Do you plan your meals? How much time, effort, and planning do you put into your family’s food options?  Many women walk in the door from their job and start the planning, prepping, AND cooking then. When you’re exhausted is not the best time. I pick one weekend day and plan, prep, and prepare meals and snacks.

Planning is the secret to wellness! When you have clean, whole food available during your busy week, you won’t need to succumb to processed, lifeless “food”.  If 80% of all disease is preventable, planning your family’s meals is no longer an option, it’s a requirement.

Hate being in the kitchen?  Ask for help from friends and share meals. Have a taste test and turn it into a competition. Get your kids and husband involved to make it a fun family event.  See who can find the best recipe and experiment with something new.  Did you know, Americans eat the same 10-20 foods every single week?!  God made a variety of nutrients from all the different fruits, veggies, and greens for a reason…your body needs them!

You can also team up with the family and have a contest to see what dish is liked the best.  Incorporate a fun reward like a family movie or game night (game night is one of our family’s favorite activities).

Also, think about making extra meals or snacks and freezing them for the following week.  Hummus, meatloaf, and soups all freeze very well.  Coconut crack bars do too but good luck not eating them all in the first week! There is a reason it is called coconut crack you know!

One of my favorite meal-prepping tasks to ask my kids to help with is washing fruits and veggies. They can also cut and sort them (that’s their favorite part). That makes throwing a salad together or not having to prep as much for Monday night dinner so much easier.

This week I’ve prepared roasted garlic hummus for snacks/lunch, gelled chia for smoothies, coconut crack bars for dessert, butternut squash with bean soup, and meatloaf (grass-fed beef, of course) for hubby’s birthday dinner.

To ensure we intake plenty of raw fruits and veggies, I’ll serve the hummus with plenty of raw veggies plus include lots of greens in my morning smoothie.  Raw fruits are usually my in-between meal snacks since they digest better independently.

Planning and food preparation not only saves time and money, but it can also save you and your loved ones. We hear daily how many people are experiencing pain, the agony of chemo and radiation, mental health struggles, and the list goes on. If 80% of that is preventable, taking a couple of hours each week to prepare meals and snacks doesn’t seem so bad, does it? It’s a task that you reap the rewards. for your lifetime!

Remember you and your family are so worth it!