What's for Dinner?

It’s 4:00 pm. Do you know what your dinner plans are? If that question raises your cortisol levels, you are not alone! 

We make about 35,000 decisions a day, and approximately 227 of those decisions relate to food. When hunger strikes, especially as the day goes on, choosing what to eat can feel extremely overwhelming. So much so, we find ourselves opting for what is easiest and most convenient, which, most of the time, means processed food or dining out.

We all want to feel energized and nourished, but we often struggle to make good eating choices. It’s easy to beat ourselves up and feel discouraged by a perceived lack of willpower when it’s actually decision fatigue that hinders our ability to prepare nutritious meals for ourselves and our families.

A little intentionality can go a long way in helping you maintain your sanity and health goals! Here are a few of our favorite ways to reduce stress and fuel your body!

1. Make weekday food decisions on the weekend. 

Utilize your planner to organize meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including snacks. Then, shop for those items in advance to ensure they are on hand and easily accessible.

2.  Quinoa Bowls  

I’m a big fan of quinoa bowls because they are simple, affordable, and  nutritious! This past weekend, I set aside some time to chop and roast vegetables in advance, whip up this easy tahini sauce, and prepare a large batch of quinoa. It’s so nice to just throw together the grain bowls all week when we're hungry at lunchtime (no thinking required). You can add protein or feta to mix things up! 

3.  Routine is your friend

Before I had online access to millions of recipes, I prepared most of our meals using the red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I received as a wedding gift. Having a smaller repertoire of choices led to frequent repeats and much less overwhelm. When feeling especially stretched, rotating the same five dinners (Homemade pizza Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Pasta Wednesdays, Breakfast for dinner Thursdays, Baked potato Fridays…) can simplify your life, save money, and reduce your reliance on processed foods. 

4.  Know your triggers

We all have triggers for unhealthy eating. Maybe it's a long-engrained habit of having a bowl of ice cream or cereal before bed. Perhaps it’s a 3:00 pm energy slump that leads you to reach for caffeine and sugar. Maybe it's a lack of structure, or increased stress, or living reactively. Taking a few moments to reflect on your triggers can provide valuable insights for establishing new habits and rituals that will nourish your mind, body, and soul throughout the day. Some rituals I’ve created for myself are:

• Mint tea and a little dark chocolate in the evening
• Keeping green tea bags, nuts, dark chocolate, and some fruit in my purse for when I get snacky or hangry
• Managing stress through prayer, journaling, and stillness
• Setting my intention in the morning (using my FWL planner) to stay hydrated, consume more vegetables, and move my body

5. Double it Up

I am a huge fan of leftovers! Doubling a recipe and eating the extras for lunch or another meal later in the week is working smarter, not harder! Just yesterday, I doubled a batch of homemade pizza dough, and knowing I can pull it out of the freezer for dinner next week is a big relief!

6. Get Inspired!

When cooking begins to feel like drudgery, spark new joy and interest by:

• Visiting farmers’ markets and shopping locally
• Watching the Salt, Fat, Heat, Acid documentaries on Netflix  
• Checking out new cookbooks from the library, leafing through the beautiful photos and recipes, and then picking one to try!
• Reading Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn 
• Signing up for our Back-to-Basics Course
• Crowdsourcing ideas for new spices, herbs, or ingredients to add to your dishes! I always find culinary conversations to be fun and energizing!

Eating can be joyful when we take a moment to give thanks for the beautiful foods that God has created for our nourishment. Slowing down enough to sit and eat, truly savoring our meals, and being present with those we share them with,  will enhance the experience. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but a little planning ahead will certainly help, saving you time and frustration.