Meal prepping tips are key to balanced eating. Balance is a word I struggle with in life so living a balanced lifestyle for me is a daily challenge. Moderation might as well be a word in a foreign language. In an effort to balance the scales in our household, I follow some meal prepping tips and general rules to keep me on the right track. Disclosure: This was a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nestle USA’s Balance Your Plate but all opinions are my own.
I know we are not alone when it comes to not having it all together. Most Americans only meet nutritional guidelines 7 out of 365 days. That's a staggering statistic. Everyone wants to eat better, but busy lifestyles make it hard to stay on track. We need simple solutions to choose from that can help make balanced eating a reality. Balance Your Plate is an educational program that helps consumers meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans by providing simple meal planning ideas pairing frozen meals and pizzas with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. Here are some rules I try to follow to keep our dinners in line.
5 Meal Prepping Tips for More Balanced Eating
- Color – Try to create a plateful of colorful foods. Choose foods with a variety of colors. In my dinner, I have the pink salmon, white cheddar macaroni and cheese, and green salad with additional bright veggies.
- Veggies – Pile on the vegetables. The majority of your plate should contain veggies. Normally, I serve our salads in separate bowls. This gives more room for extra veggies on the plate. Here is an opportunity to boost the color if need be. Vegetables come in all sorts of colors.
- Fruits – I could have put fruits along with the veggies, but I would rather present them as dessert. A nice sweet slice of pineapple, sliced strawberries, or some juicy melon is a tasty way to end the meal. It's usually enough to satisfy the dessert craving, as well.
- Frozen – Don't be afraid to use frozen prepared meals. Let me tell you, if I had to rely on having fresh veggies every night for dinner, we would rarely eat vegetables. Let's face it, most of us don't have the time to go to the grocery store every couple of days. Stocking your freezer with frozen prepared meals is not only practical, but smart.
- Water – Once you build your beautiful plate, don't derail all your efforts with a sugary drink. Water is the best choice by far. Try to get used to it! Add lemon or even cucumber slices if it's too plain for you. Overall, just try to choose something that's not full of empty calories.
My absolute favorite frozen meal is macaroni and cheese. In all honesty, I would devour a bowl of it for dinner. I am so thankful I found Lean Cuisine® Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese. It is so good — so good. There's nothing “lean” about the flavor, that's for sure. Enjoying it as a part of a balanced dinner makes it even more delicious. It's a flavorful dish that everyone enjoys without the guilt.
Lean Cuisine® has come a long way. They have been a brand that I trust for years but have reintroduced themselves as a modern eating brand to support women’s wellness. They now have easy to follow meal plans that provide recommendations for pairing frozen foods with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy for balanced meal planning. The new Lean Cuisine chef-inspired and ethnic dishes offer a variety of new recipes and new benefits like gluten-free, 1 cup of vegetables, and 15 grams or more of protein with delicious bold flavors.
I often eat Lean Cuisine for lunch but love using them as dinner side dishes, as well. That way they are always on hand, easy to make quickly, perfectly portioned, and a great choice for our balanced plates.
Balance Your Plate
For more meal prepping tips and advice to balance your plate, visit Nestlé USA. Balance Your Plate with Nestlé helps consumers find unique ways to integrate more nutrition throughout the day, while managing portions and calorie intake. Designed with busy schedules in mind, Balance Your Plate helps people meet guidelines without sacrificing flavor or nutrition. The initiative makes it easier for everyone to make better choices and find perfect pairings to eat balanced meals.
Do you have any meal prepping tips for balanced eating?
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vickie couturier says
good tips and points thanks
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
I want to start meal prepping, but I am super lazy. I seriously need to get my butt in gear and start doing it, though.
Jeanette says
I am trying to eat better myself and this will help! Thanks for the guidelines I really need it!
Mandie says
I’ve really been trying to eat better lately. I’ve already lost 10lbs and one of the things that helped has been meal planning. It helps sooo much. You have great tips!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
Thanks for the tips! I’ve been making a really effort to eat more healthy foods, but it can be difficult to know what to pick.
Shauna says
What wonderful tips. I have an issue of piling things on and need to get more on board with piling the veggies not everything else. LOL. Thanks for sharing. I am totally going to check out more information
Barb W. says
Love finding healthier versions of my favorite foods! You are so right, it’s all about balance in our eating choices. Thanks for the great tips!
Jenna Wood says
I had to LOL as the pop-up add at the bottom of you page tried to sell me bacon stuffed crust pizza while I read this! But in seriousness, I am on a diet that follows not only portion control but well rounded nutrition. It’s been eye opening to discover what I can eat to help get my full food pyramid each day!
Melissa Lawler says
I’m with you. I love using lots of veggies in my recipes. Now that Farmer’s Market season is here I love having fresh veggies available.
Maryann D. says
These are all great tips. I do like to make my plate colorful too. I enjoy Lean Cuisine for a nice lunch at work.
Sarah L says
I try to do meal planning, colorful plates and I always drink water. Gave up sodas several years ago.
Amy Desrosiers says
I think balancing healthy meals is one of my biggest downfalls! I have a hard time sticking to my guns some days!
Jennifer says
I was doing a lot of meal prep at the start of the year and it made life so much easier! I need to get back in the habit of prepping so I stay away from the bad foods.
Kelly Hutchinson says
I am finding meal prepping is a must for my healthy lifestyle. I love to get it all out of the way, so I don’t have to do it all week long.
Kelly Hutchinson says
I am finding meal prepping is a must for my healthy lifestyle. I love to get it all out of the way, so I don’t have to do it all week long.
Kathy says
I think you have a great list of tips here. I would also say that having a lot of color for meals is great. That’s a great way to get in all the right foods daily.
Ann Bacciaglia says
I have been wanting to get back to meal prepping. It is a great way to save time and helps you stay on track.
Elizabeth Lampman says
I would love to start doing this. It would be nice to have my weeks meals all planned out ahead of time.
Jennifer Williams says
We started doing more balanced meals about a year ago and it is nice to have the variety. That macaroni and cheese looks amazing – my boys are big fans of mac and cheese so I will have to get this for them to try.
Dawn Lopez says
Your plate of food looks really delicious! I was surprised to see that was Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese. I eat them all the time for lunches but never thought about making them for side dishes. Great idea for some easy meal prep!
Brenda says
I try to remember to plan meals with lots of colors, but once in awhile I forget, and we notice right away. Thanks for all the good tips, and that mac and cheese looks yummy!
Janis says
Everything you made looks so good and healthy. I didn’t know Lean Cuisine made Mac & Cheese, and no doubt those who are dieting will want to try that out with a colorful salad on the side to round the meal out.
Aimee Smith says
These are great tips! Making prepackaged snacks for the week really helps me. I put things like cheese or almonds in ziplock baggies and keep them ready!
Janeane Davis says
My favorite tip you shared is the one about color. It is important to make our meals look appealing as well as taste and be good for us.
Lisa Coomer Queen says
These are great prepping tips. I will have to try some of these. I’m sure it would help me out. Thank you!
Melissa Husted says
Thanks for the points and tips! And that plate of food looks DE-LISH!