A chicken with its head cut off…being chased by the barn cat.
That’s what I feel like some days.
Just getting something done on our to-do list seems like a miracle in the midst of driving kids here, picking them up there, finishing work, and feeding hungry bellies.
That basket of laundry? Forget it.
We’ve all been in a busy season. And if we’re honest, we can’t think of a season where we floated along, leisurely through our day.
For most of us, what we have to do in a day doesn’t quite fit the hours of the day. So we hustle.
That’s when we start making a bad decision.
We think, I don’t have time to cook a healthy meal right now. I’ll just make something quick.
And then we do something interesting…
We think, if it’s quick, it’s got to be junk. We assume (falsely) that nutritious meals take up large chunks of time. And if we’re short on anything, we’re short on time.
So we grab:
- A box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce
- A pack of hotdogs
- A frozen pizza
- Or drive-through on the way home
Right?
But are we assuming wrongly? Does “quick” have to mean “poor quality”? Or is there a way to eat well, reach your goals, and not take on hours of extra kitchen duty?
I have a feeling you can guess the answer. But let me prove it to you below.
The Breakfast Breakthrough
I remember when breakfast stopped being a struggle.
Prepped breakfast, I argue, is more important than prepped dinner. When we ace breakfast, we’re setting the tone for the rest of the day.
Mentally, we feel on our game. But physically, we’re literally setting ourselves up for success – stabilizing blood sugar and managing hunger hormones first-thing.
So, what’s the solution? How can you start your day right, hit your nutrition goals, and still get out the door faster than poptarts toast?
Prep it.
I pick three breakfast recipes each week.
- An eggy breakfast
- A yogurt breakfast
- A pre-made breakfast
Last week, my breakfast game played out like this:
- Monday and Tuesday I had my basil seed yogurt cups.
- Wednesday and Thursday I ate my tortilla egg bake.
- Friday and Saturday I had a cup of cottage cheese with a bunch of berries.
- Sunday I had pancakes with the kids.
On slower-paced weeks, I enjoy omelets or French toast. But when life picks up, I turn to these no-fuss breakfasts.
The Extra-Large Lunch
Things in my body and my schedule shifted when I stopped snacking. Girl, do you know how long it takes to think up, plan, prep, and pack snacks? Skip it. Your blood sugar will thank you.
Three to four solid meals a day is best for fat loss, if that’s your goal. It also keeps energy stable, increases metabolism, and keeps insulin from spiking.
Once I started skipping snacks, one thing became clear: my lunches were pathetic.
They were way too small to sustain me until dinner time. I needed to majorly up my portions, the calories, and the protein.
Skipping snacks saved me time. Eating an adequate lunch kept my energy strong all afternoon. It was a win-win when it came to acing my busy day.
So, here’s your rule to follow for lunch: Go big, or go home (to get more food).
Make sure your meals are packed with 30-40 grams of protein (and go light on carbs) or you’ll hit that afternoon slump.
You have two easy lunch options:
- Prepped and packed
- Bought at a restaurant
Prepped lunches become easy when you find my list of no-cook, high-protein foods.
Think:
- Asian chopped salad with rotisserie chicken
- Avocado tuna salad with fresh bell peppers
- Pulled pork loaded sweet potatoes
Some days, we find ourselves in the drive-through line. Lunches bought out don’t have to sabotage your health goals. Here’s how to order fast-food and still hit your protein goals.
The Dauntless Dinner
Dinner can be daunting. That’s why there’s a whole category of recipes called “weeknight dinners” trying to solve this pinch-point in all of our days.
For me, dinner is especially hard when I:
- Don’t have a plan, and it’s already 5:00 pm
- Can tell I and my family are hungry, tired, and need dinner fast
- Can’t find a reliable time to cook dinner in the busy evenings
- Think my family won’t like or eat the healthy recipes I want to cook
Do you feel similarly?
There’s a solution. I promise.
The solution comes in three parts:
1️⃣ Find Your Core Four: Your Core Four are four or more recipes that tick several boxes. First, they fit your nutrition goals. Second, your family likes them. Third, you can cook them in the time you have. For example, you might find that a veggie loaded bolognese sauce over pasta is a win every time you cook it. Wonderful! You’ve just found one of your Core Four meals. I explain the ins and outs of designing this go-to list of recipes in my e-book that you can find here.
2️⃣ Create Theme Nights: Theme nights are a huge win in busy seasons. You decide once what types of meals you eat each day of the week. Then, the decision making is over.
Think about your week realistically. Are you out of the house until 6:00PM one night? Let that be your dump-and-go Crock Pot meal. Out at a sports practice smack in the middle of dinner time? Make that a build your own sandwich picnic. Love to watch movies with the kids on Friday night? You can even make pizza night fit your macros.
Once you decide on your themes, you’ll know, for example, that every Sunday you have soup. Every Monday you have pasta. Every Tuesday you have tacos. No more decision fatigue around dinner. Keep the themes, but feel free to switch up the recipes depending on what you and your family are craving.
Find my full guide on building your dinner theme nights here.
3️⃣ Have Your Emergency Go-To’s:
Let’s keep things real. Some nights are too hectic or too exhausting to ace dinner. I like to keep 3 or so emergency meals in the pantry and freezer. These aren’t meals I’ve frozen, personally. They’re not going to be perfectly nutritionally balanced, but they’ll be much better than cereal for dinner.
Here are a few of my favorite emergency meals:
- White Bean Chicken Chili (if you have extra cooked chicken, slap some in for extra protein. If not, an extra can of beans does the trick).
- Healthy Choice MAX Honey Sriracha Chicken
- Healthy Choice Grilled Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
When looking for your emergency meals, check out the nutrition label. You want as close to or more than 30 grams of protein per serving and calories close to your allotted amount per meal. Extra fiber is a plus!
Hit Goals On-the-Go
Have I convinced you?
Quick meals don’t have to be junk meals. You can still build nutritious meals that fit your macro goals when you’re short on time.
Tackling meals (and making them realistic for your life and family) is a core concept we master in LEAN.
Here’s how Kristin put it:
“This program really makes a healthy lifestyle attainable for everyone no matter how busy your life is. I am amazed at the energy I have and the changes I’m already seeing only 3 weeks in. This lifestyle change is how I plan to live, eat, and view food from here on out. Thanks Amanda!”
Stop putting off your health to a time “when things slow down.” You deserve health now, in the thick of it. Join us.
