Hacks to Make Healthy Eating Easier

by | May 25, 2021 | Ayurveda & Nutrition/Diet, Ayurveda Habits, Ayurveda Lifestyle, Habit Coaching, Seasonal Diet, Spring Diet + Habit Tips, Summer Diet + Habit Tips

Do you want to eat better but have trouble being consistent? Some weeks you eat well and others it’s pizza and takeout? What I’ve learned from practicing the habits for over 15 years is that…

  1. Healthy eating is essential for a healthy body, sound mind and a life of thrive. 
  2. As modern life becomes more and more complex, simplifying is key.
  3. It’s the small, 1% changes that we invest in every day that have a huge compound effect on our health over time.

I’m a mother to two young boys. My little Pitta guys eat A LOT and I know how essential home-cooked meals are for their development. So I’ve learned plenty about how to make it easier. I want to share it with you.

Here are a few simple kitchen and cooking hacks to make eating healthy easier:

    • Batch task chopping veggies, making dressings, and meal planning. Pick one day a week that you can consistently invest 1-2 hours into meal planning, shopping and chopping. Put it on your calendar. Set to repeat at the same day/time each week. One of my Essential Living Course members calls this her “Shop + Chop Time”!
    • Use a meal planning app, like AnyList. Use your “Shop + Chop” hour (or two) to add recipes, plan out your meals for the week on the calendar and send the ingredients to the shopping list. 
    • Instant Pot IS all it’s hyped up to be. I carve out 15-20 mins in the morning or afternoon to throw ingredients in. It cooks it and keeps it warm all day. That’s a small investment of time for a huge payoff. 
    • Pick out 3-4 of your favorite, easiest to make recipes. Make sure those staples are always on your shopping list. When you’re pressed for time, you’ll have a few easy, fall-back recipes to whip together.
    • Buy bags of already chopped veggies. Yes, I know hardcore Ayurveda peeps would say that you should be chopping all of your veggies. But it’s important to start where you are. If chopping all your veggies feels overwhelming right now, it’s best to just get the veggies in your mouth! In the spring I have kale, spinach, salad mixes, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts at the ready. Keep tahini, lemons, limes, ghee, olive and coconut oils, and balsamic vinegar on hand to whip up easy plant-based meals and dressings.
    • Use a garlic press for ginger tea to extract more juice.
    • Soak a few tablespoons of chia seeds in a jar with water filled well above the seeds. Store this in the refrigerator for a few days. The seeds will soften and expand. Add them to smoothies, cooked cereals and more. Soaked chia seeds are GREAT for constipation and supporting healthy elimination.
    • Keep a jar of peeled almonds (soaked in water) in the fridge. To peel the almonds you can soak them overnight or blanche them with boiling water. The skins peel off easily. These can be used for smoothies, cereals, puddings, or homemade almond milk. 
    • Tofu! I love Kate O’Donnell’s cookbooks. She has some super easy and yummy tofu recipes. I like to always have two packs on hand during spring and summer. 
    • Make green smoothies and juices part of your life. Greens like kale, chard and dandelion clean the lymph and cool the blood, which is what we need in spring and summer.
    • Plant a garden! This one requires a little more work up front, but is SO WORTH IT. During the summer we harvest plenty of our food from the backyard, making it super easy and accessible. If you don’t have a yard or are a newbie, try starting with one plant in a pot. You can grow herbs in your window or put a pot of greens seedlings outside in whatever space you do have. 
    • Create a spice drawer rather than a cabinet. You can see the spices facing up when you pull the drawer out, rather than rifling through a cabinet. The easier they are to find, the easier they’ll be to use. 
    • Have a mortar and pestle and/or coffee grinder that you only use to grind spices. Fresh spices have a stronger medicinal effect, which helps you digest better. Better digestion = better health.
    • Invest in an electric kettle for heating water. Warm water is especially supportive for elimination. Pooping every day is crucial for health! Warm your water for morning hydration or herbal teas easily.

Have any to add? Email me and let me know!