How to build a well balanced meal using this easy technique
If you are like me, then you often struggle with the never-ending question of “What should I cook for dinner?” I like to cook (when I don’t have kids pleading for my attention every 2 seconds, have some great music on, and a glass of wine in hand…) but this question plagues me on the busy weeknights or on weekends when we have crazy schedules.
One trick I’ve learned to overcome this nagging question is to start by compartmentalizing dinner. No, do NOT go running to Pinterest right away without any direction on where dinner is going, because you will fall down the rabbit hole and spend the next hour on Pinterest when you could have made a whole dinner. (I am SO not speaking from experience here wink and sigh).
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How to break down your dinner plate (compartmentalize):
Veggies
I put this one first on purpose. Vegetables should be the main show if you are looking to obtain superpowers optimal health. We are talking half of the plate, people.
Fat
Yup, if you don’t know by now how great fat is, then stick with me, I love talking about it in (many) other posts. Healthy Fats are harder to “see” on the plate. They usually coat the veggies and are often intertwined with the protein. Examples: butter over broccoli, coconut oil used to cook eggs, olive oil in pesto, fat from fish or nuts, and the list continues.
Protein
No matter whether you are vegetarian or not, protein is necessary in moderate portions. I saved this one for last because while it shouldn’t be the main show like the veggies, it is often regaled as the star of the show. Especially if it is bacon 😉. No offense to the vegetarians out there, I personally just don’t get as excited about black beans. Unless they have bacon on them.
Did you notice that I left out grains, or a category often referred to as "carbs"? I am not trying to say 'don’t eat grains', especially if they are whole grains. But many of us eat too many carbs, especially in the form of refined carbs (flour, sugar, bread, sugar, etc). Whole grains are usually the easy part to incorporate into a meal so I wanted to focus on the other three nutritional big guns; veggies, fat, and protein.
Let's talk more about protein
Let's make this the pivotal point for the meal. Start by choosing your protein and build the meal around this anchor. Will it be a meatless meal? If not, will the protein source be from fish, chicken, beef?
Once I have chosen a protein source THEN I run to Pinterest. I’ve got a pretty good cache of recipes pinned on my Healthy Recipes board but if I need a new idea I enter a couple of search words like “easy”, “dinner”, “fish”, "whole 30" or “paleo” and find it incredibly easy to find a recipe.
Why I search “paleo” and “whole 30” recipes on Pinterest
My body does better with fewer carbs. I’m not talking carbs from veggies, I’m talking all the other carbohydrates, especially the refined carbs (flours, pasta, bread, cereals, etc). My kids get plenty of refined carbs in the form of Goldfish, Graham crackers, Cheerios, crackers, (and I could go on) from school, childcare at the gym, or a friend’s house. So for dinner, we like to low-carb it when possible.
Searching “paleo” or “whole 30” helps to find recipes that focus on veggies, fat, and protein from non-grain and refined carb sources.
I have my recipe with the featured protein source, now what?
Once you’ve found your recipe with your chosen protein source, see if it has loads of veggies. Remember the half-plate rule? If it does, then you are all set. I’m going to wager it has plenty of healthy fats too. If it doesn’t, then have a heavy hand when pouring the olive oil or coconut oil or whatever healthy fat you are using. If your chosen recipe doesn’t have loads of veggies then add a salad or cut up an appetizer plate of raw veggies or make a side of veggies.
Do I have to use Pinterest?
Of course not! But, then how are you going to stumble upon that amazing “healthy” chocolate brownie recipe? (Once again, I am SO NOT speaking from experience!) Joking aside, Pinterest is simply a tool that may be able to help you find new recipes.
Some of my favorite easy weeknight recipes I’ve made using this technique of making a balanced meal:
What are you going to make for dinner tonight? I would appreciate hearing back from you on whether this technique of “compartmentalizing” dinners is helpful for you in creating balanced meals. Or perhaps you can share a different technique with us all in the comments below? Bonus points for shared pics of meals using the half-plate rule!
Happy meal planning,
Leah
