The Easiest Way to Maintain Your Diet: FREE Weekly Meal Planner Included

Happy Monday my lovelies! For any of you who’ve set the intention to eat healthier in 2024, let’s get SUPER real - eating healthy is not always easy. I don’t care what anybody says. Making healthy choices is something you need to work through every day. Every time you eat something, you need to question whether what you’re putting in your body will fuel it sufficiently and give you the energy that you need to take on the day. 

I try my best to eat relatively healthy, but I will not deprive myself of anything I’m craving, including junk food. On a regular basis, I do try to make healthy-ish choices, or that I’m at least getting a variety of nutrients, and also including good fats into my diet. I’m in no way eating “clean” per se, but I’ve found meal planning and prepping to be the key factor in maintaining my weight, without depriving myself of anything. 

Keep reading to learn more about how to maintain a healthier diet in the EASIEST WAY POSSIBLE. 

MEAL PLAN

This is by far the most important step in easily maintaining a healthy diet. Planning your meals keeps you organized for the week ahead, not having to think about what you’re going to make. I try to be realistic and only plan my meals from Monday-Friday, and leave the weekends open since I have more time to make things on a whim, or sometimes have events to attend. Still, planning 5 out of 7 days of meals is pretty huge! If you find it overwhelming, DON’T PANIC. Start with planning 2 days of meals per week and slowly increase your days over time, if and when you feel comfortable. Sometimes, even planning just 2 of your meals for the week is a big time-saver.

I like to start by making a basic plan for the week. Here’s what I mean by a basic. You will need:

• 5 Breakfasts

• 5 Lunches

• 5 Dinners

• Variety of Snacks

Once I’ve established this, I narrow down into each meal type and jot down ideas on what I can eat.

*Pro Tip: Use my FREE WEEKLY MEAL PLANNER to help get your meals organized this week.

When you plan out all your meals for the week, not only do you automatically create your grocery list for the week, but you also set the wheels in motion for a perfectly organized meal prep day. That brings us to the next crucial step…

MEAL PREP

Pick one day of the week to do some meal prep. All you need is about 2 hours. I like to do it on Sundays, either in the morning or in the afternoon depending on what my day is like. To cut my cooking time in half during the week, there are a few things I prepare in advance. It’s impossible to prepare everything, so on some days dinner may take you a little longer to make. But I found that meal prepping keeps me organized, helps me control my portions and is a cost-efficient way to grocery shop.

Here are some examples of what my typical Sunday meal prep for the week looks like:

Breakfasts (5)*

• Egg Frittata - Mix chopped veggies into scrambled eggs, pour into a cake pan, and bake in the oven. Cut into portions that you can have each morning.

• Overnight Oats - Add toppings of choice to ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of oats into a mason jar, mix it and refrigerate (you can increase portions to 1 cup if ½ cup is not enough). I like to add toppings like blueberries, apples, bananas, cinnamon, etc. The next morning, you can eat it cold like a cereal, or warm it up for something more comforting.

• Pancakes - There are so many recipes for pancakes and the best part is that you can make a big batch and freeze them. The quickest pancakes I’ve made had 3 easy ingredients: mashed bananas, eggs, and cinnamon. 

• Bread or Rice Cakes - The classic breakfast when you’re in a pinch, toast bread or rice cakes with nut butter of choice and/or jam of choice. You can also top with some fruit for a balanced meal. 

*I usually pick one breakfast to prepare and I’ll eat it all week, but you can mix it up if you do not like eating the same thing everyday.

Lunches (5)

• Sandwiches, Pita/Tortilla Wraps, or Salad - with 1 type of protein, and loaded with veggies. You can add cheese, sauces, oils, vinegars, etc.

Dinners (5)

• Protein, Veggies, Carbs - I typically try to make 3 meals like this a week with different choices of each for all 3 meals. I'll prep each protein type with it's marinade and refrigerate it so it's ready to pop into the oven when it's time to make dinner. I always cook 2 cups of quinoa or rice, and reheat it on a pan the evening of. I don't prep any veggies in advance, I make them fresh.

• Pasta - I like to make different types of pasta, and the list is really endless. After all, I am Italian. Can’t go without it!

• Soup - Another option for more variety, there are so many kinds to choose from, and the best part is that you can freeze some of it and keep it for the following week. Easy-peasy!

Snacks

• Fruits, Veggies & Hummus, Cheese, Nuts, Yogurt, Granola, etc.

Here’s an example of my Free Weekly Meal Planner in action:

Tips

• Use the Notes on your planner to highlight accomplishments, provide motivation, jot down ideas for next week... Have fun with it!

• Use the Grocery List from your planner when you go on your next grocery trip. Try not to stray too far from the things you really need to make your meals. Make an effort to read labels when you go to the grocery store, and make the best choices for YOUR body. Social media has a plethora of information that can sometimes be confusing, misleading and overwhelming. One day spinach is healthy, the next day it isn’t... I can go on and on, the list is exhaustive. Just make the best possible choice for YOURSELF. 

I hope my free planner helps get your meals in order for the week, and until next time…

Love, Annamaria