Meal Planning Tips for Busy Moms

Hello everyone, here! Happy New Year 2019 to all of you. A fresh year starts and one can see 365 opportunities on 31st of December every year. A New year often ushers in a lot of positivity and  endless possibilities.Bidding goodbye to the last year and welcoming the new year has always been a moment of nostalgia. The year or years which are never going to come back. I get retrospective when the countdown to the new year starts. I suddenly realise the time which is passing by and which can’t be brought back. Time for me is more than a resource. It is a fourth dimension to my living existence. I have always been a time-conscious child and now a careful mother. Whiling away time or doing nothing given a lot of time  hurts me like nothing else. I respect people who spend their time meticulously.

About Planning And Time Management

The 5 AM Mommies believe in the miracle called planning and time management. It is an art as much as it is a science. Thus, new year is of immense importance to us. I am of the firm belief that not only a new year can change your life, but any fresh moment can transform your life and you will be like never before, only if you allow yourself the same.

I am a huge fan of resolutions. Getting new journals, life size planners at the beginning of any new year and planning the day, week and months has been a favourite affair of The 5 AM Mommies and now slowly the children also seen to imbibe it.

You can read our love for this all the time through our blogs. We second the thought that ,”If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. Planning doesn’t assure success, but if we don’t plan we are left in a bewilderment which only few can relate to.

The 5 AM Mommies are health conscious. We are fitness freaks. We are marathon mommies and wish to handover/pass on  the torch of healthy eating to the coming generations.

This year I have made a few small improvisations when it comes to my food habits. Even if they are small changes they require 200 percent willpower to bring into practice.Please note that I am a vegetarian.

Here we go:-

Mindful eating:–  

Yes, we eat as per plan. But, the most important habit I want to cultivate this year is to sit calm while eating, recite a prayer and then eat every bite consciously. I have a habit of planning my food quantity as well,pre-hand. But sometimes when I need more energy, by eating consciously, I am going to listen to the need of my body and give it the fuel and the amount of fuel which is required at that point of time. It sounds simple but is a big task in itself.

Intermittent fasting:-

This is a growing and upcoming fad diet as you may call. I have followed  it in the month of December and found it very much useful to keep my mind away from food(which is the only comfort for me). So, when my body doesn’t need food, I am not going to load the calories just because I planned or because I am on a high or my mood is real low. Basically, I am not going to be an emotional eater.

Amp up my Hb, Calcium and Vit D levels:-  

As a mother, we often tend to ignore ourselves, grab whatever is available to eat. We mostly operate on low battery levels, thanks to running errands at our home. I have a resolution to have a tab on my daily intake of iron rich sources,( dates, spinach, pomegranate, apples, and beetroot) and also have a rich serving of calcium( ragi, tomatoes and many others).I take an oath to bring in the goodness of nuts and fruits to my plate. Dairy shall be given its due importance and it will find a way to my diet through a bowl of yogurt, curd or paneer.As I hate drinking milk. I am also going to bask in the Sun every 10 minutes  of the day.

Swap Green tea with the regular sugar tea or the masala chai:–

Basking in the early morning rays of the Sun while sipping on fresh green tea, charges you for the day like anything. I am slowly getting into this habit and mind it, I have started to cultivate some harder ones from the last year.The purpose is to skip the empty calories the very thing in the morning.

Eating sweets and desserts guilt-free:-  

I have been brought up in a household where sweets (homemade) formed a meal at least twice a week. Celebrations meant sweets from Mom’s Kitchen. If I scored well in any exam, I could see the lovely bowl of Rasgoollas in the fridge the very next day. Growing up, every sweet bite felt criminal. But, indeed, sweets played a big role in making us feel loved, and also served a much needed pat. I have decided to incorporate 2 servings of sweet to my diet plan. And if someone offers me sweet, I will accept wholeheartedly without giving my diet excuses.

Good thoughts, Good relationships and good Times:-

Good food also means good time.Good time with family and friends. Good food also means good thoughts. I am going to nurture quality thoughts while preparing food for the family. Strong relationships bond over great food. Thus, I resolve to put more than 100 % while cooking thus, welcoming new times. Please note that we also run a food catering businessFood is medicine. I am going to stick to these resolutions at least for an year. I wish it becomes a habit by this 21st January, itself. I dare to make a wish! Do you?

This post is written for Ultimate Blogging Challenge 2019

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