Let’s face it, with life on the go, the last thing you want to do at the end of a busy day is to stand over a hot stove and cook dinner. So when juggling work and personal commitments, you probably order food online in British Columbia when you’re starving and don’t have anything to cook. Takeout is fast and convenient, but it’s not exactly healthy.
If you’re looking to find a way to keep up with a balanced diet that fits your busy lifestyle, we have a list of suggestions you’ll love.
7 Ways to Eat Healthy
Even if you find yourself strapped for time, it’s all about finding creative solutions that will shorten (or even eliminate) the kitchen prep, cooking, and clean-up time. To enjoy a good meal and still have time for yourself and the family, here are seven tips to help you eat healthy when you’re too busy to prepare meals.
1. Plan Meals in Advance
At the end of the month, create a meal plan listing what you will eat every day for the next month. If you know you will be away or know your schedule will change, plan for the next two weeks instead of the whole month. Start with approximately 1 to 2 breakfasts, 3 to 4 lunches, 4 to 6 snacks, and 4 to 6 dinners per week and rotate them.
So, let’s say for breakfast, you choose oatmeal and an egg omelet for week one on a Monday. Then, you can have a boiled egg and avocado toast the following Monday. The idea here is to switch things up week by week, so you’re sometimes eating different things. You can even treat yourself on the weekend and schedule it into your meal plan. You can order food online in British Columbia on Saturday.
2. Start Slow Cooking
You must get this convenient kitchen gadget if you don’t have a crock pot yet. It’s so easy to use, and with a crock pot, it saves an enormous amount of time as you can cook a few days’ worth of food. Along with cooking bulks of food simultaneously, food prep for a slow cooker is minimal.
Before you take off for the day, set all the food in the crock pot and turn it on. When you come home, you’ll have a delicious hot dinner ready to be served. You can then put the rest of the food in the fridge and warm it for the next day or two. Is there anything better?
3. Chop All Veggies at the Same Time
When you have time in the kitchen, prep all your vegetables at the same time and chop the whole celery, carrots, onions, asparagus, and peppers (and all the veggies you love). Then place the unused veggies into food storage containers or freezer-safe bags and put them in the freezer.
Frozen veggies are convenient when you don’t have time to cook but still want to make a healthy meal. For instance, you can whip up a quick omelet, stir-fry, stew, or soup with frozen veggies.
4. Buy Pre-cut and Convenient Foods
When you need more time to cook or always find yourself going to order food online in British Columbia, using easy-to-use foods can help create a quick meal. As suggested, you can quickly cook your frozen pre-cut veggies in a stir-fry or soup. Tomato sauce is another convenient food staple. You can cook a delicious bolognese that will be ready in less than 20 minutes.
Have some instant rice in your cupboards, which can be ready within 10-15 minutes. Add your pre-cut veggies to the rice for a quick stir-fry. Another popular, convenient food staple is canned legumes like lentils, chickpeas, and beans. Legumes can boost fibre and protein to a meal and are very favourable when you add them to chilis, salads, and soups.
5. Cook a Big Batch Once A Week
Try getting used to cooking a huge batch of food once a week or once a month (when you have many groceries). Once a week, food prep usually happens on the weekends when you can spend a considerable amount of time cooking food and storing it in your fridge for consumption the following week or the whole month.
Devoting two to three hours a week to batch cooking will save you so much time during the week, and ultimately you’ll be able to enjoy healthy and savoury meals.
6. Have a Snack Stash
Eating healthy when you don’t have enough time to cook means you need to snack more often. So have a stash of nutritious snacks in your cupboards, car, or office. You can reach for a convenient snack when you get hungry.
Need to know what you could snack on that is considered nutritious? For a protein boost, you can try trail mix, granola bars, or nuts and seeds. Have a sweet tooth? Try dried fruit and dark chocolate. Have some multi-grain crackers or snack-sized popcorn ready for consumption for a salty snack.
7. Subscribe to a Meal Delivery Service
Forget about takeout. Ordering food online in British Columbia from a meal delivery service with plenty of healthy meal options is a great idea. For instance, if you’re tired of batch cooking every week or using your slow cooker, give yourself time off from cooking and order from your meal delivery service. It’s very affordable and super convenient to have chef-prepared meals that are tasty and nutritious.
One of the main benefits of subscribing to a meal delivery service is eliminating any prep, cooking, or clean-up time in the kitchen. Plus, you’ll have a variety of healthy meals ready to eat sitting in the fridge, and all you need to do is warm them up.
Contact Citizens Table
Are you in British Columbia and want to order vegan food online? We offer a variety of healthy meals that are delicious and convenient. If you have any questions about our meal plans, contact us at hello@citizens-table.ca or call 604-330-0708. You can even send us a message here, and we’ll get back to you within 24 – 48 hours!