Has jumping back into your regular routine had you feeling like you're falling behind? Here are 3 ways that Nicole, our founder, maximizes her mealtimes to feel nourished around the clock.
As someone who leaves the house with wet hair most mornings, I’m always looking for ways to maximize my time. Shortcuts to keep me going and give me the peace of mind that yes, I can be healthy even though I’m busy or rushed.
The thing is: it can be tough to find healthy habits when the kids have lost it on the way to school, a last minute meeting gets scheduled, or you're running to make that treasured 7pm fitness class. Food can be done while multi-tasking, so while we know our quick food choices aren’t always the best, they often ‘do the trick.’ For example, I studied nutrition and diet therapies and I went to culinary school, yet I still defaulted to what was quickest. My pre-Splendid food habits looked a lot like this:
- A latte and croissant in the morning on the way to the office - and without them I would skip breakfast altogether. (Plus, croissant = yum.)
- A granola bar or leftover takeout at 2pm was scarfed so quickly it was forgettable, but when I was starving and needed to finish a work project, it served a purpose!
- If it wasn’t for that power bar or bag of cheez-its in the vending machine I would forget to eat lunch altogether and then I was bound to over-order takeout at dinner time. Those snacks never qualified as real meals, but they were the lesser of two evils.
So when I got to the end of the week and took stock of all those forgotten and forgettable meals, I realized just how much ‘junk’ I was eating. This is super common: Up to 80% of our meals are eaten on the go or while multi-tasking!
This is why I created Splendid Spoon — if you stay nourished during those hurried in-between moments, you set yourself up for a more successful day. Here are my tips to replacing those forgotten and forgettable meals, without sacrificing more time:
1) Start strong.
There’s a reason I didn’t create smoothie ‘starters’ or cups. I do not want to clean a blender. Plus, if I’m running late, I need my go-to nourishment to be something I can really count on. If I have a few extra minutes, I’ll make a smoothie bowl with added crunch and fruit. If not, I’ll take the smoothie and drink it on the way to drop-off my kids. This is HUGE. Breakfast isn’t just important for physical well-being -- it’s powerful for habit formation. When we start strong, we feel accomplished and proud of ourselves, and that little endorphin kick is a feeling we want to come back to over and over again.
2) The Lunchtime Uniform
Don’t let the term fool you, a uniform does not mean the same sandwich or salad every day. It does mean that you pre-plan your lunch everyday. We do not have a sane mind when rushing from task to task in the middle of the day and the body is firing hungry signals at us! This is why we default to things like packaged snacks and coffee shop treats -- they are available and easy. With a pre-made lunch, you arm yourself for that hungry moment with true nourishment. A real meal, filled with veggies, designed to give your body lots of fiber and a steady glycemic index is a life-saver in the middle of the day. If you don’t want to sacrifice time to get your uniform in order, then might I suggest a fridge of yummy soups and grain bowls? Just saying…
3) Lean on a base
Dinnertime is really tough for most of us because we are tired, we are accustomed to a reward (be it a meal out, takeout in, or a cocktail), we crave variety, and we want an opportunity to relax with friends or loved ones. Give yourself that break! Similar to the lunchtime uniform, if you have certain essentials at the ready you really set yourself up for success, and can quickly change your default meal into something really nutritious. Whether it’s pre-made quinoa and steamed veggies, or our grain bowls, a vegetable-heavy base does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Grain bowls easily split into a meal for two when you add a couple pieces of grilled tempeh, salmon, or fried egg and a few drops of hot sauce.
Interested in trying our pre-portioned, plant-based meals? Get started with a weekly delivery so you're always prepared for those "I NEED TO EAT NOW!" moments.
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