Inside Scoop: Check out these tips for simple meal planning, plus an incredibly healthy and delicious one day meal plan included. 

Do you fall in one of these categories when it comes to meal planning?

The prep and planner, someone who likes to organize their day-by-day meal schedule in order to stay on track, monitor what’s eaten and enjoy carefully made nutritious meals.

The spontaneous, someone who thinks prepping for the week is tedious and lacks adventure.

Or you could be balanced in the middle– plan and prep one week and the next throw in the towel and eat as you go.

Whether you absolutely hate the idea of meal planning, or the thought of it makes you feel relief, we want to let you know that meal planning can be for everyone! It’s just a matter of finding a good routine that works for your own needs.

For us, the idea of conjuring up a week of meals and snacks for every unique individual brings a single, solid happy tear to our eye. We have so many delicious recipes that we eat on a regular, and so many fun food ideas that would make a veggie lover out of anyone. That’s why we thought it would be pretty awesome to pass on a single day meal plan of healthy eats for any type of diet (see bottom).

We also whipped up our top 5 favourite tips to make meal planning easy- and we promise it won’t include you prepping 20 chicken breasts and a tub of rice (unless you want to).

Naughty Nutritionists’ Top 5 Meal Planning Tips:

1. Shop according to plan.

It can totally be a loose plan, but if you do a weekly grocery shop, say on Saturday or Sunday, try to involve your next week’s meal plan on that grocery list. This can involve you flying solo, your family, or even your spontaneous nature. Just shop accordingly. Try to keep aligned to your meal plan, don’t take your time in the store and don’t search for special deals. Just because Oreos are on sale, doesn’t mean you need them.

We’re digging Out Of Milk App to organize our grocery list. It also has price list so you can stay within your budget, as well as plenty of different list options to keep you nice and organized. Save a tree, get an app.

We also love our Weekly Fridge Planner Magnet where we jot down lunch/ dinner ideas, it’s a great tool to help us actually build that grocery list on our app.

2. Set aside the time to prep.

Okay so you just did your big shop, you may have even saved 15 minutes shopping. Hey, guess what you can do with those 15 minutes…Prep! Take those veggies and chop them*, wash your fruit, cook some chicken, cook quinoa, make soup etc.… Do what you need to do in order to make healthy food ‘grab-and-go’ friendly for the upcoming week.

*If you’re someone that hates washing greens or chopping veggies, you can find plenty of pre-washed/ chopped options at the store. Make it easy and enjoyable on yourself.

Check out our 5 Kitchen Must-Have Tools To Make Cooking A Breeze to help pick up the pace in the kitchen so you can tackle everything else that needs to be done in the day.

3. Organize and clean your fridge.

Do you really need 25 different condiments that are 100+ years old? What else in there has mold on it? How old is that chicken? Chuck it! Seriously, clean your fridge. You really don’t think about a messy fridge when the door is shut (outta sight – outta mind, isn’t that right?). But when you open the fridge door and everything is clean, organized, not expired and not 95% empty it’s refreshing. It creates space and ease. So don’t think about it, just do it.

4. Freeze it!

You can basically freeze anything, so if you’re trying to save money; buy in bulk and freeze leftovers. Don’t forget to label with the date, and rule of thumb is if something has already been re-heated (not freshly cooked) you shouldn’t freeze it. So: smoothie packs, large batch soups/stews, vegetables, fruit, bread, cheese, milk etc. chances are, it can be frozen.

Check out these awesome chalkboard kitchen labels that we found on Amazon. They make storing, organizing and freezing so much easier (you can even use them for our next tip as well).

5. Jar it!

Prepping meals in jars and containers is not only a creative way to have your meal but it also is super easy to grab and then add the final touches like hot water or dressing. Salad and noodle jars are becoming increasingly popular; they’re healthy, easy to clean, and everyone at work will be jealous.

C’mon, tell us what we’re eating!

Now that we’ve got a few of our favourite tips out of the way, let’s dive right into the meal planning business. We have outlined a day’s worth of pretty delicious and nutritious food, so what’s on the menu?

Also, if you’re looking to elevate your nutrition game, and are curious about supplements to help balance and increase your nutrient intake, sign up for our 2018 Supplement Guide here:

What’s on the menu:

BREAKFAST: Chia pudding with fresh fruit.

LUNCH: Chicken, feta and avocado salad with lime dressing.

SNACK: Handful of raw mixed nuts with dark chocolate chips. Or, make these Reese Copycats.

DINNER: Veggie curry with brown rice.

DRINKS: Plenty of water (warm lemon water is great to start the day & lemon infused water to sip throughout) or tummy friendly herbal teas, such as: ginger, peppermint, nettle, chamomile or turmeric. Feel free to enjoy a glass of red wine with dinner.

Cozy Chia Pudding (Vanilla or Chocolate)

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Chia Pudding (Vanilla or Chocolate)

Course Breakfast, Snack

Prep Time 5 minutes

Soaking Time 2 hours

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 2

Calories 199 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups almond milk almond, hemp, oat, coconut
• 1/3 cup chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp raw honey or maple syrup or 2-3 drops stevia
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• dash ground ginger *
• *For chocolate option skip the ginger and add 2-4 Tbsp cacao powder.

Directions

Assemble the night before.

1. The night before you want the pudding for breakfast, mix-in dairy-free milk, chia seeds, sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger (or cacao) in a bowl/container. Shake well and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.

The next morning (optional).

1. The next morning, transfer the chia pudding from the container to a pot on the stove. Warm it for 2 to 3 minutes. If you prefer it cold, then just move to step three and enjoy.

Serving Suggestion.

1. Top with shredded coconut, banana, berries and add some hemp seeds for an extra protein boost. Add more sweetener if needed.

Chicken, Feta & Avocado Salad With Lime Dressing

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Chicken, Feta & Avocado Salad With Lime Dressing

Course Main Course, Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 1

Calories 789 kcal

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 chicken breast boneless skinless
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 6 to 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1 cucumber chopped
• 1/2 avocado diced
• 1/4 cup goat cheese or feta cheese

Lime dressing:

• 2 limes juiced
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
• sea salt & black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook the chicken to your preference (heat a medium skillet with some oil and cook about 10 minutes each side). Set aside, slice when cool.
2. Prepare the dressing. Add your lime juice, ground cumin, raw apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk the ingredients until they come together. Set to the side.
3. Mix the salad. Add baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, feta, and avocado to a bowl. Top with lime dressing and serve immediately.
4. Omit chicken for veg option and add your choice of plant based protein: 1/2 cup of lentils, beans, tempeh, tofu.
5. Other salad topping ideas: pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, pine nuts, strawberries, sprouts.

Veggie Curry With Brown Rice

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Veggie Curry With Brown Rice

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 2

Calories 431 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound cauliflower cabbage, zucchini; chopped
• 1 red onion diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil
• 6 oz. can tomato paste look for BPA FREE can or glass
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp fenugreek powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder optional

Directions

1. Sauté onions and garlic in oil.
2. Add seasonings, tomato paste and coconut milk and stir until smooth.
3. Add vegetables and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Serve with brown basmati rice.