In my new book Nourish I talk about how important it is to establish a healthy routine to keep you on track during a busy week. Setting aside a little planning time is all it takes! This is true especially when it comes to meal planing. Here are a few ways you can start to meal plan today!

1. Map out your week. Sit down and think about what your week will look like. (ie: Are you going to be home late a few days during the week, or taking your kids to a sports event?) Plan your meals accordingly, which means having a meal ready to go in your fridge, or choosing a quick 30 minute meal or crockpot dish!

2. Pick your meals. If you are cooking for your family (or a spouse), I recommend getting them involved! This can be a fun way to learn to eat healthy as a family, and it can make picky eating more manageable! Some ways to plan out your meals for the coming week is by using ourDashing Dish Meal Plan Maker, (simply drag and drop recipes from DD or any other website). You can plan out all three meals for the day, or just pick something for dinners to start!

3. Pick up groceries. Plan a 30 - 60 minute time slot to go grocery shopping for the week. (Or even better check to see if your area does curbside pickup or grocery delivery!) Be sure to make a shopping list for your meals ahead of time to save you time and money at the store. You may do this easily using our Dashing Dish Grocery List Builder!

4. Meal prep. When you bring everything home from the grocery store, unpack everything and put them into two categories. One group should be the foods that you want to prepare in advance and the other group are foods that you can put away and use later. Put the things away that you are not prepping ahead of time. Prepare the things you need in advance, which can include washing produce, cutting and dicing food for recipes, cooking meat for recipes, or assembling complete meals if you desire.

For more tips and practical ways to start living a healthy lifestyle today, head over to NourishBook.Com