Prepare Meals in Advance to Save Time and Calories

Prepare meals in advance.March is National Nutrition Month. This week’s nutrition tip: PREPARING MEALS & SNACKS IN ADVANCE.

So many of us are busy with family, work, and school, we often forget to plan our meals and end up grabbing something quick when we can. Not only can this end up costing us more money, it can often cost us more calories, too.

One way to beat those junk food blues is to prepare meals in advance. Take one day a week – Sunday, for example – to plan out and prepare a few quick and simple meals and snacks.

One great tip is to prepare several common (and nutritious) ingredients such as chicken, vegetables, grains, and fruits, then have them available to combine into a quick salad. Casseroles also make terrific prepare in advance options since they can be easily portioned out and frozen.

Another tip is to create on-the-go snacks by combining dried fruits and nuts into small containers that can be easily carried in a purse or bag. Whole pieces of fruit or cut-up veggies also make terrific and healthy snack choices. Preparing several of these for the week takes no time at all and will help curb those cravings for less healthy alternatives.

You may think you don’t have time to prepare meals in advance. After all, there are better things to do with your time off, right? Perhaps. But consider this: eating healthy helps reduce your risk of heart disease and other related illnesses. And staying healthy allows you to better enjoy your free time with your friends and family. Taking a little time each week to prepare healthy meals and snacks will help add quality time to your life in the long run.

For more tips of preparing healthy snacks, please read my previous blog post, Get Your (Healthy) Snack On!

For more information about National Nutrition Month, please visit their website.

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Posted: March 5, 2018


Category: Health & Nutrition, WORK & LIFE
Tags: Family And Consumer Sciences, FCS, Food, Food Preparation, Meal Prep, National Nutrition Month, Nutrition, Samantha Kennedy, Skennedy, Snacks


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