5 Tips To Make Meals Easier And Healthier

I know how difficult it can be to make both healthy and delicious meals after working all day, and I know what it’s like to fight against the temptation to throw a box of frozen pizza in the oven with a pre-bought container of macaroni salad on the side.

That’s why convenience foods are so popular, because they’re convenient. They’re easy, when our lives are so busy.

The problem is, the main purpose of convenience foods is just that - convenience.

Not nutrition.

​(Don't feel like reading? No worries, I've got you covered. The video above covers everything in this post! Just click play on the video to listen.)

Convenience foods are highly processed, which means, most of the good stuff is removed and cheap fillers and preservatives are added.

The majority of the time, artificial flavours and colours are also added to make it look nice, not to mention the pile of sugar that is added to pretty much everything.

These chemicals are really difficult on our digestive system and can wreak havoc on our bodies when they’re used long-term.

A convenience meal here and there isn’t going to hurt, when it’s just a one-off type of thing, but in the long run, relying on these types of foods too often will have a negative impact on our health and the health of our families.  

That being said, I also know that without proper planning, it’s difficult to have consistent delicious, healthy meals. Planning ahead is the key here.

I’d like to share some of my favourite tips with you that have saved me from take-out many
times, and I would love to hear your tips too! Please share them in the comments below.

1. Use your crockpot and find recipes that don’t require any precooking or majorprep work. Pinterest can be your best friend for this. Prepare as much as you can the night before and throw everything into the crockpot and store it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, put your slow cooker on and you’ll come home to a delicious smelling house and a fresh cooked meal. If you make extra, you will have leftovers to either use for lunches the next day or to use for dinner another night that week. I love leftovers for this reason.
2. Prepare extra food on the weekends. Consider foods that can be combined into different meals throughout the week. Cook up some ground turkey or beef. Roast a chicken and cook up some quinoa or brown rice. Preparing extra food ahead of time can make life easier because you just have to throw these pre-cooked foods into recipes for quick and healthy meals.
3. Double or triple recipes. Remember when I said I love left-overs? This is my all-time favourite technique for saving time on busy nights. It works great for things like chilis, casseroles, stews, pasta dishes and soups. If you don’t want to have it again that week, you can place portions into containers for the freezer, and pull them out on those nights you that you don’t feel like cooking. Having the leftovers in the right sized container means you can grab them to take with you for your lunch as well.
4. Have breakfast for supper. Eggs are such a versatile food and can be used in any meal. I’ve served omelettes for supper many times when I’ve been short on time. Chop up some fresh veggies and some feta or goats cheese, maybe a little bit of salsa, and you’ve got a quick and healthy meal. Dinner doesn’t have to be fancy to be healthy and delicious.
5. Cut your veggies up ahead of time and keep them in a sealed container in the fridge. That way, they’re also available as a quick and healthy snack during the week.

There you have it - 5 of my favourite tips for making evening meals easier and healthier when life is busy enough, and when you don’t want to keep reaching for convenience foods that are void of the nutrition that you and your family need to stay healthy and strong.

Please add any of your own personal favourite tips into the comments below so you can share them with the rest of us!

May Anne xo

​P.S. If you really want to eat healthier, but aren't quite sure what that looks like or don't know where to start, contact me HERE for a complimentary 30 minute Discovery call, so you can see what it would be like to work with me.