tips for eating healthy at breakfast, lunch and dinner

Many of us have hectic schedules, and trying to sleep enough, exercise enough, and eat well feel like another full time job. 

Did you miss my post on healthy routines to take care of yourself? Check it out here.

Today I'll talk through some common challenges we encounter at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and talk through some solutions. I'll also share my own challenges with cooking for one and some things I've found to help solve my problems!

Have different challenges? Comment on this post and I'll incorporate it into the next post.

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try a simple breakfast

If you're a morning person but have trouble deciding what to have breakfast, brainstorm a few options and give it a try. You can make a pan of egg muffins ahead of time and freeze, or whip up some scrambled eggs and toast quick. 

Like the idea of egg muffins? Click the image below to go to my favorite recipe for make-head egg muffins from Make Ahead Meal Mom.

If you're not a morning person, or just don't find yourself able to stomach food early in the morning, plan to eat something when you get to work, instead of when you get to work. Microwaveable oatmeal, yogurt, a snack bar - whatever floats your boat will give you some fuel to start your day.

Either way, if you keep it simple you'll be able to start a new habit easily.

Easy Make-Ahead Egg Muffins from Make Ahead Meal Mom. Click image for link.

The writers over at OverlandSite spent nearly a year living out of a 4 x 4 vehicle, making their own breakfast lunch and dinner. To battle the boredom of the same meals over and over, they reached out to Chef Corso, a trained chef and the founder of MontyBoca to put together delicious recipes that are quick and easy. You can access their meal tips and recipes on their website.

lunch as a productivity booster

If you eat at your desk regularly, whether or not you're working through lunch, you may want to reconsider. Taking regular breaks from your work can improve your productivity, and lunchtime is a perfect time to take a longer break. Step away from your desk to be in a different environment, or if you're walking to go out to lunch, enjoy the time outside. Don't double-task with conference calls or other work-related issues.

Not convinced? Here's 7 reasons why eating at your desk is a bad idea.

The nutrients you consume at lunchtime can help you power through the afternoon and avoid a mid-afternoon slump. Particularly if you tend to skip breakfast, lunch is a healthy eating time for your body. 

Pump up your antioxidant intake with these cancer fighting foods, or treat yourself to a sweet treat that, unlike after dinner time, won't lead to pre-bedtime binge.

If you have a kitchen area, don't hesitate to grocery shop for your work at lunch. I keep my favorite frozen meals (both for breakfast and lunch) at work so it's one less thing to remember in the morning. 

If you often skip lunch, realize that the intense hunger you feel when you get to dinner time is your body screaming out. By pushing your body past it's normal hunger skills, you're messing with your metabolism. Build up to eating lunch by setting an alarm to remind you to at least eat a snack around lunchtime. Consider writing short entries in a journal to track how you feel later in the day when you do or don't eat lunch.

too tired to cook?

Getting home from work, tired from a long day at work and maybe even a workout session, cooking up a big meal is often the last thing we want to do. Even for those of you who love to cook, just the time it takes can be too much. 

If you do love to cook, consider meal prep on the weekends. Plan out your recipes so that you can use chicken for several recipes, chop vegetables for a few days, etc. so that you cut your prep time down. You can even put chicken to cook in the slowcooker and use it all week - in stirfry, salad, tacos! 

If you want to make full meals and pre-portion them out (think chicken, rice, vegetables) you may want to get some meal prep containers like these*. I love how the lids and bottoms stack together, and they are dishwasher safe. They fit perfectly in cooler-type lunchboxes if you're going to be meal prepping for lunch, too!

other meal challenges

It's hard to cook for one, especially if you don't like to cook! That's the boat I'm in. What challenges do you have around meal time? 

Some products I've found to help with cooking for one are this produce keeper*. I used to avoid buying greens because they would go bad before I could finish them. Now a bag of greens lasts me up to 2 weeks! 

What solutions have you found to your mealtime challenges? Share in the comments below!