Sunday is a Great day for Planning

I can't believe how quickly the weekend goes by. I know we want to get in as much down time as we can before it all starts again on Monday. However, I have found that Sunday is a great day to get prepared for the upcoming week. This is even more important when the week must include healthy meals. Simply looking at the week ahead and discussing it with your family can make a big difference in staying on track. In the Ford home we take out the calendar and look at each days to figure who is going to be around when and what nights we will be eating together. Well, really I am looking for when my husband will be home to cook, and that is definitely part of MY plan.

We schedule the meals ahead, so if I am in Market Basket on Monday and we are having chicken Picatta on Wednesday, I know to get some lemons. We do a lot of cooking ahead, so no matter who is where when, there will be food in the fridge. I am sure you've noticed me eating food, real food, at odd times in the studio. It's usually some leftovers from whenever. When you make your shopping list for the meals you've planned, don't forget to add healthy snacks like fruits, string cheese, Greek yogurt and a high fiber, high protein snack bar (for when you're on the run).

So now you have your meal plan, shopping list and are off to the supermarket. You can't eat healthy food, unless you have healthy food, so go get them! Then, since our meal plan is just mix and match protein, veggies and healthy carbs, cook up some protein. I love chicken tenders. They cook fast and you can flavor them in so many ways. A couple of ideas: marinate them in fat free or low fat salad dressing, season with taco flavoring, Mrs. Dash, Cayenne pepper, or low salt teryaki sauce. You can try different flavors and cook them all at once.

Another idea from one of our team mates (you know who you are) is to saute, with a little olive oil or Pam, vidalia onions and garlic, then add chicken tenders to brown and finish cooking with stewed tomatoes. Yummy! You can then add this to even more veggies. I always have bags of frozen BirdsEye Steam fresh veggies on hand to pop in the microwave to add bulk, and vitamins, to my meals.

I would love to hear some of you food ideas. Email me or let me know about them when you are in the studio.

To hear more information and ideas - come to my nutrition seminar in the studio on Sunday August 15th at 10:00 AM.

We don't plan to fail, we fail to plan! So, start this week out right! I'm going to Market Basket right now...

To Your Health,