Scene: It's dinner time. You are frantically trying to get something quick, easy, and somewhat healthy on the table for your family. You are snacking mindlessly as you're prepping because you're so hungry. You scarf down dinner while holding a baby who is trying to pull your hair, grab your fork, or put their fingers in your mouth. Dinnertime is cray-cray.
Sound familiar? Or am I alone with the crazy dinnertime routine?
As a coach, I've had many conversations, about the scenario I described. Dinnertime is sometimes out of control. And to be quite honest, I think women feel really sad about it. Especially, since they don't always have this picture-perfect sit-down dinner with everyone at the table at the same time. And, I think women feel bad because this is a mealtime that isn't as mindful as others. Are any of them really mindful? Mindful eating is a very important skill that is so worth cultivating. But, I think there are a time and a place for mindful eating. And I think it's worth diving into what mindful eating is. I also want to acknowledge that, mom...woman...remember, you're doing great! It's great to aspire to a nice sit-down dinner with your family. However, don't get down on yourself if it doesn't happen. Progress over perfection. There are periods in your life when it just doesn't happen all the time. And it's okay.
I think we get confused about what mindful eating is. Honestly, it's one of those topics that is a little hard to really get. I'm still learning more about what it is. Hopefully, this explanation help. Mindfulness is paying attention. So, I can scarf down a meal, and still enjoy it. I can still pay attention to the tastes, flavors, and textures. Every single meal isn't going to be this beautiful taste test and assessment of aromas. Who has time for that? Consider 1 or 2 meals in your day or week where you want to sit, slow down, and experience the meal. Mindful eating is also paying attention to if that chocolate was satisfying or not...without judgment. It's paying attention to what your body needs... without judgment. Mindful eating, similar to meditation is a practice. Meditation is awareness....without judgment. It takes time to build the habit and mindset of being mindful. Give yourself a break. Basically, stop judging yourself. Why do we judge ourselves so much? That's a whole 'notha topic to dive into another day. Consider practicing mindful eating with tea, or coffee. Something small. Here's a great resource on intuitive and mindful eating!
Now you know a little bit about mindful eating, let's talk about how to get through those crazy dinner times!
Here are a few things that help me have a little more control during dinner. Just so you know, most of the time, I scarf down my dinner before the kids and my hubby sit down to the table. Why? I am already hungry. When they sit down to eat, I sit down too with a cup of water or tea to catch up on their day. For now, this strategy works for me. I used to push myself to eat dinner with them, but I was snacking too much and decided to just eat my dinner. It's okay.
Aiming to have a sit-down dinner once a week - For me, Sunday's are a little slower. I do all my meal prep on Sunday's and we have Sunday dinner together. I put a little more love in the Sunday meal. We catch up on the week, talk about the week ahead. No rush. It's nice. Think about the day of the week that makes the most sense for you and your family to sit down, and slow down.
Meal prep - Meal prep is king! I prep the majority of my meals because I don't want to spend any extra time it takes to get dinner on the table. I try to have dinner on the table in 15-20 minutes. Many of my meals are prepped ahead of time. It saves so much time and less thinking at the end of the day. Meal prepping does take advanced planning. Think about the meal (probably dinner) what would be the most valuable for you to prep.
Quick meal ingredients - I've learned to have prepped a few quick ingredients for easy and healthy meals to throw together. For example, a few staples include liquid eggs, pre-cooked brown rice, frozen peas and carrots, frozen broccoli, and pre-cooked grilled chicken for the fastest stir fry ever! It's also a good idea to have a few seasoning blends to quickly season your meals. Another quick fave is pizza on whole wheat tortilla served with salad. My FAVE quick meal is rotisserie chicken, s baked sweet potatoes (I cook several of these ahead of time), and either steamable broccoli or green beans. Tip: In the produce section there are pre-cut veggies in a bag that you can toss in the microwave to steam. Just poke the bag with a fork and you have a perfectly steamed bag of veggies in minutes!
Meal plans - I have a lot of meal plans I use. I used to plan them all myself, and then realized I have access to great plans already. Why spend time creating a plan every week when someone has already put in the work. Work from a DFY meal plan! Then tweak the ingredients based on your needs. Need a simple meal plan? I got you! I will share my favorite with you!
No-cook Thursday - I learned this from my mom. We do not cook on Thursdays. You, of course, can choose whatever day you don't cook. I choose Thursdays because we have several leftovers I can re-invent into something else. This gives you an opportunity to clean out the fridge.
The elements - My daughter can be a wee bit challenging to feed. I don't like to say she's picky. She likes what she likes. Sometimes, dinner can be noodles, milk, and salad. She has a protein, a carbohydrate, and a veggie, and or fruit. As long as "the elements" are there, we are good. Sometimes, dinner is an omelet, toast, and fruit. The elements.
Portion it out- For those ladies who struggle with staying on their healthy journey, portion sizing really helps me with dinner (all meals really). I LOVE these portion containers that quickly help me portion my meal. Even though I might be scarfing down my food, at least it's portioned.
Healthy dinner snacking - As I am prepping dinner, sometimes I do need a snack. My favorite go-to is carrots. Or any veggie that's kind of sweet like mini peppers. I also focus on drink lots of water during dinner. I also found listening to music to be helpful to create a calmer, less frantic environment with dinner time.
I hope you find these tips helpful! It's okay to take away 1 thing you want to try for the week. Then, continue to tweak your strategy from there. If you would like some coaching or help in this area, you can schedule a quick little touch base call with me! Reach out to me at FullPotentialFitClub81@gmail.com
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