Meal Planning

I'm terrible at planning anything definite, but I also need to streamline effort and time, and reduce costs.  Too little variety and I severely undereat, or lose all willpower and severely overeat things that make me feel ill.  Too many options and I'm overwhelmed.

My 'usual' routine, such as it is, looks something like this:

• Breakfast •

I start with almond butter on toasted sprouted whole grain bread and a cup of my favorite tea. This is almost a ritual, and my brain knows it's time to wake up when I smell them.  Plus, it fuels me to make breakfast if I don't have it prepped.

Roughly twice a week, I make four days' worth of breakfast in under 15 minutes with Overnight Oatmeal.  I make a single flavor in a single large container, and portion it out each morning.

For variety, I have some Grab & Go options, such as Microwave Crustless Quiche, which can easily become a portable Gourmet Breakfast Sandwich.  

Recently, I bought hard-boiled eggs at the store, and put most of them into an empty jar of homemade pickles with the remaining juice, to make garlic-chili-dill pickled eggs, and I'll eat one with a snack pack of fresh mozzarella if I'm in a hurry.

Smoothies are another quick option, particularly when I use the DIY smoothie pack method.

 

 

• Lunch •

I make intentional leftovers for dinners, and then take a portion for lunch.  I try to make at least three meals' worth so I don't have to cook every night, and so some nights I can make dinners that don't necessarily reheat well.

 

• Snack(s) •

For most of the year, this involves a fresh, crisp, sweet-tart, juicy apple.  Sometimes with almond or cashew butter.  Sometimes with a small piece of vintage extra-sharp cheddar.  

Half of a ruby red grapefruit cut in half, and then diagonally in half again makes for easy eating.

A pickled egg and mozzarella work well here, especially if lunch was light.

I like no-Calorie beverages with flavor that boosts the mood: hot tea, unsweetened iced tea, flavored seltzer, and my current hot-weather favorite, Stevia-Sweetened Cranberry Lemonade.  Trader Joe's Mango & Chile Black Tea is my current cold-weather favorite.

I'll have a smoothie before a workout too, for fuel without getting 'dinner burps.'

 

 

• Dinner •

Dinner is where most of the variety comes in; lunch too, as I make intentional leftovers.  Some recipes lend themselves better to this purpose, and they're currently tagged 'Meal Prep'.  I try to make at least three recipes a week, making no more than three of each meal, so I don't tire of it, and using some of the extra for lunches, and some of the extra for dinner on a night when I don't want to cook.  Some of the leftover meals can be frozen for future weeks, as detailed in my summary post on Meal Prep.