Why I do a Monthly Meal Plan

I am on Spring Break this week and it has been a very welcome reprieve in a very busy semester. I finally have time to do a few projects around the house, catch up on my reading list, watch some TV, catch up on my outlines and get some much needed extra sleep.

Another thing I have done over Spring Break is make a meal plan for the month of March. I have talked about meal planning on the blog before (See this post)- that post has a lot more info about the exact process and tips for starting out with meal prepping as a beginner. I credit meal planning with saving my sanity and my waistline regularly. Basically, meal planning means that you make a list of meals for either the week or the month and then you just get home and have dinner planned. Meal planning helps me save money when shopping because I buy ingredients I can use multiple times throughout the week and it saves us money because we go out to eat less/order in less.

Easy, Simple, Healthy Lunch Ideas for the Student (or Intern) on the Go

Good morning! Today we are talking about quick, easy lunch ideas that are actually healthy for you but aren't too involved. I don't know about you guys, but I am ALWAYS on the go. It's either bouncing between classes and work or my internship through the summer... just go, go, go. I am usually pretty good about prepping and meal planning for our dinners and having something quick in the house for breakfast but I tend to forget about lunch. In undergrad, my lunch was usually a thing of Easy Mac or Taco Bell... it was quick but definitely not healthy.

As I get older, I am more conscious of my health and during law school, I realized just how unhealthy my lunch habits were. While in law school, I have pretty much no money to eat out so I pack my lunch 99% of the time. It has taken a while but I have finally figured out some good lunch ideas for when I am on the go and need something quick without sacrificing my health. So here they are!!

Why I Meal Plan + Free Printable

Happy August! I realize I am almost a week late for that... life's been a little crazy... being married, taking care of three dogs, being a homeowner, interning, blogging, classes- there is a lot going on. Because I am so busy, I have had to smarten up about planning. Particularly for shopping and cooking. My husband is on a gluten free diet which limits the options for quick dinners. Also, we generally prefer and enjoy eating homemade, healthy food. In order to accomplish this along with our busy schedules, I have become rather good at meal planning. It is so easy to come home from a long day at school or work and just opt to go out, eat something frozen or just snack on junk instead of eating a good healthy meal. It is very tempting to me to do that if I have not planned and shopped accordingly.

Meal planning ensures that I have a well stocked kitchen, a predetermined plan for what we will eat each day and eliminates the "what do you want to eat" discussion that can be never ending. Meal planning is not too difficult. On Sunday, I sit down with my recipes and a notepad and I make up a shopping list and what we will eat for the week. I try to change it up so we have a varied diet and keep the dinners from getting repetitive. Here is my meal planning process and a sample of what my meal plan was for this week.

EASY Gluten Free Banana Bread

Happy Valentine's Day!!! I hope everyone had a day filled with love and chocolate. Mine started with Starbucks and ended with cupcakes so mine was great!