In my experience, the two most common misconceptions about nutrition and eating a healthier diet are:
"It's too expensive to eat healthy."
"I don't have enough will power to eat healthy." 
The reality of the situation is this - healthy foods are not more expensive, but healthy-convenience foods are. So really, you need to ask yourself one very important question.
Is my time or my money more valuable?
For most of us, what we really want is for healthy to be fast and easy - something that has been made quite difficult by our current food system.  However, it doesn't have to be expensive! Many of the most nutritious foods available to us are quite affordable and are often sold in bulk, think whole grains, beans, and legumes.  

Alright, you're intrigued but still not into it. Let's talk about meal planning. Yes, meal planning. I want you to roll those words around in your mouth, feel them on your tongue, and get used to them. 
Lets start with my definition of meal planning: To think about the meals in your immediate future and plan what they will be in advance, with a clear mind. 
Now break that definition down.
'To think about the meals in your immediate future.' Depending on the person, immediate future can mean a few hours, a few days, or even a few weeks for my serious planners out there. Meal planning needs to work for you and your schedule. Do you like eating the same thing every day or do you prefer to change it up frequently? Can you carve out some free time a few nights a week to prep new lunches, or is Sunday your only free time? 
'To plan your meals in advance.' When thinking about meal planning, you want to have a few recipes or go to dishes you know you like and can prep without much difficulty. To stay budget friendly, try to pick recipes and dishes that have a few constant ingredients so you wind up using everything you buy and waste less. 
'To have a clear mind.' This may be the most important part. Have you ever planned to order a salad a lunch, then last minute decided to get that creamy pasta dish because it looked SOOOO GOOD? This happens, and is not the end of the world. However, if you pre-made and brought your salad to work, chances are you're going to eat it. Why waste all that hard work? More often than not, by the time we get to eat our lunch at work, we are pretty hungry (okay, hangry). Hungry does not make it very easy to make the right choice! Don't put yourself in that position, make the healthy choice the easy choice!

Here is my weekly plan. Feel free to use it as is or make it your own!
​1. Map out your week. Be sure to note a post-work event or weekend gathering so you can plan around it. 
2. Now, are you a grazer or a meal eater? Make sure you are considering how many times you will be eating each day. I prefer to eat 5 smaller meals throughout the day. 
3. Pick your recipes. I have a go to smoothie for breakfast, and my snacks are usually the same 3-4 combos of protein and carbs so I really only need lunch and dinner recipes. Start with your dinner recipes, as you can always make extra of these to bring for lunch.  Remember, try to pick recipes with common ingredients to prevent waste. 

Monday
Meal 1 - Smoothie (with protein powder)
Meal 2 - Epic bar and dried apricots
Meal 3- Cous Cous (whole wheat) veggie salad
Meal 4- Hummus and veggies
Meal 5- Chicken breasts with broccoli

Tuesday
Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder)
Meal 2- Almond butter with apple slices
Meal 3- Cous Cous (whole wheat) veggie salad
Meal 4- Hummus and veggies
Meal 5- Salmon with brussel sprouts

Wednesday
Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder)
Meal 2- Epic bar and dried apricots
Meal 3- Dinner leftovers
Meal 4- Hummus and veggies
Meal 5- Chicken stir fry

Thursday
Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder)
Meal 2- Almond butter with apple slices
Meal 3- Teriyaki chicken wrap (chicken stir fry leftovers in a wrap)
Meal 4- Hummus and veggies
Meal 5- Butternut squash risotto

Friday
Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder)
Meal 2- Epic bar and dried apricots
Meal 3- Teriyaki chicken wrap
Meal 4- Hummus and veggies
Meal 5- Dinner Leftovers

Saturday
Meal 1- Smoothie (with protein powder)
Meal 2- Almond butter with apple slices
Meal 3- Trail Mix*
Meal 4- Skip*
Meal 5- Wedding meal*

Sunday
Meal 1- Hotel breakfast*
Meal 2- Trail Mix*
Meal 3- Any leftovers from week
Meal 4- Smoothie
Meal 5- Lentil Bolognese
*I have a wedding out of town this weekend so I will be packing a few snacks and having to make smart choices while away!

Recipes needed: 1 lunch, 5 dinner
**I will be posting the correlating recipes as the week goes on


Once you have this done, check what ingredients you already have on hand and create a shopping list for what you still need. 
Once you get home from the grocery store, prep your snacks and your first lunch. Estimated time = 2-3 hours depending on how close you live to the market. At this time you can also pre-cook your grains and chop all veggies for your dinners. 

So, what do you think? Is 3 hours of your time worth a week full of healthy meals? ​

Seems like if you are not currently bathing yourself in all things coconut, you might as well be eating fast food for every meal. Since it seems to be coconut's 15 minutes, lets break down the different coconut based foods and figure out if you should really be eating them. 

Coconut Oil
Many people ask me if they should be cooking with coconut oil instead of olive oil. Here's what you need to know about cooking with oils. Each one has a specific smoke point. The higher the smoke point, the less likely that oil is to burn. Burnt oil = not so healthy oil. SO the oil you choose should depend on the type of cooking you will be doing. Grilling or pan frying? Go for a higher heat oil such as coconut, avocado, grape seed, and peanut oils. Baking? Olive, corn, and vegetable oil are fine. Making a salad dressing? Any oil works well here, choose based on your favorite taste. Coconut oil does have a distinct taste and smell, it is slightly sweet. If you are new to using it, try baking with it first. There are also aerated oil sprays which can make cooking with coconut oil easier for beginners. 
My favorite brand is Carrington Farms. ​

Coconut Water
A few years ago, you would never have seen a bottle of this stuff unless you were at a hot yoga class. Now, there are multiple varieties available at every grocery store. Coconut water is a great natural source of electrolytes like potassium and sodium. What that means is, after a particularly grueling workout, coconut water is a great choice to re-hydrate yourself. There is a catch - stay away from flavored coconut waters, as these can be laden with added sugar you definitely do not need. Unflavored coconut water also makes a great addition to a smoothie in place of water or unsweetened almond milk. 
​

Coconut Flour
This flour is higher in fiber than regular all purpose flour, and also gluten free. Just like coconut oil, this flour does have a slightly sweeter taste than AP, so I recommend trying it out in baked goods before cooking with it. ​
Bob's Red Mill makes a great option. 

Coconut Milk 
Due to the higher fat content, coconut milk makes a great, creamy alternative to cow's milk and creamer in your coffee. Traditionally used in many cuisines, such as Thai and Indian, coconut milk adds depth and flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. Coconut milk comes in full and low fat options, and will stay good in your pantry for months if unopened. 

*A word of caution. Although it is a plant, the fat in coconut is considered a saturated fat. This is the type of fat associated with the risk of higher cholesterol, so be mindful of how much you are using. ​