For those of you who are starting off 2018 with goals related to health & wellness, kudos to you! It’s a perfect time of year to get into a new routine. As far as better nutrition, just remember that it’s up to you to purchase good items at the store and eat your meals and snacks throughout the day to prevent yourself from getting too hungry!

The biggest struggle for individuals seems to be meal planning. Typically, dinner is the hardest for most families. With activities in the evening and coordinating when everyone will be home, planning dinner can be difficult. Others may struggle planning for dinner if they are cooking for just 1 or 2 people as well.

Breakfast – I don’t necessarily “meal plan” for breakfast, but I make sure I have items for breakfast foods before I head to the grocery store. For even the busiest of mornings, there are easy breakfast options that will keep you full and fueled for the day. Here are some favorites:

• Whole grain frozen waffle with peanut butter spread + small cutie/halo orange + hard boiled egg
• Whole grain cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios are my favorite!) with low-fat or fat free milk + apple
• Frozen Breakfast burritos – these are a must-have in our freezer for breakfast, and honestly they work great for dinner too! The best part about these is you can make a batch and freeze them individually. Then just take one out and reheat for a few minutes in the microwave. Ta da! Instant nutrition! Check out the recipe here! 

Lunch –  Not sure about you, but I’m a fan of leftovers. They’re easy and they let me cook once, and eat twice! There are only two people in my household, which makes it difficult to make proper portions for just two people. Typically, I cook for 4 and provide lunch for both of us for the next day.

If you aren’t a left-over kind of person, no worries! There are foods that you can easily make and grab for a quick and nutritious lunch – much more nutritious than stopping at the local fast food place.  Here are some of my favorites that are good for everyone, even the kids!

• Peanut butter & banana roll up – Take a whole wheat tortilla + spread some peanut butter on, then roll a banana into it. It’s easy and loaded with whole grains, protein, healthy fat and even some fruit!
• Mexican Pinwheels – Trust me, once you have one, you’ll want another. These are an easy after school snack for the kids, but also nice to add into a lunch. Especially if you eat on the run while at work. My best recommendation is to use leftover rotisserie chicken from dinner the night before. Again- trying to make it as easy as possible for you! Check out the recipe here!
• Quinoa apple salad with maple vinaigrette. Still trying to pronounce quinoa? (KEEN-WAH). This fun ancient grain cooks like rice and is easy to add to so many dishes. It’s packed with nutrition, too! 1 Cup of cooked quinoa has 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. This cold side dish is great to bring to the office and the apples give it such great flavor. The recipe can be found here!

Evening Meals – Like I mentioned before, evening meals are always a hassle. Often, we give up and go out to eat to avoid all chaos! In the new year, challenge yourself and your family to have one more meal at home each week. Remember meals don’t need to be extravagant to be nutritious. Here’s some easy dinners that are often made in my house.

• Chicken Caprese – Easy. I mean so easy! Only 4 ingredients! This is always a crowd favorite at our home and I don’t mind cooking on these nights because it takes me about 5-10 minutes to prep, then I let the oven do the work! We’ve loved the recipe from SmartChicken®, which you can find here.
• For all you slow cooker lovers – I’ve got a great recipe for you on these chilly winter evenings! This crock pot-white chicken chili is another favorite in my house. After I make it, I can also freeze the left overs into smaller containers for an easy dinner another night too. The recipe can be found here.

We have these recipes and so many more on our Dietitian’s Corner page! We’ll continue to add more and more overtime, so keep checking back! If you find yourself struggling in the new year to keep on your health and wellness goals, always know that our team of Registered Dietitians are here to be your support system! We can do store tours with you, one-on-one consults, presentations for your office or any other organization, plus more! All our information can be found on the website coborns.com/dietitians-corner.

Wishing you all a happy & healthy New Year!

Amy, RD, LD
Supermarket Registered Dietitian