Meal planning

I’ve been thinking of doing something like Hello Fresh. I’m tired of buying food only for it to go to waste because I’m no longer interested in it or have forgotten it. I don’t like cleaning up after cooking a meal either.

I’m a registered dietitian and I do not meal plan. I hardly even cook. I just eat fruit, vegetables, frozen berries, yogurt, cheese, milk, chocolate milk, every cereal, whole grain bread, peanut butter, nuts, dried fruit, kind bars, Lara bars, fruit leather, hummus, tatziki, whole grain crackers, baked beans, canned tuna… if I do cook I have eggs, pancakes, French toast, flatbread pizza… I mean I can cook but it’s so much work, I just don’t have time or really think it’s necessary. I eat out sometimes and my husband loves to cook meat/potatoesveg or rice etc. The only thing that does work for me is Hello Fresh - three meals per week was the limit of my planning ability…

You could loosely cling to nutrition recommendations for your age/body and calculate what amounts of carbs, protein and vegetables you should eat- Decide every 2-3 days if it is pasta, potato or rice you will prepare - or if it’s gonna be something more special like quinoa, or grains edible like rice (spelt, rye or buckwheat i.e.) Cook the suggested amount for the next days and just get creative with some quickly steamed veggies, carrots are always a good staple if you like them! I sometimes eat them raw but when softened most often by the microwave- the consistency they have after microwaving with minimum amount of water is really funny.. wobbly but intensely aromatic! Some kinds of salad are suitable to be eaten in panfries or soup, if you ask me! Like rocket, lambs ear or even romana or chicory If you usually always have tomatoes at hand, you can simply add them into your soup or pan fry as well! Just some inspiration- of course there are so many options- but what I tried to say with this- for me the motivation is provided by experimenting, instead of strictly doing step by step recipes. Spices make one hell of a difference as well! When I don’t feel like cooking though, I sometimes go for fancy sandwiches heated up in the microwave, melted cheese and sauces and all- salads or watery veggies should be added later

You could loosely cling to nutrition recommendations for your age/body and calculate what amounts of carbs, protein and vegetables you should eat- Decide every 2-3 days if it is pasta, potato or rice you will prepare - or if it’s gonna be something more special like quinoa, or grains edible like rice (spelt, rye or buckwheat i.e.) Cook the suggested amount for the next days and just get creative with some quickly steamed veggies, carrots are always a good staple if you like them! I sometimes eat them raw but when softened most often by the microwave- the consistency they have after microwaving with minimum amount of water is really funny.. wobbly but intensely aromatic! Some kinds of salad are suitable to be eaten in panfries or soup, if you ask me! Like rocket, lambs ear or even romana or chicory If you usually always have tomatoes at hand, you can simply add them into your soup or pan fry as well! Just some inspiration- of course there are so many options- but what I tried to say with this- for me the motivation is provided by experimenting, instead of strictly doing step by step recipes. Spices make one hell of a difference as well! When I don’t feel like cooking though, I sometimes go for fancy sandwiches heated up in the microwave, melted cheese and sauces an all- salads or watery veggies should be added later