What a weird day.
I woke very early this morning to get things done around our apartment in anticipation of being gone from 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM today. I had yoga plans with Ashley, a working lunch, then my other job the rest of the day. I loved being up a few hours before yoga so I could have a normal breakfast.
Here’s the Cinnamon Date Manna Bread I told you about yesterday. Still amazing and you still must try it. The ultimate breakfast bread!
And a CCBS.
Unfortunately around 7:30 AM, I noticed how tight and painful my lower back was, so I texted Ashley to cancel yoga. I’m not taking any chances with back pain. Turns out Ashley was feeling like she was going to be sick so she came over to my house instead and we wallowed in non-yoga pity together.
I decided I wanted two slices of Ezekial toast with Earth Balance around 11.
And a macaroon [or two].
Poor meal planning on my part for lunch. I couldn’t find anything at work to eat, so I had some organic yellow corn chips as salsa around 1:30.
By the time I got off of work, I wanted greens so badly. I stopped by Infusion Tea to pick up dinner for Evan and I. We are out of veggies for the week at home and I hardly felt like cooking tonight.
Then my camera battery died. Cell phone pictures it is! A beautiful, green, Milton Special salad. Incredible.
And we split a Pesto Panini loaded with artichokes, spinach, onions and eggplants. This is the best sandwich in the entire world. And it comes with the best bean salad in the world too.
It’s days (weeks?) like this that remind me I need to plan meals for the week. When I get to the middle of the week, I feel pretty unmotivated food wise. I love eating a healthy vegan diet, but when I’m exhausted, there’s just not much energy to put into the good food I love. I realize this is probably a normal thing with everyone, but I’m making the point that the weeks when I meal plan are the absolute best nutritionally.
What do you think about meal planning? Does it work for you? I never really thought it was necessary before, but I’m starting to realize how important it is (nutritionally) to set aside some time each week to devote to planning what food I will make and shop for.
Have a great night! Tomorrow is FRIDAY!
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Being your typical college student, I never really thought about planning food – jeez I have to plan for everything, when do I have time to plan out meals? But then I started tracking my food intake and somehow naturally progressed from writing out what I’ve already eaten to planning what I’m going to eat. First it was planning out lunch at breakfast, now I like to take time (like fifteen minutes – I usually do it on the subway) to write out a plan for the next day based on the contents of my fridge and the time I know I’ll have to prepare. I haven’t been doing it for long, and I don’t always stick to the plan exactly (for example, I had a salad planned for lunch today but then I got sick and all I wanted were hot steamed veggies and toast), but it makes me feel more calm and more in control when, during a super busy day, I don’t also need to figure out what I’m going to eat. I haven’t gotten so far as to actually plan out meals for a whole week ahead of time, but I do try to at least cook things over the weekend like grains and veggies to have on-hand when I don’t have time or energy to whip something up.
La´s last blog ..Just like Joe…
[Reply]
I don’t meal plan at all, but I am able to be home all day with my son and eat at home. However, when I do go out somewhere or when I worked out of the home, I made sure I packed my lunch. My problem is that I never know what I am in the mood for! It’s hard for me to plan a weeks worth of dinner, or even a day, when my tastes are constantly changing as well as my moods.
Tasha – The Clean Eating Mama´s last blog ..My lunch date
[Reply]
Ryan @ Greens for Good Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 8:26 am
I usually make a list of meals, snacks, etc and buy groceries for it. During the week I just pick from the list so I can still eat what I’m in the mood for.
[Reply]
That panini does look delicious! Starting a few months ago I began meal planning – and it has made my life exponentially easier. I have this cute little meal plan pad that I fill in each Sunday for weekly dinners and fill out a corresponding shopping list. It makes food shopping so easy (and saves me from going every day), and I think I end up spending less. Coming home with a plan for dinner makes life so enjoyable!
Amanda´s last blog ..Thai Curry (tempeh) Stir Fry
[Reply]
Where does one buy this Manna Bread? It looks delicious and like a great compliment to my favorite breakfast of CCBS! I’m so jealous of Infusion Tea every time I see it on all of those Florida people blogs. Make them come to NY!
Meal planning is essential for me. I take a few minutes on Sundays and plan out (and do some prep work for) my meals for the upcoming week. It makes dinner a no-brainer on long days. It’s also crucial on nights when I go to yoga after work and don’t get home until 6:45. I do prep for those nights in advance.
Andrea (Fit Healthy Fun)´s last blog ..Give Me Back My Filet o’ Fish
[Reply]
Ryan @ Greens for Good Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 8:24 am
I get it at the Whole Foods frozen bread section (where Ezekial and millet are) but I’m willing to bet it is in other health food stores too.
[Reply]
I’m a planner all the way. I feel more in control, I save money AND I find that I try out more types of recipes and preparations when I plan ahead.
Plus, it helps that I can share the plan with my husband and he can help prep stuff during the day.
Katy´s last blog ..Recipes & Viral Videos: It’s Peanut Butter Popcorn Time!
[Reply]
I was craving that panini yesterday!
[Reply]
Ryan @ Greens for Good Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 11:17 am
That’s how incredible it is….you crave it even while you are throwing up all day. Hahahah.
[Reply]
That salad looks really great, and something about panini’s, they are always so tasty and comforting.
[Reply]
I find that planning meals makes dinner time less stressful. I hate when I come home from work and then have to get creative and figure something out. I like to plan out my weekend meals and make a lot of leftovers. I then use the leftovers during the week for meals. It works for us. If I don’t do that I like to make a rough list of meals for the week. It also helps with grocery shopping.
[Reply]
The few weeks that I have meal planned, it has made my life so less stressful. I just haven’t gotten around to doing it as of late, and I’ve been more or less going with cravings(which, when you want meat on a Friday during Lent, doesn’t work out wonderfully). I think so long as I know I have key proteins and veggies on hand, I’ll always have a meal I can make
Evan Thomas´s last blog ..20 Minutes
[Reply]
I definitely need to plan my breakfast and lunch, because I like to bring them to work. If I don’t pack it the night before there’s no telling what I’ll end up with from the cafeteria at work. Dinners are a different story. Unfortunately I’m pretty hungry when I get home from work so I try to eat a healthy snack while I plan dinner so I don’t just go crazy and eat Taco Bell.
A week’s worth of dinner plans and groceries would be ideal – especially if I could do some of the prep ahead of time.
Lizz @ leadingthegoodlife´s last blog ..Dancin’ with GaGa
[Reply]
Such yummy eats!
I´m sorry about your cancelled plans…
But that Pesto Panini looked divine, and that bean salad…
Holy Moly!
Have a great weekend, girl!
Brazilian XOXO´s,
Gabriela
Gabriela (froyolover)´s last blog ..And The Real Truth Is…
[Reply]
I meal plan every week, absoluletly every week. I take 45 minutes and get all giddy to look through my cookbooks, the sale flyer from my local foodstore, and my pantry… I plan a dinner for each night, with Thursday being a leftover or hodgepodge, so nothing is wasted and I have a leisurely night.
I eat a variation of the same breakfast all week (millet bread with avocado, jam and EBalanace, PB and banana), and I make myself a big dish for lunch all week (my current fav is the macrobiotic fried rice dish from The Kind Diet; I’ve made it with barley and other whole grains too.) My husband does his own lunches and breakfast, which leaves me free to have the same lunch everyday, and I love to have it assembled, and just having it to portion out each night.
Weekend meals, if we don’t have plans, are extravagent, especially Sunday dinners (long cooking soup, seitan strogonoff from VwaV, etc). I usually made a grain on the weekends too for the week’s stirfry or to pair with baked tofu, a roasted veggie, and homemade tahini sauce of sorts.
I also keep a list on the fridge to add to during the week if we have a craving or request, or run low on an ingredient. Ryan, it’s a no-stress way to healthy vegan eats. I love knowing the day before that I have to defrost seitan or I can prep pea pods for the next day… plus my husband gets involved in prepping since he can see the meal plan. And I get jazzed about the dishes, anticipating them all day. By Sat. AM our fridge is a little bare, but we are not longing for anything… down to the fruit, we have enough for the week. I haven’t made a food store run in the middle of the week in years. Are you convinced?! A bit long-winded, but I guess I really do get excited about meal planning, eh?
[Reply]
I am finally getting a chance to comment on your blog and I want to tell you 4 things before I forget: 1. thanks for the heads up about maca powder! 2. The idea about mason jars for bulk foods – it’s kind of like a “duh” but I had never thought of it – now my stuff is so easy to find and access. 3. the spiralizer on your amazon store – fantastic! and 4. The link to the Pure2Raw store – thanks!
[Reply]
Ryan @ Greens for Good Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Tracie, I am so flattered that you’ve used some of my ideas and tips for great food and sites. Thank you so much, you’ve made my day!
[Reply]
Totally unrelated to your post BUT… I finally took a look at your blog after seeing Caitlin (HTP) talk about it so much. And I love it!! I am a swimmer, too, so I love your page on swimming. I’ve been swimming since I was 5… hard to believe, sometimes! Anyways, just letting you know I love your blog!
[Reply]
Ryan @ Greens for Good Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Thank you so much!!
[Reply]
I find that the weeks that I don’t meal plan, I defintiely don’t eat as healthy! I try to make sure I have greens at least at 2 meals a day to make sure I am getting some good nutrients!!
[Reply]