How to build the perfect meal

Sep 29

Imagine your ideal healthy meal.

What's on the plate?

This meal has the foods you enjoy and all the macronutrients you need: lean protein, colourful fruits and veggies, healthy fats, and smart carbs.

You can tell by looking at it that this meal is packed with good stuff.

How does it feel to eat it?

Imagine sitting down, taking your time, and really savouring that meal.

Where are you? What's happening?

After you eat that meal, you know you'll feel great, full of energy and proud of yourself.

Now imagine eating an entire day's worth of those kinds of balanced meals.

If you had to work towards making that day happen ... how would you do it?

Let's start backwards.

Start with a vision of the meals you'd like to make, the meals that are "perfect" just for you. Then, work backwards.

What makes your perfect meals so good for you?
What needs to happen for you to work towards creating one of those perfect meals?
If you wanted to make more than one perfect meal in a day, what else might you need to do or think about?
What would it look like today to be just a little bit more proactive about making your perfect meals a reality?

Work with yourself

Take an honest look at what you’re starting with, your preferences, skills, lifestyle, and goals.

Look for windows of space and opportunity in your schedule. Or create them.

Think about what you like and need in your meals to make them perfect for you. Variety? Ease? Routine? Something that doesn't need refrigeration? Some small creative detail to make it special?

Do you have a daily or weekly meal prep routine? If not, how could you try that?

Is there something (like a slow cooker meal) that you could prep and cook in bulk and then put into containers?

Maybe you have your favourite go-to meals that you're comfortable with because you've done it before. See if you can make more of those types of meals, or create simple variations on them.

There are always more small steps to take to refine your planning and preparation routines and make them as consistent as possible.

First, start with making it as easy as possible for yourself: Start with what you can already do, and what you already know works for you... and just do more of that.