Rise and shine, it’s Monday! Another week to start new goals, work on current ones and celebrate the week ahead. Our goal at Home with a Twist is to redefine Monday and make it the best day of the week. Let’s dive in with some ideas.
Meal Planning: This “new to me” practice has been very effective in my health and wellness journey. It is a tool that is discussed a lot in my Noom community (Noom is an online weight-loss app you read about here). The importance of meal planning is that it allows you to know in advance what you will be eating so that you are more likely to make healthier food choices. Meal planning also helps you keep food costs down because there is less “hangry” food impulse buying. Here is a terrific article on meal prep 101 .
One thing to consider is you don’t need to plan elaborate menus for the week. If you like to cook, and that’s how you want to approach meal planning, then go for it. Since I work and I am now in graduate school, my free time is not as conducive to cooking every night of the week even though I enjoy it. Here’s how I approach meal prep:
Sunday — Mr. Bee and I discuss what our schedule looks like for the week and what evenings we have free to sit down together for a meal. Let’s say this week we’ve got Monday, Tuesday and Friday evenings free. After church we shop at Trader Joe’s and get all our fresh groceries for the week. Maybe this is another day for you like Saturday. The point is to pick a day that is your start of the week and stick with it. The other days of the week we eat leftovers or a sandwich, or we might go out one night a week for dinner.
Dinner — We will go around the store and brainstorm three dinner meals always making sure to include a protein and lots of fruits and vegetables. It might be their spatchcocked chicken (which is the THE most read of my blog posts. I get comments on it daily and I wrote that post over two years ago. If you google Trader Joe’s Spatchcocked Chicken my blog is usually the third or fourth on the list. I know! Who knew a chicken would make me famous.). Anyway, back to the current story. Put the chicken in your cart, throw in a box of brown organic rice, which has enough servings for three meals, and a package of Brussels sprouts from produce. Boom meal one done. And you will probably have enough left over for lunch the next day. Another great resource — the TJs staff. They love to help. Ask them for ideas for a quick and healthy dinner. Maybe it’s ground turkey or chicken and one of their sauces and pasta (or spaghetti squash). Add a bag of salad and there’s meal two. We usually make omelets at least one evening of the week. Toss in lots of veggies, herbs and some low-fat mozzarella cheese. Add a slice of whole wheat toast and you have a well-rounded meal three. So, there are three dinner ideas for you this week.
Lunches — I also shop for my lunches for the week like a fresh loaf of whole wheat bread, sliced turkey breast and veggies. They sell the most delicious bag of tiny colorful bell peppers. Slice those into strips and measure their hummus into a small container and you have a healthy side for your sandwich. Add an apple for fiber for good measure. TJs has lots of lovely pre-made salads that are $5-$7 you can stock up on for the week, too. You can grill a few pieces of chicken on the weekend and have those for lunch during the week with a baked sweet potato.
Breakfasts — Studies have shown that breakfast eaters are all-around healthier, less likely to be obese, more likely to have good blood sugar levels, less likely to be hungry later on in the day, and may have improved cognitive function. Embracing, and not skipping, breakfast kick starts your metabolism and boosts your energy after a long fast. I love TJ’s steel-cut oatmeal in the freezer section. Add in a tablespoon of almond butter for your protein and partner it with a hard-boiled egg and you will have a power breakfast that will keep you full for hours. Here’s a guide to healthy breakfasts for the week. Overnight oatmeal is so delish — here’s a recipe I have tried from Kathy Eats Real Food. Unlike the crock pot oatmeal I made that tasted like barf (if you want that recipe click here and God, bless).
I’ll come back another time for healthy snack ideas to inspire you. But, for now try these tips to make your Monday matter!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
