Today’s piece is presented by our Swole Mom contributor Jen. In these brutal coronavirus times, it’s more important than ever to stick to a meal plan and keep your diet on track. Swole author Jen has come to us today to present a daily meal plan that can easily be followed while working from home, homeschooling, carting toddlers around, or even while following a regular workplace commuter schedule.
Hopefully, these tips can help all the Moms rearrange their meal planning.
How to Meal Plan on a Mom Schedule
When you watch television, you often see a mother depicted as someone who does a lot of things. She wakes up early in the morning, makes breakfast, brings the children to school, cleans the whole house, goes after the kids, does the laundry, helps the kids with homework, cooks a mean casserole for dinner, and tucks the kids to bed — all that without breaking a sweat.
Going out for some me-time at the salon or spa rarely happens. The reality is that most mothers still do that, but some added a job to that resume. Modern moms now work full-time at the office, so most of the family meals suffer the consequences. Fortunately, having meal plans ready is a great help to an often tired Mom.
There is a belief that planning family meals is a distraction and takes a lot of time. It is true that you initially need to sit down on it to consider what you and your family would like to eat. But once planned, you never have to think about what you need to buy at the grocery. You can do the meal plans yourself or buy the non-fast food meals online for your convenience.
Controlling meals also means that your family is safe, especially if one of them is suffering from an allergy or intolerance to an ingredient. There is no tendency to eat unnecessary junk food since you follow a program. And eventually, you will see the difference when you start to eat healthy meals.
If you are carb targetting or calorie counting, then you even have the power to keep both carbs and calories in place since you know what you are eating. So if you are firm in your decision, here are some easy 3-meals-a-day (with snacks) plan suggestions for you and the family.
Monday
- Breakfast (Bacon and egg on a toasted muffin, fresh fruit of your choice)
- Lunch (Creamy chicken and pesto, fresh fruit, a healthy chocolate-and-oats bar)
- Dinner (Soy chicken)
- Snacks (Nuts)
Tuesday
- Breakfast (Peanut butter and strawberry toast)
- Lunch (Coconut beef curry, fruit salad)
- Dinner (Spinach and ham pizza)
- Snacks (Yogurt)
Wednesday
- Breakfast (Apple and almond pancakes, a cup of nonfat milk)
- Lunch (Tuna salad)
- Dinner (Balsamic steak with roasted vegetables as sides)
- Snacks (A fruit cup)
Thursday
- Breakfast (Whole grain cereal and milk)
- Lunch (Turkey burger, salad)
- Dinner (Salmon pasta)
- Snacks (Trail mix)
Friday
- Breakfast (Ham, cheese, and tomato sandwich, fresh fruit)
- Lunch (Pork stir-fry, brown rice)
- Dinner (Turkey, cranberry and walnut salad)
- Snacks (Chocolate and oats bar)
Saturday
- Breakfast (Orange-pear quinoa)
- Lunch (Chicken Fajitas, salad)
- Dinner (Pork and pineapple kebabs)
- Snacks (Edamame)
Sunday
- Breakfast (Strawberry ricotta pancakes or waffles)
- Lunch (Steak and potatoes, salad)
- Dinner (Butter chicken with rice)
- Snacks (Fruit and nut mix)
Too much junk food is not just a waste of money, but also deadly for the body. Meal plans help keep your budget in check and your body in shape. It will allow you and your family to be fit and healthy. If the only thing stopping you from doing it is the lack of time, then there are meal planning companies that can help you start. Once you get into the healthy habit of eating right, you will feel it in your bones and your body – and family – will love you for it.
