When a person is busy and preoccupied with a heavy workload, one of the first things that is compromised is healthy meals. The problem with this is that sooner or later, erratic eating habits that a busy entrepreneur adopts, will soon begin to take a toll on his or her health. Food is fuel for the mind and body, and this should not be neglected. With a bit of extra effort, it is possible to prepare a meal plan which can be used by entrepreneurs and professionals with a desire to lead a healthier lifestyle to eat better and be healthier. Following are 5 tricks for preparing healthy food for a busy week at work.

1.       Create a weekly meal plan

This could be just a handwritten list, or a printed one – it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to actually create your meal plan, where you can distribute your meals over the whole week, maintaining a balance with what you enjoy eating and what is healthy for you. Take time out once a week, preferably over the weekend, to plan your weekly meal plan, adopting new ideas to make your meals interesting. You can even download a meal planner from the internet and customize it, which will save you the trouble of having to create a meal plan from scratch. Initially, creating a weekly meal plan may take a bit of time, but once you make it part of your weekly routine, it will be easier to do in just a few minutes each week.

2.       Make a list

Now that you have a meal plan in place, ensure that you have the requisite ingredients at hand. It is always advisable to buy your ingredients in advance, over the weekend. For this you need to make a list according to your healthy meal plan, and ensure that you keep weight management and weight-loss in mind, with healthier options like skimmed milk, low-fat and low sugar products and so on.

3.       Prepare your food in advance

The key to efficient meal planning is to process food in advance. As a busy entrepreneur, you need to compromise somewhere, and the best place is by keeping your menu simple. Boring at times maybe, but the less time spent in preparing elaborate recipes, the better – and this allows you to treat yourself to something different over the weekend. You do things like chopping and packing ingredients in the refrigerator and mixing spices and sauces in advance. The freezer is your best friend here, you can freeze a complete meal to just microwave and eat.

4.       Stock up on airtight containers

Once you have prepped your meals in advance, you need to store them well. Ensure that you have a good collection of appropriately-sized containers. You will feel motivated by just looking at the empty containers waiting to be filled. When you buy containers, make sure that you get good-quality ones, as the cheaper containers tend to crack and warp over time. Select containers that are microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe, and that are airtight, and easy to store in the refrigerator. As a busy business owner, you will see that this makes sense – you can even carry some of the pre-packed food to office as a sort of work travel meal solution.

5.       Involve the family

Whether you are just two partners living together or a couple with children, it will also help you to get inputs on which meals to prepare from the rest of the household, particularly if are limited for time yourself when it comes to meal planning. If weight management is your goal, focus on meals that will help you with weight-loss or weight gain. Once a week, get everyone together, and you will be surprised at how much fun you can have, adopting new ideas for a healthy meal plan for the week.

Use these five tricks for preparing healthy food for a busy week at work, and you will find that a lot of the stress is taken away from cooking meals on a daily basis, and you will emerge a healthier person as well.

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