It’s the second week of February and I’ve already failed in my resolution to cook more. Don’t get me wrong, the intention is still there (and nagging me daily as I select my takeout options…). I plan ahead in the weekend yet when work and life gets busy I have no time to make anything. I’m exhausted and the less I cook, the more unmotivated I feel. I’m not lacking inspiration to say, I have so many recipe books, pinned recipes that I would like to make. The issue is time management.

I know my next week will be busy, so I broke down what I CAN DO this weekend to prepare for it. Buy groceries for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Organizing my shopping list by what I have at home and what I’ll need. Ideally ingredients that can lend themselves to several recipes (say yes to savings and home cooked meals!)

Here’s my breakdown (italics for what I currently have):

Breakfast ideas

• Green juice (I’ll need kale, spinach, lemons, cucumber, ginger and green apple)
• Spinach almond smoothie (almond milk, nut butter, spinach and banana)
• Banana PB toast (banana, nut butter and toast)

Lunch & Dinner ideas

• Indian spiced sweet potato and pea soup (sweet potato, spring onions, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, frozen peas and coriander)
• Lazy lentils (onion, carrots, celery, veggie broth, lentils)
• Stir fry veggies (baby corn, peas, carrot, celery, tofu)
• Quick salad mix + protein + grain (salad mix, baby carrots, tomatoes, canned/dry beans, rice/noodles) There are so many variations you can get from this. Alternate dressings, toppings, grains.

Snack ideas:

• Baby carrots and hummus 
• Banana and Pb
• Green smoothie (any greens with fruit, nut butter, almond milk)
• Greek yogurt and fruit
• Fruits: Orange, apple, banana, whatever’s in season and on sale

So here’s how my shopping list looks like:

• Kale
• Spinach
• Cucumber
• Green apple
• Banana (get a huge batch so you can freeze them later for smoothies or baking)
• Sweet potatoes
• Coriander
• Celery
• Carrots
• Broth
• Baby carrots
• Salad greens mix
• Greek yogurt
• Store made hummus

Here are the steps for you to plan ahead and eat healthy nutritious meals next week:

1. Write down simple breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas. Don’t overcomplicate, 2-4 recipes per item. (simple fast recipes, maybe something you’ve made before)
2. What ingredients do you currently have? What do you need to get? 
3. Prepare your grocery list. Keep it simple and try not to stray away from it.
4. What can be made, prepped ahead of time? For instance I can make the indian spiced sweet potato soup this weekend. The stir-fry will take me 20-30 minutes (even faster if I have everything chopped and ready to go ahead of time. Put everything in ziplock bag or tupperware).
5. Write down what can you make and when

Let’s see how next week goes!

Did you try planning your meal? Let me know if it worked or if there’s any question!

If you’re curious about the books in my shot (from left to right):

• Crazy sexy juice by Kris Karr
• Skinny bitch ultimate cookbook by Kim Barnouin
• Crazy sexy diet by Kris Karr
• Vegan cooking for carnivores by Roberto Martin
• Make your own rules cookbook by Tara Stiles
• Refresh by Ruth Tal & Jennifer Houston
• Vitamix (came with Vitamix purchase)
• The juicing bible by Pat Crocker
• 500 Indian recipes by Shehzad Hustain
• The big book of juices by Natalie Savona