple grocery list and meal plan, I encourage you to fill your plate with the Terrific Three Food Groups. This includes a protein (e.g. meat, beans, dairy, etc.) a complex carb (whole grains, sweet potato, fruit etc.) and a vegetable (e.g broccoli, carrots, cucumbers etc.).
I dive into much more detail on the rationale + pairing of the Terrific Three food groups in my virtual nutrition & wellness coaching program. For now, work on filling your plate with a protein + veggie + complex carb!
Change of plans, last minute dinner out, headed through he drive through? It happens. The best thing you can do is reflect on why it happened, what you learned, and what you could do differently next time? Sh*t happens, we are human. The faster you accept that and move on, the faster you can get back on track with meal prep & planning!
If you’re not finding the time or energy to keep up with meal prep & planning week after week, get some support! There are plenty of fantastic meal delivery services available. You select the meals you want for the week and they show up at your door – usually with little to no prep needed. The Consumers Advocate group has pulled together a detailed report on the various meal delivery options so you can find the one that works best for you! The report lists out everything from cost, to time needed, to who it’s best for.
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