My top clean eating non-negotiables? Every week, without fail, I make the time to:

Plan a week’s worth of meals that feature fresh produce (always lots of leafy greens), whole grains and almost no processed food.  I get my inspiration from a variety of sources including Clean Eating Magazine, Vegetarian Times magazine, Clean Food cookbook and a host of other go-to cookbooks that I like to use.

• Go to the store and buy all the ingredients I need.  Invariably, it always takes longer than I think so I generally plan for a couple of hours to get this done. Usually I go to one of two local health foods stores but I often need to pick up other items at the big box grocery store near us.  Ideally, I try to plan and shop on either Friday or Saturday.
• Put aside time to cook on Sunday afternoons.  I like to get a head start on meal prep for the week so I usually spend time making meals that my husband and I can enjoy for the first part of the week. This includes everything from cooking a pot of brown rice (a regular weekly staple), making a pot of soup (my weekly ritual during the cold weather months) and putting together a meal that we can eat on Sunday and Monday, at a minimum to get the week started.  When I’m feeling even more ambitious, I often prep other items we’ll use during the week for meals or snacks.

Make no mistake, these three non-negotiables take time and commitment but like any other habit you may have, these are simply something I do and they’re part of my routine.  Over time I eased into this routine so now it’s not hard to put it into practice.

The beauty is that I get to reap multiple benefits from my efforts:

• We eat delicious, fresh healthy food that fuels our many activities during the week
• We sit down to a home cooked meal and make time for conversation.  Real food + no distractions = greater enjoyment and being present to all the wonderful flavors and textures
• We maintain a healthy weight.  Less unhealthy snacking and more real food means maintaining our weight isn’t so hard.  By making some simple changes and snacking less, Bruce has lost 20 pounds since the beginning of January
• I know what’s in my food! No unhealthy ingredients such as unneeded fat or sugar
• I’m not at a loss for what to eat during the week. With a game plan for the week, I have a simple plan for what we’ll eat and I don’t have to be wandering the aisles of the grocery store wondering what to buy
• We save a heap of money bhaving a plan and not ordering high priced takeout or going to the store without a list and racking up a large grocery bill

What are you clean eating non-negotiables? What are you committed to doing weekly, no matter what, to ensure you maintain a clean eating lifestyle that supports your health and longevity?

This week, yours truly, The Clean Eating Coach, is on clean eating fire, having planned, shopped, prepped and cooked my way to delicious healthy food that my husband and I can enjoy all week.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you to think that every week is perfect and I always have my ducks in a row. Far from it in fact.

This past weekend I was wrapped up with my niece visiting, and doing a photo and video shoot for my new clean eating website.  In between leaving the studio and going to see “Annie” with my niece and mom, I squeezed in some quality time at Whole Foods, both eating lunch and doing some shopping.  I honestly hadn’t had sufficient time to plan out the meals, so I brought my meal planning gear (planning forms, recipes and cookbooks) with me and literally hatched my clean eating meal plan while eating lunch in Whole Foods.  Then I quickly navigated the aisles getting the items I needed.

Here’s a look at what I’ve whipped up so far and plan to eat the rest of the week:

• Asian style salmon baked in parchment paper. This is one of my favorites. We had this for dinner on Sunday night and it was delicious.  Watch the video I created to see how easy it is.  I substituted the salmon for flounder. It works well with most fish.
• Steamed broccoli with a touch of toasted sesame oil, kosher salt and pepper. I bought some beautiful broccoli and made enough for leftovers on Monday night.
• Quinoa tabouli. I love this side dish, so super easy and delicious, and quinoa is a whole grain high in protein.  Check out the recipe and video. We’ll be enjoying this for the next several days.
• White bean and kale soup. I’m a big fan of eating soup for lunch, especially during cooler months.  This soup is so easy and delicious and you can whip it up in no time. Plus, getting more greens in is simple when you put them in soup.
• Turkey meatloaf w/kale and spinach.  I love the clean eating recipe I found in Tosca Rena’s Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook.  It’s super simple and delicious. I made it on Sunday even though we didn’t have it until dinner on Monday. We’ll be enjoying this for the next several days so there will be minimal cooking, allowing time to get our workouts in at the gym.
• Roasted asparagus w/shallots and lemon zest.  I love asparagus and it’s so easy to roast.  A bunch will last us a couple of meals.  I’ll be whipping that up tonight.
• A stir fry is in the plans for Thursday night.  I’ll thaw out a couple of chicken breasts on Wednesday and prep the veggies so cooking will be simple and quick on Thursday.  I’m sure there will be enough for either lunch or dinner on Friday.

I will tell you that I did spend quite some time in the kitchen on Sunday afternoon prepping and cooking, so unfortunately, it didn’t magically appear already made, but the effort was worth it.  We now have delicious, healthy food that’s supporting our health.

What clean eating meals are on your menu for this week? What are you inspired to make? Do tell!

I’ve always said that the best vehicle to ensure clean eating is to plan your meals.  Meal planning helps you begin with the end in mind, create balanced meals with a variety of clean eating, no- processed foods, and save big bucks because those random acts of buying what strikes your fancy are long gone.

These days we’re all trying to maximize our dollars and do more with less given the state of the economy and the cost of food. One of my favorite ways to maximize savings is to do a periodic pantry challenge.  Simply put, I go through my pantry and see what I have stocked up that I can use for simple and quick meals.  So instead of always starting from scratch and creating dishes that have an endless list of ingredients, I put my creative skills to the test by coming up with interesting recipes based on what’s around that can contain minimal ingredients.

Here’s a short list of what I found in checking things out in my pantry:

• quinoa pasta
• fire roasted salsa
• steel cut oats
• gluten-free bread mix
• tandoori chicken seasoning packet
• canned salmon
• quinoa
• vegetable broth
• kidney beans
• black eyes peas
• coconut milk
• brown rice
• organic canned pumpkin

Based on what I found, I can already see making some quick and simple dishes that require minimal additional ingredients. For example, I’ll make beans and brown rice and add the salsa in for flavor.  I’ll make pumpkin soup in my Vitamix blender which also calls for coconut milk. I’ve made it before and its yummy.  I’ve got chicken breasts in the freezer that I can use with the tandoori chicken seasoning packet and I’ll use the canned salmon in salads for lunch next week.  I’ll whip up steel cut oats for breakfast and add some chopped nuts and fresh fruit.

That’s just a simple start based on a quick round of brainstorming. I can already see that I will buy so much less at the store over the weekend based on what I already have.

So that means healthy meals, money saved and lots of clean eating — that sure sounds good to me!

What about you, are you up for the clean eating pantry challenge? Can you see the possibility of creating healthy meals based on what you’ve got in the freezer, refrigerator and pantry? I challenge you to not only go through and see what you have but to also cut your grocery bill in half in the coming week based on this activity!

So get busy now. Go check things out and come on back and share what you found. We all have the ability to practice clean eating without a huge amount of effort or expense…you just have to have a plan.

I already have planned out a super simple turkey soup and I’m also making a delicious, super easy turkey chili that only requires a few ingredients. When I went to the store on Sunday, I picked up the things I’ll need to make my post-holiday dishes that are all focused on clean eating.

In fact, there are several compelling reasons to plan ahead for post-Thanksgiving treats.  Here are just a few:

1. When I have the ingredients already on hand, it makes meal preparation so much easier
2. It ensures I actually use the leftovers for other dishes and don’t waste any food
3. It gives turkey a fresh spin. There are only so many days I can eat leftover turkey in its original form.  Creating something new makes it so much more interesting
4. Planning ahead relieves the pressure of having to go out on Black Friday.  I’m usually content to stay home and avoid the crowds and when I have what I need, the pressure isn’t on to be out and about.
5. I have clean and healthy food for the next several days.  The great thing about cooking for Thanksgiving is that you have a bounty of food from which to make healthy leftovers that usually involve minimal steps. In about 30 minutes I can whip up a simple dish.
6. You save lots of money! Who needs to be eating out after you’ve just cooked up a storm? Plan a few meals with leftovers BEFORE Thanksgiving and your bank account will be thanking you for the money saved
7. It’s a great reason to invite friends and family over. Have a games night or watch some sports and have your friends help eat up the leftovers (so they don’t all end up on your waistline).

Most importantly, however, creating a day after Thanksgiving plan ensures that you will continue on the clean eating path. Ever have one of these holidays where you start overeating and indulging in almost everything in sight and next thing you know your pants are a bit tight and you can’t seem to help yourself? I sure have been there in years past but not anymore. But with an intention of creating a clean eating Thanksgiving meal, the leftovers are simply an extention of that initial effort.

To me, the beauty of the holidays is in spending time with family and friends. While food is a part of that equation, I never like it to supercede the powerful connections and fun with the people who are important in my life.  I love the idea of making some clean eating, post-holiday dishes that I can share with others.

What’s in your post-Thanksgiving meal plan? What can you plan ahead for now? Who will you invite over to help share in the bounty? What will you do to practice clean eating once the holiday is over? Do tell!

So I decided to give the online shopping list a try. As you know, I’m a big fan of shopping early for Thanksgiving dinner to beat the crowds. And today, I put that plan into action, knocking out my shopping without all the crowds, going both to the health food store as well as the big box grocery store.

In addition to the turkey, we’re making several dishes that don’t require a huge amount of effort. Several of them are things you can do in advance and part of my plan is to work on creating things tomorrow,  Tuesday and Wednesday.  I got my inspiration this year from the November/December Clean Eating magazine that had a scrumptious looking menu.  To keep it simple, other than the stuffing which my mom is making, I’m creating the entire menu — sweet potatoes, green beans, turkey and spiced pumpkin mousse. As you can imagine, all the recipes have a clean eating spin so they’re low in fat, use the highest quality ingredients and only use natural sweeteners like pure maple syrup.

Building the shopping list was easy.  Although the Thanksgiving recipes from Clean Eating aren’t available online to put into Springpad, I simply built my list from the recipes in the magazine and added them to my online shopping list. Easy! And you know what else, I don’t have to worry about not being able to read my writing, which sometimes happens.

Since I often like to write notes on my list, I printed it out and brought it with me instead of looking it up on my Blackberry (when I tried to access the site, it didn’t work anyway).  But simply having it with me to use was fabulous. And because it was comprehensive and included a fair amount of forethought, I didn’t have lots of items I added on at the last minute.  I generally buy exactly what I’ve put on the list and only that, and this was no different.

All in all, I have to say it was a helpful tool in making my Thanksgiving shopping a smooth process. That combined with shopping early, makes this Thanksgiving seem so much less stressful than in past years.

What do you do to minimize your time in the grocery store in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. What tools help make shopping easier?

The great news is that the pre-planning I mentioned can make all the difference once the holiday is over, your clothes still feel comfortable and you haven’t gained weight!  And there’s a way to prepare your Thanksgiving meal that is simply delicious — a clean eating version of Thanksgiving where you don’t feel like you have to give up flavor and enjoyment.

One of the key components to making this all happen is to shop early and have a comprehensive list. There’s nothing worse than starting your Thanksgiving shopping the day before, not having a clear idea of what you need,  and having to make repeated trips to pick up things you forgot.  I definitely have done that in the past, that is, before I got hip to the power of holiday meal planning and keeping a budget in mind. Large crowds make just-in-time shopping inefficient, not to mention that there’s less selection and it can cost more if you’re not exactly sure what you need.

I’ve made a short video with some tips on how to make the most of your Thanksgiving shopping trip and get into action now. With a week to go until Thanksgiving, there’s still plenty of time to make your list, check it twice and get what you need without the hassles of the crowds.

What will you do to get into action right away and get set with your plan?  When will you do your shopping and how will doing it in advance help save you time and money?

These days we’re all trying to pinch pennies in one way or another and when we make the time to plan ahead, it’s so much easier. One of the regular stops I make monthly is at my local Ocean State Job Lot store. Ocean State is a chain in New England that gets overages of a wide variety of consumer goods that are sold at a discount…often a deep discount on things we regularly use like certain cereals, olive oil and many other items.

I was in Ocean State with my mom recently and it inspired me to create this week’s video on some of the savings we’ve been realizing. And no, I’m not talking about driving an hour out of your way, in an inconvenient direction, to save $2. I want you to take a peek and then think about what resources may be in your own backyard that can help you save money and support healthy eating.  Believe me, they’re out there.

What is your favorite strategy to save money and where to you get great deals that are healthy? Let’s share our resources and ideas so we can all work on plumping up our pocketbook.

But what about if you’re single? Or you live in a small space where storage is at a premium?  My husband and I do belong to our local BJ’s, but we live in a condo where we don’t have tons of space and no big freezer to accommodate our purchases. So what do we do? Easy! Divide and conquer.

My mom and I recently made a trip to BJs to stock up and we simply split up the things we bought. For example, we bought wild salmon burgers that come in a box of 10 that takes up a lot of space in the freezer.  But by splitting the cost and the amount, it makes it easier for both of us to accommodate them, and makes for a part of a quick and healthy meal. We also did the same for antibiotic free chicken, soap and kleenex.

I like the idea because we’re saving money on things we typically buy and by splitting the cost, it solves the problem of space and we have fun going up and down the aisles together.  And as you can imagine, I’m only focused on buying the healthy things, no foods full of sugar, salt or preservatives (more on the healthy snacks you can find it warehouse stores in another post).

Do you belong to a large warehouse store? How do you make the most of the cost savings and in what ways do you partner with friends and family to save money? In our family, it’s part of our multi-pronged strategy to save money and support a healthy lifestyle.

Some pre-planning however, is all it takes to have a money saving week that results in healthy meals. And one of my favorite strategies to do this is simple: keep copies of your favorite recipes in the car.  

When people take my meal planning teleseminars or use the home study course, we talk about the power of creating a meal planning resource guide that helps organize shopping lists, recipes, pantry staples and other essential meal planning tools.  I encourage people to include favorite, quick, simple and healthy recipes that everyone in the family will eat.  By using the simple concept of keeping recipes in the car (I keep mine in my handy car organizer that fits over my front seat), you can easily access ingredient lists to ensure you have all that you need, and you save precious time and money.

In the end, even if you don’t plan a week’s worth of meals on the front end, keeping recipes and ingredients handy while you travel will still help you create the desired end result: more energy, better focus, and more money in your pocket with less stress about what to make for dinner.

What’s your favorite strategy to plan meals on the go? Have you ever tried stocking the glove compartment with your favorite recipes?

Want more ideas for simple ways to meal plan, especially for one? Join me for my free teleclass on Tuesday, April 21 at 8 pm ET, “Cooking for One can Be Totally Fun: The Art of Preparing Healthy, Solo Meals.”  Find out more and register by clicking on the link: http://budurl.com/p97x

Tuesday, March 17th, 8 pm ET, 5 pm PT

Do you have a budget for your monthly expenditure on groceries? And if so, do you actually track your spending?

It’s amazing how many people I meet who have no idea how much they actually spend on groceries each month. So many of us don’t really want to know, living in denial about our spending. Sound familiar?

But the first step to saving money with meal planning is about creating a simple budget system that you’ll actually use and pay attention to, not just ignore.

Join me for this month’s free teleclass where I’ll teach you an ultra simple system for tracking your monthly grocery spending that doesn’t involve fancy spreadsheets. It’s all about increasing your awareness about what you’re doing so you can make money saving decisions when it comes to planning meals.

While ignorance may be bliss, awakening to your habits is empowering.

Believe it or not, we can all learn how to stay within our food budget and add a dose of fun and creativity to keep it interesting.

Sign up below by entering your name and email address.  You’ll receive an email with the call-in details.  Listen by phone or via your computer (no long distance charges). Join us, it’s going to be a blast, and possibly even life changing.

And if you can’t be on the call live, sign up anyway. The recording will be available for download for 5 days following the teleclass.