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Nutrition Information |
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Meal Planning: Your Ticket to Freedom
It's 5:30 p.m. and you're heading home after a long, full day. All of a sudden your mind turns to the daily question, "What's for dinner?" Whether it's just you or whether you're preparing a meal for a whole gang, it's not an energizing prospect to imagine planning, shopping for or cooking a meal from scratch at the end of a long day. That's probably why the fast food businesses are booming and why our health is suffering from the effects of these "easy" foods. If you think meal planning is an unnecessary step, or that it would create a strict regimen that you'd be trapped by, read on about how meal planning can free you from worry and improve your health and well being. REASONS FOR MEAL PLANNING Less time and money spent at the grocery store When you plan your meals out a week at a time, your trips to the grocery store become much more manageable. You know exactly what you'll need and you'll be less susceptible to "impulse" buying. Sometimes, when I'm feeling REALLY efficient, I even write my list in order of where I'll find it in the grocery store. Plus, buying the ingredients to cook a meal from scratch usually costs much less than the ready-made version. Healthier meals = healthier you and your loved ones When you're planning ahead, you'll have much more control over what you eat, and you can consciously choose to improve the health of your meals. Better-timed meals If you BEGIN planning and cooking dinner when you get home, it could be quite late before you're sitting down to eat it. The closer to bedtime it is when you finish dinner, the less likely you'll have time to properly digest and for your body to absorb what you've eaten. For breakfast and lunch, having the meals planned out can help remind you to STOP and EAT them. Variety When we choose our meals in the moment, based on what's fast, easy and enjoyable, we tend to stick to a few standby's and don't branch out very much. Nutritionally, this leaves us lacking. We also risk getting bored with our food and looking to fast food or unhealthier options for "excitement". HOW TO PLAN YOUR MEALS FOR THE WEEK 1. Keep some spontaneity. You could just plan one part of the meal. For instance, if you know that you always have plenty of fresh of frozen vegetables that you can choose from, then simply plan "chicken, potatoes and vegetables". Then you can still have some spontaneity in your meal. 2. When you have time, make "frozen dinners". Make a double or triple recipe; package the leftovers in single (or family-size) servings and freeze. 3. Factor in schedule changes. Maybe the night after the big meeting or the night of the soccer tournament aren't the best nights to cook a meal from scratch. Plan a quick meal, take-out or your own "frozen dinner" for those nights. 4. Aim for balance. With the week spread out before you, look for balance between heavy and light meals, vegetarian and meat-based meals, and a variety of different-coloured fruits and vegetables. 5. Plan while you're in the kitchen. That way you can easily check for the ingredients of the dishes you're planning. If they're not there, add them to your grocery list immediately. 6. Keep an active grocery list through the week. That way, when staples run out you can add them to list. 7. Grow your recipe collection. Use the Internet, the cookbooks of your friends and family, magazines, etc. and find new things to try. One new recipe a week will keep things exciting! 8. Get some expert advice. Consult a trusted source such as Canada's Food Guide, or better still get individualized meal and nutrition suggestions from a registered dietician or a holistic nutritionist. 9. Make it a team effort. If you're feeding others as well as yourself, make the planning a team effort so that everyone gets some of their favourites through the week. 10. Always follow your plan, except when you don't. There are going to be things that come up, days that you just don't feel like eating what you've planned, or days when you've forgotten to do your nightly prep. Create a list of healthy stand-by's that you can throw together with the staples in your own kitchen. If you're on the go, be prepared by having a list of healthy choices at your favourite restaurants. A meal plan is not a rigid "diet" or set of orders. The meal plan serves you, not the other way around. Start now with tomorrow's meals. What can you defrost or partly prepare tonight to make tomorrow's meals easier and healthier? (c) Copyright Linda Dessau, 2005. Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of "The Everyday Self-Care Workbook". For free resources, including your own Meal Planning Worksheet, visit http://www.genuinecoaching.com/resources.html
Look For
MORE RESOURCES: Thousands of Colorado vacation units were taken off the rental market in June, but visitors are still booking trips SummitDaily.com Changes coming to Sarasota's vacation rental ordinance Your Observer Pahrump’s new ‘Air BnB’ regulations effective next month Pahrump Valley Times More complaints, lawsuits against Florida vacation rental company Gulf Coast News and Weather - Southwest Florida News ‘We don’t have a neighborhood’: Residents feel outnumbered on this Hilton Head street Hilton Head Island Packet Travel magazine lists best Airbnbs in Bermuda The Royal Gazette Maui County officials defend vacation rental conversion bill Honolulu Star-Advertiser Maui panel passes bill curbing vacation rentals to boost housing supply after Lahaina wildfire CBS News Maui Plan To Phase Out Thousands Of Short-Term Rentals Advances Honolulu Civil Beat This Battle Over Maui Rentals Just Hit A Boiling Point Beat of Hawaii Maui measure to phase out half of the island's vacation rentals moves forward Hawaii Public Radio Maui panel passes bill to curb vacation rentals, boost housing after wildfire The Norfolk Daily News Shock Vote: Maui Committee Passes Rental Ban Proposal Beat of Hawaii Maui County Council passes bill to phase out vacation rentals Hawaii News Now Maui vacation rental conversion bill passes initial vote Honolulu Star-Advertiser Maui Cracks Down on Vacation Rentals: New Shift Could Solve Housing Crisis and Shake Up Tourism! Travel And Tour World Maui County To Phase Out Thousands Of Short-Term Vacation Rentals For Addressing Housing Crisis On Island Travel And Tour World Top Vacation Rentals Near Golf Courses Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism Maui panel passes bill to curb vacation rentals and boost housing supply after Lahaina wildfire Oskaloosa Herald Main St. request on hold, but ‘Kitschy 2 BR House’ gets vacation rental OK Evanston RoundTable ‘More than doubled’: Jacksonville Beach locals blame vacation rentals for rising home costs Yahoo Home Delicious, home-cooked meals can still be on the menu even in a wonky vacation rental Mainline Media News Inside The ‘Out-Of-Control’ Debate Over Axing Maui Vacation Rentals Honolulu Civil Beat Alders flip on vacation rentals Evanston Now Maui panel passes bill to curb vacation rentals and boost housing supply after Lahaina wildfire Temple Daily Telegram Honolulu Sees Doubling Of Vacation Rental Registrations Under New Rules Honolulu Civil Beat A novel idea for Maui’s housing crisis: Using vacation rental profits for residents’ down payments Maui Now Maui panel passes bill to curb vacation rentals and boost housing supply after Lahaina wildfire The Derrick Maui panel passes bill to curb vacation rentals and boost housing supply after Lahaina wildfire Washington Times Herald Honolulu Hasn't Fined Airbnb, Vrbo for Illegal Short-Term Rentals Honolulu Civil Beat Plan To Convert Maui Vacation Rentals To Long-Term Housing Delayed Honolulu Civil Beat Deep Wood Vacation Home Rentals Visit PA Study: Maui Should Phase Out Vacation Rentals With Caution Honolulu Civil Beat Key amendments proposed for vacation rental phase-out bill ahead of Council committee hearing Maui Now Maui Council hears another 70 testifiers on vacation rental phase-out bill; still more to come Maui Now Vacation Rental Study in Goleta Tells More About the Neighbors The Santa Barbara Independent Home Team Luxury Rentals Surpasses $50 Million in Airbnb Bookings in Just 12 Months - Without a Single Outside Investor Newswire :) Press Release Distribution Cape Coral host fined $30,000 as neighbors report issues with three other rentals on their street Fox4Now.com Emotions Are High As Maui Considers Phasing Out Short-Term Rentals Honolulu Civil Beat Maui Council To Take Up Bill Phasing Out Vacation Rentals This Summer Honolulu Civil Beat Vacation Rentals of the Desert Accused of Owing Property Owners, Renters Over $1 Million NBC Palm Springs Maui vacation rental bill continues to draw passionate testimony from both sides Hawaii Public Radio Vacation Rentals of the Desert Accused of Owing Millions; Riverside DA Launches Investigation After Public Outcry NBC Palm Springs City has no mercy for illegal vacation rental operators Hawaii News Now WA cabin destinations named among seven best tiny rentals in the country Bellingham Herald Couple who owns Manasota Key vacation rentals welcomes first renters since Hurricanes Helene, Milton FOX 13 Tampa Bay Supreme Court: cities cannot limit vacation rentals based on owner occupancy Idaho Public Television Combatting human trafficking: New training, reporting requirements for hotels, vacation rentals WRAL.com Owners claim Maui residents can’t afford converted vacation rentals, UH study says otherwise Yahoo Home Maui Gets $1.6B—Can Vacation Rentals Survive What’s Coming? Beat of Hawaii Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly Planetizen Community invited to briefing about proposed registration process for short-term vacation rentals Big Island Now Uncertain Economy Contributes to Slow Summer Rental Bookings The Vineyard Gazette Santa Cruz County moves to rein in vacation rentals Lookout Santa Cruz Board recommends new education programs, property management rules for vacation rentals The Palm Springs Post Committee votes 5-0 against couple’s vacation rental request advancing Evanston RoundTable With housing and economy at stake, Maui County weighs phase-out of 7,000 vacation rentals Hawaii Public Radio Hawaiʻi County Council seeks more oversight with passage of vacation rental bill Hawaii Public Radio Housing panel looks at new rules for rent-setting algorithms, vacation rentals - Evanston RoundTable Housing panel looks at new rules for rent-setting algorithms, vacation rentals Evanston RoundTable |
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