While you fit in those morning workouts, back-to-back meetings, errands, and a final stop to watch your kid’s soccer game, finding the time to cook a homemade meal just doesn’t seem worth it most days. When dividing your time between work, family, friends, and a long list of obligations, it’s hard finding the time to pick up takeout, let alone spend an hour in the kitchen.
It’s tempting to swing through a drive-thru or visit the office vending machine (again) in a pinch, but you shouldn’t have to sacrifice speed for nutrition. Here are five tips for eating healthy on a tight schedule.
Keep healthy snacks within arm’s reach.
It’s hard to say no to chips and cookies during an afternoon slump, but protein-packed snacks, whole grains, and healthy fats will give you the energy you need to power through the rest of your day. Stock up on whole-grain crackers, nuts, organic granola bars, and dark chocolate to keep at your desk, and cheeses, yogurt, hummus, baby carrots, or hard-boiled eggs to keep in the fridge.
Prioritize a healthy breakfast.
Breakfast might be the last thing on your mind when you wake up in the morning, but skipping “the most important meal of the day” will only leave you feeling tired, unfocused, and more likely to chow down on cheese doodles later. Make a balanced breakfast part of your morning routine, even if it means waking up 20 minutes earlier.
Drink your meals.
No time for a sit-down meal? A meal-replacement smoothie is a quick, convenient, and healthy way to take your lunch on-the-go. We use spinach, kale, nut butters, almond milk, and fresh fruits to blend more satisfying smoothies.
Prep your ingredients in advance.
Meal prepping is popular for a reason. Chopping, slicing, and dicing ingredients in advance – if not cooking a week’s worth of meals in one day – makes eating-in easier. If you don’t plan to meal prep every week but want to be sure you’ll have something on hand for those extra busy days, you can also make your own freezer meals.
Make a recipe book.
It can be frustrating and time-consuming to weed through thousands of recipes online or digging through old recipe books. Take the guesswork out of deciding what’s for dinner and create a digital or physical “recipe book” to keep track of healthy recipes you like and would make again.
Don’t settle for fast food or vending machine snacks when you’re on-the-go. We stock our cold case with ready-to-eat options that will keep you feeling fortified and energized. Stop by Mon-Sat (8 am-4 pm) or Sun (9 am-2 pm) for a satisfying smoothie or to browse our vast selection of healthy snacks.
