#2 Eat Well....begins with Meal Planning

Last week we listed the things the American Mental Health Association said leads to a healthier, happier life. We covered #1 on the list---getting enough sleep. This week, let's talk about #2 on the list: eating well.

As I was reading articles on eating well (healthier), I came upon a great blog. The blogger says it all....everything you need to know about eating well, beginning with planning, prepping, storing, and cooking! Like any other aspect of your life, things go much more smoothly and have better outcomes if you start by getting organized. If you get organized before starting to cook, you will find that you not only have better meal plans, you have more time to eat and to spend with family, you save money, and you eat healthier. 

Organize Yourself Skinny is chock full of ideas, hints, and information. I suggest you grab a cup of coffee or a glass of sweet tea and spend some time checking it out. Tammy, the blogger, shows us how to get organized for cooking, prepping for cooking, as well as storing and cooking! 

Tammy tells us that the first thing to do is to clean out the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. Get rid of the out of date stuff and trigger foods. This step is two-fold: (1) it gets the undesirables out of the way to make way for the healthier foods, (2) it gets your kitchen more organized. I can't start a craft project until my craft room and table are cleaned off and all my supplies are in their place. It gives me a fresh start on any new project and makes me more excited for the challenge of a new project! Same thing with your kitchen. Tammy shares a list of things to get rid of. 

Now that your kitchen, pantry, fridge, and freezer are all tidy and organized---it's time to collect and organize your prep and storage containers. Tammy gives us a list of storage options that work for her.

Once your containers are organized, it is time for meal planning. Meal planning can be overwhelming for even the most Betty Crocker-ized kitchen diva. It can be time consuming, confusing, and scary. But it doesn't have to be a nightmare or a dreaded chore. Because her list is so complete, I am just going to copy it from Tammy's blog and paste it right here, so you don't get turned off right away at the words "Meal planning". 

     Here are some basic meal planning tips.

• Since the goal is to eat healthier and lose weight you want to plan recipes that reflect that. You can download (FOR FREE) my favorite healthy meal prep starter recipes here. 
• To keep it simple don’t plan a new recipe for every meal. Try to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch everyday. For example, I drink a smoothie every morning and eat a mason jar salad ever afternoon. So, I only need to make one recipe for both meals during the week. For dinners I try to double dip recipes, use my slow cooker on busy days, and prepare as much ahead of time for dinners during the week.
• Save your meal plans (and grocery lists). Trust me, you’ll thank me. Type it into a google doc and save it in google drive. Over time you’ll have a collection to pull from and this will make the entire process so much easier.
• Check your schedule before planning any meals for the week. For meal planning (and prep) to work it’s essential that the meals you make reflect your schedule.
• Put together your grocery list the same day you prepare your meal plan. Again, this makes it easier and streamlines things. Don’t forget to save it! Another tip is to write out your grocery list in order of how your grocery store is laid out. This will help you move through the grocery store a lot faster.

It's best not to have a Trifecta. Don't plan, shop, and prep on the same day! That would be like dentist, gynecologist, and ironing on the same day. Just don't. Organize Yourself Skinny shares options or alternatives for each of the Big 3 (Planning, Shopping, Prepping). You need to read them!

Prep Day has arrived and OYS gives you great tips on how to organize your day. Really good tips....almost hand holding you through the process! I have, at different times in my life, done week in a day and even month in a day meals and while the thought of it can be as appealing as the thought of giving your cat a bath, once you get started it moves right along and OHHHHHH the feeling when it's completed and you have all those meals ready to go! Follow Tammy's tips and you will wonder why you haven't done it before! And a good tip (from her and from me)--Prep Day is a good day for binge-watching Netflix or catching up your DVR list or listening to that audio book you've been wanting to start!)

Finally, be flexible. Start slow. Only plan a few meals. Next time, add more meals. Don't get overwhelmed or bogged down. 

Please visit Organize Yourself Skinny. Tammy has a world of information, tips, recipes, and meal plans. It is a great place to start getting your family into healthier eating patterns.  

Next week: #3 Staying Positive!

#healthierhappierfamilies #eatwell #mealplanning #whatsonyourplate #whatsinyourpantry

Getting with the Program

Do you have days (weeks) when you feel like you are sinking in quicksand? Like the rope is just out
of reach. So many times we get bogged down and desperation sets in, not by accident or because of someone else. That sinking feeling comes from our own lack of discipline, our own lack of organization. I find myself so overwhelmed some days, I just want to give up and let the bog overtake me. Other days I fight so hard it just makes me slip further, faster. But then there are those days when I determine I will make it out alive! One of my goals for 2019 has been to get out from under the stress of physical exhaustion, mental fatigue, loss of spirit...all things caused from poor choices of diet and lifestyle.

Recently, I read an article that listed things the American Mental Health Association suggested as steps to a healthy life, physically and mentally. I read and re-read this list and decided to dig into each one a little deeper. If you have these kind of feelings, join me as I dwell on each one over the next few weeks, exploring them and coming up with ideas how best to accomplish them.

1. Get enough sleep
2. Eat well
3. Stay positive
4. Create joy and satisfaction
5. Get physically active
6. Connect with others
7. Help others
8. Take care of your spirit
9. Deal better with hard times

Which one of these do you have the most difficult time with? Which one is not a problem for you at all? I can tell you the one that comes the easiest for me is #9. Not always, but out of the 9, that one is the easiest for me.  When times are hard, really difficult, I just turn it over to God and pray more that He will help me leave it in His hands, than I do for the actual situation!

Let's look at #1. Get enough sleep. HAHAHAHAHAHA. I don't think I have had more than 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep since 1996, when I was 41 and pregnant for the first time in 16 years with a very active boy. I quit sleeping about 4 months into the term and, 23 years later (after teething, colic, noisy sleepovers, tweens, teens, my own menopause and now college age out until all hours) I still am not sleeping!

So, how do we lick this? How can we find the true rest our bodies need?

First, figure out the reason. Mine is sometimes worry (colic, teething, kids out until late). But, since menopause, I have found that the biggest reason for not sleeping is that I just can't shut my mind off. It seems like my most creative moments occur between midnight and 4 a.m. I am a paper crafter and event planner, organizer and creator, and I can be stumped all day long on an idea, but when everyone is enjoying visions of sugar plums in their heads, I am seeing scrapbook pages, ideas for photo shoots, creative new ways for tablescaping and decorating, and breakthroughs on plans for events. It's amazing how my night shift brain takes over, like another personality. Sadly, that leaves my day shift body exhausted for functioning on a day job!

So, how can I train my brain to work more during the day and rest more at night?  Here are some suggestions from NHS website:

• Keep regular sleep hours--going to bed and getting up roughly the same time every day will program your body to sleep better. Choose a time when you're likely to feel tired and sleepy. 
• Create a restful sleeping environment--your bedroom should be a peaceful place for rest and sleep. Temperature, lighting, and noise should be controlled so that your bedroom environment helps you to fall (and stay) asleep. 
• Make sure your bed is comfortable--it's difficult to get restful sleep on a mattress that's too soft or too hard, or a bed that's too small or old.
• Exercise regularly--moderate exercise on a regular basis, such as swimming or walking, can help relieve some of the tension built up over the day. Make sure that you don't do vigorous exercise, such as running or the gym, too close to bedtime, though, as it may keep you awake.
• Cut down on caffeine--cut down on caffeine in tea, coffee, energy drinks or colas, especially in the evening. Caffeine interferes with the process of falling asleep, and also prevents deep sleep. Instead, have a warm, milky drink or herbal tea.
• Don't over-indulge--Too much food or alcohol, especially at night, can interrupt your sleep patterns. Alcohol may help you to fall asleep initially, but it will disrupt your sleep later on in the night.
• Don't smoke--nicotine is a stimulant. Smokers take longer to fall asleep, they wake up more frequently, and they often have more disrupted sleep.
• Try to relax before going to bed---have a warm bath, listen to quiet music or do some gentle yoga to relax the mind and body. Your doctor may be able to recommend a helpful relaxation CD
• Write away your worries--if you tend to lie in bed thinking about everything you have to do tomorrow, set aside time before bedtime to make plans for the next day. The aim is to avoid doing these things when you're in bed to sleep.
• If you can't sleep, get up--if you can't sleep, don't lie there worrying about it.  Get up and do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again, then go back to bed.

So.....let's try these things. Try one or two (or more) and let me know how it affected your sleep. I am going to try a few of these and see what happens!

Here is another good read about rest and sleep. You will find some scripture about rest and sleep.

In peace, I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe. (Psalms 4:8)