Nobody have a stroke, I’m going to offer (pseudo-)nutritional advice. No, I have not turned over a totally new leaf. I still want to eat fried, cheesy food and wash it down with a beer. But, I’d also like to see 40 and keep running, so I have to do a few things to keep myself on track. One of the keys to this is my version of meal planning.
During the academic year, I don’t have the time to cook every night. Instead, every other Sunday or so, I pick two or three dishes, make a ton of each dish, and freeze the leftovers (I own ALL the Pyrex). At any point, I usually have 20 meals in the freezer and another 3-4 in the fridge.
Why is this key to nutrition? First, I’ve pre-portion my ingredients and make sure I get my vegetables and protein. I like vegetables enough, but I usually don’t go out of my way to eat them. I’m really a child in that respect. Second, it controls my portion size. I’m always rungry (no, I did not misspell that…think about it), so this stops me from eating a full meal every 2 hours. Third, no matter how tired I am, I have something with nutritional value at home. If I do get home for dinner (instead of eating an early dinner at work before yoga or a run), I only need to use the microwave. No effort required at the end of a long day.
It’s fiscally responsible, allows me to be lazy during the week, and gets me my daily recommended veggies. People, this is a win.
