Hi, I've posted a few times before but lately I was slacking with doing the SBD. I want to get back on track and I was just wondering how some of you decide what to eat each day/week. Do you make a pretty strict menu for the week, go to the grocery store and get those items and just stick to that? Do you decide each day?
I'm having trouble deciding what to have each day. Maybe a weekly menu would help?
Thanks for any comments!
Just reading the posts here have made me want to get back into healthier eating! Thanks.

HI I just buy beachy things and then decide each day. I do keep a list of things I want to try and when I go to the market, get the necessary ingredients so that they are on hand for when the mood strikes

Congrats on deciding to come back to the beach! I'm still a newbie as well but I have found that making a weekly menu and having a variety of snacks really helps a lot. If there was any urge to go off plan, I just have something in the house, healthy! I make a menu usually of just dinners...chicken one night, chili, taco bake, fish, eggplant lasagna. Tonight I'm having a big salad with leftover chicken in it. I keep lots of different snacks, cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes (only 10) marinated cucumbers, the laughing cow cheese and of course the sf fudgsicles, popsicles and jello!!
Hope I gave you some good ideas!!!
Sherry

Great ideas ladies - thanks! I'll try to come up with a few things at least for dinner each week and definately keep some sbd friendly items on hand in case I need to throw something together fast.

Sometimes it helps to make a big pot of something, like chili, and then split it up into several containers so it is available for a quick meal. Also, separating portions of pistachios into ziplocks and keeping them in the cupboard makes them easier to grab than something less healthy.

These ladies have the right idea. I do it a number of ways because of my schedule. If I've got the time that week I'll sit down and do my menu in excel, which also spits out a grocery list. If I don't have too much time I move all of the recipes I need for that week to the front of my box and pick and choose each night. My favorite snack is either a cup of yogurt or some crispy turkey pepperoni. Veggies and nuts in ziplocks are great too!

I buy what is on sale at my market that is sbd friendly. I try to make a pot of some type of soup or bean dish that I eat most days for lunch, dinners I tend to figure out the day of.

I'm in phase 2, so I keep some healthy high fiber whole wheat wraps, deli turkey, ham and low fat cheese in the fridge at all times so when I don't feel like cooking, I can throw one of those together, stick it in the microwave sprinkle some salad on top and wrap it up.

I do a little freezer cooking when I have space. Cook up a double batch of something and freeze half for later.

Sarah

That's a great idea about making pots of soups or chilies. When I have some extra time during the week, I'll defiantely do that. I'll have to keep good snacks on hand too - there is a vending machine down the hall from me which i need to stay away from.
Thanks again for all your good advice!

One thing I have been doing is keeping a list of the recipes that I have tried with notes on variations and on whether my son and DH liked it. If I didn't like it, it didn't even make it on the list Every weekend, I sit down and look at how many days need extra quick meals (like Cub Scout den meeting nights where I throw together WW pita bread pizzas with canadian bacon). I plan everything down to the side dishes. When I go to the grocery store, I may substitute different vegetables if they don't look good but I normally keep pretty closely to my plan.

I also make sure that red peppers and cauliflower and extra yogurt are on my grocery list for snacks. We usually have SF pudding for dessert with fruit.

I also make sure I keep lean smoked ham and RF swiss cheese to use for rollups for healthy snacks. My DH and son eat those quite a bit. And they can always be thrown in a pita or bread or tortilla and served cold or with the cheese melted in the George Foreman grill.

I roughly plan dinners for the week but can be very flexible with them. I try for something quick or already in my freezer for especially busy days.