Meal Tips for People on the Go

If cooking isn’t your forte, and you feel like you're constantly strapped for time, preparing meals for yourself and your family can be daunting and can lead you to choosing unhealthy options. Here are three ways to save time and eat healthfully when you’re on the go, along with ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

1. Have a well-stocked, organized pantry.
2. Prepare meals and ingredients over the weekend. It’s much easier to pack lunches during the week if you have ingredients on hand.
3. Wash, cut and fill bags/containers with fruits and vegetables for the entire week when you bring them home from the store or farmers market. If it’s there, it’s easy to grab for meal ingredients, lunches and snacks.

Meal Ideas

Breakfast

• Cottage cheese or Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruit and cereal or granola.
• Hard boiled eggs, whole wheat toast and fruit.
• Whole wheat English muffin with nut butter & banana.
• Fruit and protein smoothies.
• Frozen waffle with nut butter and fruit.
• Crockpot oatmeal.
• Nonfat latte, granola or protein bar and fruit.

Lunch

• Salads: Add leftover protein such as chicken, salmon or beans. Add dried fruit, nuts, cheese, and even cooked grains, such as quinoa, to leafy greens or fresh spinach.
• Wraps: Fill with hummus, fresh vegetables add leftover chicken, fish or steak if available.
• Dinner leftovers.

Dinner

• Whole grain pasta tossed with steamed vegetables, feta cheese, olive oil and smoked salmon or cooked chicken. Add a little prepared pesto and sun dried tomatoes if you have them.
• Veggie or grilled chicken burgers served with side salad.
• Tacos cooked with ground turkey or lean beef add seasoning. Heat can of beans, serve in tortillas with toppings such as lettuce, tomato, cheese and low fat sour cream. Make extra for leftovers!
• Crock pot meals.
• Quiche using prepared pie crust. Sauté veggies with garlic and herbs, milk, eggs and cheese.