Hungry For Real

Meal planning for Families with Ever’man Cooperative Grocery & Café for Stress less meals. By: LauraLee Nichols Meal planning makes a big difference when it comes to eating nutrient dense foods. With families planning for the back to school routine it is imperative to have healthy food readily available for the whole family. When you meal plan you know every ingredient that goes in your food from beginning to end. Get the kids involved in the planning as well, which will help them get excited about the healthy foods you are cooking and be more willing to try them.

1. EAT REAL FOOD – YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!

Every 35 days, your skin replaces itself and your body makes new cells from the food you eat. What you eat literally becomes you. You have a choice of what you are made of. Consuming a nutrient-dense real food diet is vital for so many aspects of health, but it also takes some advance planning. Meal planning lets you decide before you ever go to the grocery store what healthy meals your family is going to eat during a given week so that you can only purchase healthy foods and know that you will use them. At Ever’man we take pride in the brands we carry to help you make those healthy choices. For example we carry Boars Head Simplicity line in our deli because it is humanely raised, no antibiotics ever, minimally processed, no nitrates, raised without hormones, no artificial ingredients, no preservatives and gluten free.

2. CREATE SEASONAL MEAL PLANS

Seasonal eating is another simple way to save money and increase the nutrient content of food. Foods contain the highest amount of nutrients when they are in season. Local seasonal vegetables contain more nutrients because they are allowed to grow until ripe and aren’t shipped halfway around the world before we eat them. Our produce department can help you with any questions any time!

Fall Meal Plan In fall, focus on root vegetables, squashes, cabbage, and apples. The slow cooker and Instant Pot are always great tools for meal planning. At Ever ‘man we have many resources and recipes to help you make some healthy recipes.

3. DON’T WASTE FOOD

When you focus on a healthy real-food lifestyle and part of that is being a good steward of the resources you have. With meal planning, you know how you are going to use all of the food for that week before you even go to the store to buy it. Have weekly game plan that even takes leftovers in to account so that food is rarely wasted. Get the kids involved in putting together their lunches for school while prepping for dinner.

4. SPICE IT UP!

A basic easy recipe can taste completely different just by changing the spices. Add some cumin and chili powder and you have a Mexican flavor, or some curry for an Indian flavor. Basil, thyme, oregano, and garlic give an Italian flavor while, Chinese Five Spice gives an Asian flair. When you shop for your spices in the Ever’man bulk section you can save money and buy just the amount you need.

5. BUILD YOUR PLATE

Start with your Seasonal Veggies.

PROTEIN CHOICES (CHOOSE PASTURE RAISED AND ORGANIC WHENEVER POSSIBLE):

• Grilled or baked chicken • Beef • Ground turkey • Turkey/chicken sausage • Fish & Seafood • Deli Cuts • Eggs • Beef jerky • Yogurt • Cheese • Tofu/ Tempeh

CARBOHYDRATES:

• Whole grain bread and wraps • Rice • Quinoa • Sweet potatoes • White potatoes • Corn • Beans • Fruit

HEALTHY FATS:

• Nuts & nut butter • Seeds • Avocado • Coconut/ Olive oil • Full dairy