Eating healthy and getting your goals can be a difficult thing to do. Meal prep is time consuming, groceries are expensive, tracking all the numbers is confusing, and we never have enough time in the day.
So here are my favourite food hacks to make the day-to-day just a little easier.
1. Cook once, eat (at least) twice
Essentially the basic rule of meal prep. Except it doesn't have to be meal prep.
I much prefer 'bulk cooking'. Meaning that when I'm cooking dinner, I just make double or triple it to give enough meals for the next few days.
Even if you don't cook the entire meal, but just cook extra rice or potatoes or meat. This will save time for you the next day when putting together easy meals.
2. Eat what you want, add what you need
If there are meals and foods you are craving, but avoid them because they're 'too much' or they're not very nutritious, try this: make what you are wanting, and add what you need to make it more nutritious.
For example; you're wanting creamy carbonara pasta. Typically a high calorie, low nutrient meal. Switch the heavy cream to a light cream, add a bunch of veggies such as spinach, tomato, and mushroom, and adjust your portions to reflect your goals.
It is still an enjoyable meal, but it is now more aligned with your goals and needs.
3. Avoid unnecessary restrictions
Following the theme of point 2, if you have a specific goal such as weight loss, you don't need to cut out the foods you love to reach it. You can still include it and enjoy it without it derailing your progress. All you need to do is to adjust how much and how often you eat it. If it's more of a priority to include it, adjust the other food you eat that day. If it's less of a priority to include it, just space it out a little more so that when you do have it, it feels more special and enjoyable.
4. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
If you really want to make life easy, do the same things and eat the same things.
Eat the same 'base' of the meal, that way you know your portions and it's habitual.
Now because variety is the spice of life, the variety can be what you add.
For example, having a bagel and coffee every morning. This is your base. The variety can come with choosing a different spread (peanut butter, avocado, nutella, jam...), or topping (eggs, berries, banana, cherry tomatoes, salmon).
Another example is having chicken and rice for most of your lunches. That is the base, the proportions don't change. However your add ons can change (steamed veg, salad, salsa, creamy dressing, green curry mix, burrito bowl)
5. Stick to basic
Avoid purchasing a bunch of random ingredients you only use once and it goes to waste.
Figure out what your consistent grocery items are and find ways to make them the foundation of all meals.
When looking at recipe inspiration, ask yourself if it's something you'd have again, or is there a way to use up the leftover ingredients in other recipes.
It will end up saving you money in the long run as you spend less on wasted items.
Let me know if these tips help you!
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