Stuck in a Meal Rut?

Hi friends!  I’m currently spending some long overdue quality time with my husband.  😀  One of my fave blends, Emily, graciously agreed to write a guest post on a topic I’m sure we can all relate to- getting out of a meal rut! 

Hi everyone! My name is Emily and I blog at finding a new life through food.

January is usually a month filled with resolutions for people to become healthier and exercise more.  Since it is still early, you can still jump on bandwagon to a healthier 2011.  One of the most difficult things with healthy eating is getting out of a “meal rut.”

I define meal rut as eating the same foods over and over.  This for me usually leads me to make unhealthy decisions when I want to break out of it and eat something I think is more exciting.  Unfortunately, those unhealthy decisions can pack on the pounds!

Here are a few ways to keep yourself out of the meal rut in 2011 and still keep your tastebuds excited 🙂

1. Plan Ahead!!!

I cannot emphasis how important this is in order to stay out of a meal rut.  Find a day of the week that is the best for you to plan your meals. I’m lucky, and mine happens to land on Sunday.  Look at your week, and figure out what you’re going to be doing on what days.  Are you working late one day? Do you have a little extra time at home one night?  Are you planning on meeting some friends for drinks one night?  Take all of these into account and plan your meals accordingly!

2. Go Grocery Shopping for Specific Meals.

After you figure out your meals, make sure you go grocery shopping for any ingredients you might not have.  Unless its fresh produce for a meal later in the week, I try to make sure I have everything ahead of time.  Nothing is worse than reading a recipe when you’re just about to cook it and realizing that you don’t have one of the ingredients.  You can almost guarantee that it will turn into a take-out night 😉

3. Stews and soups are your best friends.

If you have time on the weekend, make a big pot of stew or soup! They freeze wonderfully, and are an amazing way to have a healthy meal in a pinch. Pick up a whole grain bread on the way home to dip in your stew or soup.  Another great way to make a stew or soup is use a crock pot.  You can come home to a warm and delicious meal without having to do more than ladle it into a bowl.

4. Look through cookbooks for inspiration.

If your like me, I’m sure you have a plethora of cookbooks scattered throughout the house.  I tend to use the same recipes over and over, and often the other 75% of a cookbook never ends up being used by me.  Sometimes trying something new often leads to a new favorite flavor or new favorite recipe to cook.  So wipe the dust off those old cookbooks and take a peek through them!

5. Indulge every so often.

Nothing is always going to go according to plan.  Some nights you’re just not going to want to cook, and that’s okay! If you’ve cooked every other night of the week and decide on a Friday to do a little take-out, let yourself.  Hindering all of your cravings is one of the worst things to do, and often will eventually lead to a binge out session and another meal rut.

Do you ever find yourself in a meal rut? What do you do to get out of it? What are ways you avoid meal ruts?

December Goals

Hi friends!  Happy Wednesday to you 😀  How are y’all doing?  I started coming down with a cold earlier this week so I am currently loading up on tea, water and  lots of vitamin C!  I decided to take the week off of running in order to get better- it is flippin’ cold out and I don’t think that helps the cold much.  Originally I was going to take a break from hot yoga too but what can I say- I’m addicted to it and I’m feeling better 😉

Monday evening was blend-tastic 😀  I got together with some of my favorite local blends to enjoy some of the best pizza I’ve ever had at DeFazio’s in Troy.  If you are local, I highly recommend checking it out!  The staff was super friendly and the pizza was amazing!

Emily and Me.

Courtney and Jen.

 

I had a lot of fun girls!  I’m looking forward to another blend pizza date in the future 😀

Ah, onto my goals for December.  It’s a little late but I have been following them since the start of the month.

Goals:

Personal

1. Spend quality time with friends.  ‘Tis the season and what better way to spend it than catching up with friends?  I am heading to Long Island this weekend to spend time with Nicole, one of my oldest and closest friends (and unofficial race photog, woohoo!).  Heather is hosting a fun cookie swap and one of my other besties, Kristin, will be in town for two weeks for Christmas break.  Yes!  It is going to be a fun month.
2. Change my last name on my social security card and passport.  So simple yet I keep forgetting to do it.  Get ‘er done!
3. Frame photos for office.  I’ve had a few photos waiting to be put in a frame to be hung on the walls of my office.  For about a year.  No more slacking!
4. Organize my closet.  Ugh.  Melissa, you should come help.  😀

Fitness/Health-wise

1. No meat- track food intake daily to record how meatless diet impacts how I feel.   Why I stopped eating meat this month is a story for another post.  In the meantime, I’ve made a committment to not eat meat and to track everything I eat and drink and record how I feel- tired, well-rested, etc.  So far it is going pretty well!

2.  Maintain base mileage of 40 miles/month.  I’m not sure how this will pan out, seeing as how I am taking this week off.  It’s okay though 😀

3.  Attend three to four hot yoga classes per week, except when traveling.   I love how hot yoga makes me feel.  I am addicted for sure!

4.  Partake in Kacy’s 20 salads in December challenge.  Basically, I have to eat twenty salads this month.  I can totally do it and it is a fun way to incorporate more greens into my life.  So far I am on salad four, I think. 

My lunch today was a huge salad beast- spring mix, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and cashews.  The star of the show in this salad was Annie’s Papaya Poppy Seed dressing!  So. Effing. Good!   If you see it, you should buy it! 

So, those are my goals.  Have you set any goals for this month?  Is it flippin’ freezing where you are too? 

Have a good one, peeps!