I have found that having gentle parameters or themes can actually be incredibly helpful for fostering creativity, including when it comes to meal planning. Instead of restricting, it’s about focus. It means picking a food category or ingredient you’d like to explore more of and looking for fun ways to make that happen.
This summer, I am taking a focused approach to add interest, excitement, and creativity to the table. My summer meal planning theme is sandwiches.
Read MoreOnce people learn that I am a professional recipe developer and nutritionist with a focus on meal planning, they often assume that I have a sprawling kitchen and walk-in pantry. In reality, I live in a small house with a small kitchen, and I don’t even have a dishwasher!
That’s right, I have developed over a thousand recipes and have hand-washed every single measuring cup, bowl, and pan along the way. Over the years, I’ve had to find ways to make my limited space work to reduce the friction of cooking and keep the joy in making and eating. Here is how I make it happen.
Read MoreIf you’ve considered working with a nutritionist but aren't sure if it’s for you (or if you’re worried I’m just going to put you on a scale, hand you a rigid meal plan, and send you off with a belittling lecture), let’s clear the air.
Here are four reasons to add a licensed nutritionist to your care team and how, together, we can make food feel good again. Because you are allowed to eat what you enjoy and enjoy what you are eating.
Read MoreSeasonal changes always tend to be a little bumpy. Be it what to wear or what to eat, it is hard to remember what worked last year. Spring, as we transition from long dark winter to brighter days, can feel particularly jarring.
From a diet-culture view this is also the time that “spring detoxes” start to gain steam. Diet culture is predictable; it capitalizes on these moments of uncertainty to make us collectively feel bad about our bodies and worried about our health.
But we aren't doing that here. Instead of a "cleanse," let's talk about a refresh.
Read MoreThis post was first written in 2021, but my view on meal planning has evolved since then. Through my own recovery from rigid, orthorexic eating patterns and my work as a clinician, helping others find confidence in food without restriction, I’ve learned that a “perfect” plan is often the enemy of a sustainable one.
I still contend there are as many ways to meal plan as there are meals in a week. The key is finding what works for you.
The single biggest factor in long-term health isn't a specific diet but rather eating a wide variety of foods consistently. To do that without losing your mind, you need a system—not a set of rules.
Read MoreWhether you are single and cooking feels like a hassle for just one person, or a parent fielding a million questions a day (why do we have eyebrows?) along with alllllll the household food opinions, we’ve all been there: staring into the fridge, too tired to think, too hungry to wait (bonus points for a toddler in meltdown).
And that is just dinner. It is easy to feel resentful of the fact that we need to eat so many damn times each day.
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