Let’s face it, life is busy. Things often get so busy that healthy eating goes right out the window when that convenient Chick-Fil-A dinner pickup seems like the only way we’re even managing to eat dinner. But, if you’re trying to eat clean, and just feel stuck trying to figure out how that’s even possible in this busy season of life, we have some tips and tricks you’re going to want in on. We’re sharing our top fav hacks on eating healthy when you are busy.
3 Ways to Make Eating Healthy When You Are Busy Possible (and delicious)
#1 Make Breakfast Crazy Simple
Forgo the lavish and time-consuming breakfast. While having the time to cook up a three-course meal may be possible for Sunday brunch, for most of us busy gals, this just isn’t realistic 99% of the time. But, this doesn’t mean you can’t nourish your body with a healthy breakfast, even if you barely have enough time to pour yourself that cup of coffee in the AM.
The trick here is to keep breakfast crazy simple. We’re talking, prepping a freezer bag with smoothie ingredients the night before, easy. You can then toss the baggie of superfood ingredients into your blender, blend it all up, and go.
Not a smoothie type of girl? We have options. Try prepping some veggie egg muffins on a weekend day with your fav veggies, and keep these in the fridge to reheat for a breakfast that literally takes less than a minute to get ready.
So, there you go. You’re already one meal into eating healthy when you are busy, and your day has barely started—rock on!
#2 Have Healthy Snacks on Hand
Now onto snacks. Snack time cravings usually hit around that 10 AM hour when it’s not quite time for lunch yet, but those hunger pangs are getting real. Make your life easy, while also making it easier to just say no to the candy bowl at work by having some healthy snacks on hand.
This healthy eating when you are busy tip doesn’t take much of your time at all. Just head to the bulk section at the grocery store next time you’re there, and grab a bag of nuts, seeds, and unsweetened dried fruit. Portion these into little glass storage jars (glass=no BPA exposure,) and you now have yourself a homemade trail mix recipe to keep you full between meals.
Another healthy snack tip—keep fresh fruit in the fridge and some unsweetened full-fat Greek, coconut, or almond milk yogurt. Add the fruit on top of your yogurt for a yummy snack to keep you fueled until lunch.
Oh, and these snack options can also be enjoyed on the go, so they are pef for busy moms, working ladies, and anyone who just feels like they are running at 100% all day long.
#3 Make Batch Cooking Your BFF
Have you jumped on the batch cooking bandwagon yet? If not, this could very well be a total game-changer for making eating healthy when you are busy a million times easier. Often times, the reason we don’t eat healthy when things get hectic is simply due to a lack of time, not necessarily because we want to be picking up fast food in a pinch.
Enter batch cooking. You can prep a ton of meals ahead of time, throw them in the freezer, and reheat when you get home from a crazy day.
Plain and simple, batch cooking involves prepping large portions of foods that you can mix and match to add some variety to your diet. All you need is a couple of hours one weekend (or any day you have some spare time.)
Here’s how it works.
First, scour your fav cookbook, or the internet for some delish easy recipes. You’ll want the recipes to offer a variety of veggies and protein options, so you have some variety.
Here are some general batch cooking guidelines.
- Cook at least three veggies (bell peppers, broccoli, and zucchini are all great to mix and match.)
- Pick two proteins (such as turkey, chicken, grass-fed beef, tofu, tempeh)
- Pick your healthy fat (like avocado, coconut, or olive oil)
After you hit the grocery store, pick a day to get your cooking on. Put on your favorite podcast and make your batch cooking time enjoyable! Wash and chop your veggies, cook your proteins, and portion everything out into resealable bags.
For example, have a chicken veggie saute recipe? Add the chicken and bell peppers to a bag and drizzle with olive oil. Store everything you don’t plan on enjoying within two days in the freezer.
Now, all you have to do is prep your carb (like lentils, quinoa, or brown rice) and pour your batch cooking bag ingredients into a skillet or microwave-safe bowl to reheat. Viola, you just saved yourself hours of precious time, and have a nourishing and delicious meal to sit down and enjoy after a busy day.
3 Simple Dinner Recipes For Crazy Busy Weekday Cooking
Ok, so you now know that eating healthy when you are busy is totally doable when it comes to breakfast and snack time, but we want to let you in on more.
We’re sharing three simple dinner recipes to really help you put this whole, healthy eating while busy thing into practice. Plus, these dinner recipes are too delish not to share. They only require about a half-hour of your time and are packed full of nutrition (heck yes!)
Grab your weekly grocery list because you’re going to want to prep these dinner recipes ASAP.
Turkey Tacos
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- 1 can of tomato paste
- 1 cup of chopped spinach
- Gluten or grain-free taco shells
- Toppings: avocado, shredded organic cheese
- Coconut oil for cooking
Directions:
- Start by preheating a large skillet over medium heat with the coconut oil.
- Add the ground turkey and saute until cooked through.
- Add the taco seasoning, tomato paste, and spinach. Saute for another 5 minutes.
- Serve with taco shells, and desired toppings.
- Enjoy!
Low Carb Turkey Burgers
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. pink Himalayan sea salt
- Lettuce leaves for serving
- Sliced avocado for serving
- Sliced tomato for serving
- Avocado oil-based mayo for serving
- Coconut oil for cooking
Directions:
- Add the ground turkey to a large mixing bowl with the garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Mix well and form into four burger patties.
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat with the coconut oil and cook the turkey burgers for about 7 minutes on each side or until completely cooked through.
- Top with the avocado mayo, sliced avocado, tomato, and serve with lettuce leaves to use as the “bun.”
Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash & Marinara Sauce
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. cracked black pepper
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 small sweet yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup of marinara sauce
- 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (aka dairy-free “cheesy” goodness!)
Directions:
- Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F and slice the spaghetti squash in half.
- Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the spaghetti squash halves onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, face down.
- Bake for 35 minutes.
- While the spaghetti squash is cooking, heat the sauce in a stockpot over low heat and add the garlic and onion.
- Serve the spaghetti squash with the sauce.
- Sprinkle each half with nutritional yeast, dig in and enjoy!
Yes, Even Us Busy Gals Can Eat Healthy
Say goodbye to the excuse that you’re too busy to eat healthy. With these foolproof tips to eating healthy when you are busy, you will quickly realize that you actually do have the time to eat healthy, it just takes a little adjusting and organizing. Once you get the hang of these healthy eating tips, it will just become second nature, and eating healthy even while your busy will be easier than ever before.
