Your Challenge this Week:
To organize your recipes, menus, your pantry — set yourself up for a healthy style of life and success!
- Clean out your go-to menus that you order in from — choose the healthy sanctioned meal options so that you have a place to go and will be ready with appropriate choices when needed
- Clean out your pantry; refrigerator — take a good look at all of the packaged products in your kitchen. Get rid of the items that are not sanctioned for a healthy food plan. Create a list of staples that you need and want so that you are organized when it’s time to shop, organization is key in making healthy choices. When you have healthy options available it’s much easier to stick to the plan and your reward is the glow of good health!
- Plan a week’s worth of meals. (at least try to plan… it takes practice) Knowing what you know about yourself and your family, plan your breakfasts — figure out what you need, what are your go-to meals during the week? What will the kids eat and how can you include the family in your healthy living game? What are the regular items that you need from the grocery store every week? What do you need from the Farmer’s Market? How can you possibly make this process a little easier for yourself by including the family in the organization and production of family meals?
This is a LIFESTYLE GAME!
What we do every day, the routines of our life is what makes up our ‘lifestyle’. It is our intention to help you (us) set up a new routine that will stop the insanity that is represented here — the Diet Cycle that most people have participated in at some point in their lives … This Diet Cycle doesn’t produce the lasting result that we are looking for — it sets us up for failure, disappointment, and physical damage due to the yo-yo effect on our bodies. What we need is a lifestyle change that we can stick to for the duration. A style of living that will reinforce our healthy goals so we can get out of this damaging cycle.
Lifestyle is the typical way of life of an individual, how you choose to live. Your lifestyle generally reflects your individual attitudes and values; means of forging a sense of self that resonates with your personal identity. Your health depends a lot on your lifestyle choices. Maintaining physical health is crucial to your longevity. The more time you spend on hygiene, physical fitness, and diet regulation, the healthier lifestyle you have.
When you chose to participate in any kind of physical activity on a daily basis you will generally be healthier, providing you don’t overdo it and you practice safe exercise techniques. Over-exercising is just as damaging as not exercising — Guidelines for the Game. Balance in our food plans, exercise habits, sleep, lifestyle choices!
A healthy (or unhealthy) lifestyle will most likely to be transmitted across generations. According to the study done by Case et al. (2002), it discovered that when a 0-3-year-old child has a mother who practices a healthy lifestyle, this child will be 27% more likely to become healthy and adopt the same lifestyle. Parents are the first teacher for every child. Everything that parents do will be very like to be transferred to their children through the learning process.
very interesting to read posts from previous game sessions! nice to see i have learned some things since them. i still want to make my master shopping list. then i can make multiple copies and check off what to buy next time i am out shopping. i think it might also help me think of meal ideas. i’ve been thinking of planning meals in advance. that way i can reduce the number of times i visit the grocery store. i’m also thinking of creating our own household menu binder (like a restaurant) of meals i’ve made in the past. i’ll include recipes in the back of the binder. this could remind us of what i’ve made in the past that we have enjoyed.
i loved The Diet Cycle chart. that really summed up my eating behavior. something i want to pay more attention to.
My frig is almost empty and I have planned my meals! So, I am ready to go to the grocery store to get what I need to fill the frig again. Sunday is Superbowl so I plan to make healthy foods along with things that I can eat that aren’t sanctioned and Superbowl party approved.
From Joyce – HOT MAMAS
have organized my kitchen and have Bernadette’s cookbook handy. I also have a clean pantry and refrigerator. I am trying to plan a week’s worth of meals as well. I try to do this but it hard for me as my schedule seems to change and I am usually cooking just for one person. I have been better at planning a couple of days a head.
Definitely preparing some chicken or protein dishes ahead of time, cut up veggies for salad or soup and getting rid of nonsanctioned temptations around the house ….WORKS!!
Cleans out Frig, put new food for the week
Drinking hourly plan water to go early to bed
Early to rise and exersize
I now have a white board on the fridge where I list dinners for the week along with any evening activities… so today reads: Monday, Karate, baked tofu/chicken/asparagus. It really helps me to have the activities listed as well so I know which nights are going to be tough. The weeks I can do this, I am much more successful.
from Gillien – COOL CATS
I am ready for this week!
General strategies include:
1. Shopping is key. This week, I have a full fridge of fruit and veggies and various forms of protein. I try to do one big shopping (but honestly, I need a bigger fridge) and one smaller shopping so I have fresh fruit and veggies for the weekend.
2. Having quick go to meals is key. I have been making a pot of soup every week, which covers veggies for at least one meal a day, and is an easy go to meal.
3. Quick-cooking sources of protein (eggs, sausages) seem to also be key. Otherwise I eat cheese, etc, which doesn’t keep me going as long
4. I try to plan at least two meals ahead, but also just buy some things that are easy to turn into meals . . . vacuum sealed chicken, etc., so I have some optionality.
5. A lot of advance planning when I have a busy car day – pre-packed meals (fruit salad, green salad, apple/nuts) and bottles of water for the car – also some thought to where I can stop for a healthy meal.
http://ready4lifegame.com/meal-ideas-for-everyone/
There are lots of ideas on the site and plenty of other resources and cooking ideas
http://ready4lifegame.com/healthy-recipe-resources/
It does take practice and can be very empowering and rewarding to create a routine around this important component ~ I am here to help if you have questions
Getting protein in for breakfast is still a challenge for me. Now that cottage cheese is out (no carageen) its eggs (which I don’t usually want at breakfast time) or nut butter, which I am trying to limit, too. So what I am finding is that dinner for breakfast is a good option, but I usually am not in the mood for that, either. I am wanting something sweeter, so its nut butter on a rice cake. I think I need to investigate organic greek yogurt. Yeaterday I was at Whole Foods and stocked up on veg soups, some with black beans, lentils, etc. They help in a pinch.
Planning the meals is one of the aspects I have found very helpful about this game. It is not only helping me eat healthier, it is also INSPIRING me to cook more and my family is enjoining the routine. I also noticed I’m not wasting food as much.
This is exactly what Sunday nights have been for in my house. Planning the weeks of meals and making sure I have tons of fruit and veggies around. The pantry needs a go through. Also I found this great dry bouillon to make quick chicken stock which Is required for many of Bern’s recipes
Just got back from the grocery store. I have planned meals for all week for breakfast and lunch. I only have 3 dinner time meals at this point but i have plenty of protein and vegetables to figure something out. I need to become more creative and make some of the recipes provided.
So far I have been able to plan meals for two day blocks. I buy for the week on Saturday and then buy more as I need to. I will try to block out meal plans for a week. I try to make extra veggie dishes on Sunday evening to get ms through Tuesday and then do it again to get me through Friday. I am getting used to cooking so much more than I have since kids moved out. I am also getting accustomed to the time required to cook healthy meals. I find it is relaxing some nights and not so other nights!
Meal planning is essential to success as a healthy living strategy. Planning the meals, shopping for healthy groceries to have on hand when needed is a critical piece of the puzzle for me to create my sanctioned meals.
While it does require time on the front end — it is definitely worth it when the week gets busy and I am tired 🙂
I’m off to the grocery store and armed with a list of ingredients for two new recipes. Meal planning is especially challenging with kids who never want to try anything new and their endless activities that start right at the dinner hour. Wish me luck!!
I am going to try and do this on sunday nights and I am also trying to put together a ‘nanny cookbook’ of simple recipes so that we can all eat healthy!
I have been keeping track of my meals. I want to make a “master” shopping list of sanctioned foods. each week I hope to travel to the wonderful stores in different towns to stock up on these foods. I don’t want to fall into the trap of eating the same meal over and over again. I hope to create more variety in my weekly meals so I don’t feel bored with the menus. I think this menu planner will be a big help.
I keep my “master list” in my phone. The sanctioned foods I most often eat. So when I’m at Farmer’s markets or Trader Joe’s it’s always handy.
Working on this one. Fridge cleaned out, recipes organized, grocery shopping planned. Have noticed that best for me to stick to 3 veggies per each couple days (other than the celery/cucs) so that they don’t go bad. Got a new range top grill so I don’t have to fire up the BBQ and can easily grill on stove top (thanks for idea Bernadette!) Scanpan has a great one on Chefscatalog.com at best price. Easy clean up. Love Scanpans!
Good Job Teresa!! Stovetop grilling is very convenient — especially if you don’t have a back yard…. 🙂
I am not familiar with scanpan for grilling — will check that out, thanks for the suggestion.
I wrote out our dinner menu for the week – a practice I am good at during the school year, but drop during the summer. Not being in NYC, our ordering options are fairly limited, so there is no need to toss menus! I have been clearing out the cupboard though and have been making my own gazpacho which really helps me stay on track for next to no calories/carbs.
Nice — Amanda — I have been thinking of Gazpacho, would you share your recipe with us? Take a picture and I can post it? It’s a great solution to hunger and this weather…
I am so fortunate to have Fit Food in walking distance from my office. I get at least 4 meals from them a week, sometimes more like 8-10 because I might get lunch and dinner, or sanctioned snacks (they have roasted veggies, etc). I feel good that I have found 2 easy breakfasts that I really enjoy. So I keep it simple and mostly cook chicken and veggies for myself, or beans and veggies with salsa.
Nice work Pamela — great mix of Plan A and Plan B — excellent options to keep you on track.