Do you struggle to eat healthy during the week? When you come home exhausted from a long day of work, cooking is probably the last thing you want to do. Let’s face it, popping a frozen pizza in the oven is way easier.

But if you want to start living a healthier lifestyle, being smart with what you eat is a huge part of that. In fact, 75% of weight loss stems from having a healthy diet.

One of the best ways to ensure you stay on track is by planning your meals out in advance.

However, this isn’t always as easy as it seems. Keep reading for our 5 meal planning tips to ensure you stay healthy and organized.

1. Find New Recipes

We’ve all been there. You stand in front of the fridge, thinking, “I don’t feel like eating any of this.”

Suddenly those healthy leftovers and snacks won’t do you any good as your tempted to pick up the phone and order a pizza.

One of the best ways to avoid this is by finding new recipes. If you’re constantly cooking the same meals over and over again, you’re bound to get bored of it eventually. But, if you have a whole list of healthy recipes, you’ll be more likely to try one of them instead of ordering take-out.

2. Keep it Simple

Those fun new recipes are great for days where you have the time and energy to cook. But you’ll have plenty of days where the kids have a late practice or you’re too tired to follow a 20-step recipe.

On days like this, you’ll want to keep things simple. Cooking a main protein and two healthy sides seems a lot less daunting than that long recipe.

Make sure your pantry is stocked with tons of spices and your fridge has a few different marinades. If you have a hectic week, you can make the same meal but use different spices to shake things up.

3. Cook for The Week

Do you feel like all your weekdays are too hectic to cook?

Then consider spending one day cooking for the entire week. Decide what your family will eat every day next week and spend one afternoon or evening meal prepping. Then, place the dinners in freezer-safe containers, so all you have to do is pop them in the microwave throughout the week.

4. Use a Meal Order Service

If you have a particularly busy week ahead of you, you may not have time to spend an entire afternoon preparing meals for the next few days. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still eat healthily.

Meal order services allow you to get meals delivered directly to your home. Some companies even have fitness meals delivered, so you can keep up with your special diet.

5. Mark Your Calendar

One of the easiest ways to stay organized when planning meals for the week is to keep your calendar up-to-date. Write down holidays, the days when your kids have late activities, and any special “treat” nights in your house, like pizza Friday.

When it comes time to plan your meals, you’ll be more prepared for those busy days. You can even mark what meals you’ll have or when you’ll meal prep on your calendar, so you don’t forget.

The Best Meal Planning Tips

Don’t let your busy life stand in the way of eating healthy. Just follow our meal planning tips, so you can enjoy healthy meals without the stress of last-minute planning.

Did you like these tips? Check out our blog for more advice on living a healthy lifestyle.