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Hey friends! Did you know that every March marks National Nutrition Month!? It's a health observance that emphasizes the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. So, in honor of one of our favorite national holidays, we wanted to share one way you can prevent mealtime boredom from happen at your household and keep those healthy eating habits going.  Here's the deal.... boredom is the enemy of healthy habits. Boredom may cause us to slip back into old, unhealthy habits. For example, let's say you planned for "Chicken, Broccoli + Rice" at dinner, but you are so sick of chicken, broccoli, and rice for dinner! *eyeroll* So, instead of choosing this well-balanced, healthy meal, you opt to order out from your favorite Mexican restaurant. And while there's nothing wrong with the occasional Mexican meal, when we start to repeat this scenario over and over again, we created a hard-to-break HABIT. What's the remedy? The remedy to mealtime boredom and burnout is to prevent boredom from happening in the first place by finding ways to mix-up your meal planning. Adding variety and FUN to your meal planning, like with this PRINTABLE DINNER DICE, can keep you from straying from it :) Download your Printable Dinner Dice below!  
FREE PRINTABLE DINNER DICEMaterials needed:
Whenever you're out of dinner ideas and lacking inspiration, toss the dinner dice to help you decide on a new meal to make! For example, let's say I just don't know what to make this Friday night... I'm all out of ideas and drawing blanks. I can toss the Dinner Dice to help me pinpoint a cuisine to make for this evening. Now let's pretend my Dinner Dice lands on "ASIAN". I can simply navigate to my favorite recipe resource (like Pinterest) and find an Asian recipe to add to my meal plans for the week (ingredients and all).
Don't let decision paralysis be your downfall when it comes to sticking to meal planning. I know you'd rather be spending that precious time doing other things you really want/need to be doing! What cuisine did you roll for dinner this week? Tell us in the comments below! lindsey
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 At Port Canaveral, FL with Donald Duck before departure! Spring break is here anddd I don't get spring break anymore. *womp womp* Vacations are undoubtedly a time to fully enjoy oneself, no matter where you are. But it's kind of ironic to think about how we so often fall into "vacation mode" which we want to be all about "treatin' yo self", yet we default to some practices that are quite the opposite -- i.e. binge drinking (and eating), staying up late, tanning (aka burning your skin), etc. I had the amazing opportunity to experience the Disney Dream cruise line recently and wanted to share how I maintained my healthy habits while aboard without going insane at sea.  (1) DECIDE TO ENJOY WITHOUT OVERDOING ITBefore you even step foot on the cruise ship, make a promise to yourself that you will allow yourself to enjoy your experience without overdoing it. Squash any negative and irrational thoughts about how you "must do x, y, or z (insert drink all day, get sunburned to tan, eat ice cream for breakfast, etc.) in order to have fun". You don't know what will bring you joy until you quiet those preconceived notions and tune into YOU.  Free Pilates class with surprise guest - Goofy! (2) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FITNESS CENTER, MAYBENow before you roll your eyes, just remember that this is a free resource for you on the cruise. Do you HAVE to visit? Absolutely not! I found that on the Disney Dream they offered quite a few FREE fitness classes I like (all listed in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app upon embarkation day), including yoga on the beach. (Pst! This is also where they stock delicious fruit-infused water and offer fresh fruit like bananas, apples, and oranges for snacks -- all up for grabs.) (3) STROLL THE SHIPOn the Disney Dream, Deck 4 was accessible all the way around the ship like a track so you could briskly walk, jog, or run while enjoying gorgeous ocean views. Also, simply exploring the ship on foot is a great way to stretch your legs and take in the magnificence of it all.  (4) GET A GOODNIGHT'S RESTI think one of the best things you can do when you actually have extra time is to spend it on sleep! The truth is, most of us walk around day-to-day in a "sleep deficit" so make sure you wake up feeling well-rested and refreshed each day you're on vacation. This means honoring when you start to feel tired (even if that's your "normal" bedtime) and getting the number of sleep hours YOU need. For me, playing some white noise was really helpful to get sound sleep so be sure to pack a white noise machine or download an app if you typically need this too! (5) INCREASE YOUR STEPS WITH THE STAIRSHere's the deal... there are limited number of elevators on the ship, especially when it's prime time (during dinnertime or showtime). Save yourself the hassle of fighting families of 8 and squeezing into the elevator like a sardine by taking the stairs. It's highly likely you'll get to your destination quicker!  Buffet Lunch at Disney Castaway Cay (6) REMEMBER "BALANCE" AT BUFFETSAnytime you hit up a buffet (which is inevitable on a cruise ship) -- breakfast, lunch, or dinner -- plate yourself a balanced meal so you leave feeling satisfied. This means making sure 50% of your meal is your favorite fruits and/or vegetables, 25% of your meal is protein, and 25% of your meal is grain-based or a starchy carb. (7) QUIT THE CLEAN PLATE CLUBIt's easy to slip into the mindset, especially on a cruise, that you need to eat as much as you can or everything you're plated because well "I paid for it!" This is dangerous guys... it's draws you away from tuning into how your body feels when it comes to it's level of hunger or fullness. The best approach is to simply stop eating when you start to feel fullness. And know that a few more bites could put you into "OMG I'm stuffed" territory. Along the same vein, if you're served something that just does NOT taste that good... leave it! It's counterproductive to continue consuming something that you do not enjoy.  Hand-drawing of Stitch (8) TAKE TIME TO RELAXIt may seem silly that I'm calling this tip out, BUT when was the last time you truly allowed yourself to be present in a moment? There's a lot of hustle and bustle on a cruise, especially Disney cruises, but there's no shame in taking time for yourself to just completely relax and decompress from your normal stressors in life. I enjoyed lounging at Quiet Pool Cove (adults only), sitting on Deck 4 and watching the sun set, participating in a variety of the free adult-only activities while sailing (like drawing), viewing the nightly award-winning shows, or visiting the Senses Spa & Salon. (PRO TIP: Plan to attend the spa Open House on the first day of sailing to see what the spa and fitness center has to offer for FREE.) So if you're cruising this Spring Break, I hope you enjoy, but also try out a few of these healthier habits while aboard so you can really treat your body good while you take time away. :) Have a healthy cruise tip I missed? Share with us in the comments below!
xx lindsey Hi friends! How have you been doing lately? I know that fall is a favorite time of year for many folks, but it's also a season when there's a lot of change happening... change in the weather... change in daylight... even change in tastebuds. But don't let this change set you back when it comes to your meal plans. You know how passionate we are about meal planning here at The Meal Planning Method. We believe that meal plans aren't only intentions for what your going to eat day to day, but also an essential strategy that helps you find more time and freedom to do the things you really love in life. (I know it sounds kinda crazy, but just wait until you experience our Method firsthand!) So how do you know when it's time to revamp, renew and refocus? If you're saying or experiencing any of these things below, you're definitely in a meal planning rut!  #1: You're eating out more.Whether you're picking up grub curbside or getting the good stuff delivered straight to your door, you're stove stop is starting to collect a bit of dust. It's just been so long since you prepared something! #MealPlanningRut #2: You go grocery shopping, |
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