Deciding what to eat is one of the most important choices you make daily, yet it can feel challenging, especially in a busy life. After coaching hundreds of clients, I’ve found that the first hurdle is always deciding what to eat.
Most clients generally know what to eat:
- “I should eat vegetables.”
- “I should include a protein with each meal.”
- “Fried food and fast food at every meal is probably not the best.”
However, there’s a difference between knowing what to eat and actually eating it daily. The difference lies in the how! Yes, chicken is a great choice, but how do you prepare it for dinner without getting bored? This is where meal planning and meal prepping come in.
Let’s simplify this process with something I like to call Eating 5×5.
Start with Protein
Protein is often the most challenging part of a meal because it takes the longest to cook, yet it’s one of the most important nutrients. Protein keeps your body healthy, helps you stay fuller longer, aids in recovery, and provides energy.
Eating 5×5:
- Five Different Protein Options
- Beef
- Chicken
- Pork
- Fish
- Eggs
(Vegetarian substitutions: lentils, tempeh, tofu. Other protein options: bison, lamb, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese)
- Five Different Ways to Prepare Each Protein
Chicken:- Grilled chicken breast
- Roasted in the oven
- Cooked in the crockpot for shredded chicken
- Stir-fried on the stovetop
- Ground chicken for soups or burgers
- Beef:
- Ground beef
- Steak on the grill
- Stewing
- Roasting
- Stir-frying
- Pork:
- Ground pork
- Pork chops on the grill
- Crockpot shredded pork
- Stove-top frying
- Smoked pork ribs
- Fish:
- Baked
- Grilled
- Sautéed
- Pan-broiled
- Poached
- Eggs:
- Scrambled
- Poached
- Baked
- Over easy
- Hard-boiled
The Eating 5×5 method offers variety without overwhelming changes. If you prefer chicken, try cooking it differently each week. If you’re bored with chicken, branch out and try another protein option.
Meal Planning in 5 Steps
- Plan Your Proteins for the Week:
Write out the days of the week and list the proteins you’ll eat. For example:- Monday: Beef
- Tuesday: Beef and Chicken
- Wednesday: Chicken
- Thursday: Chicken and Pork
- Friday: Pork
- Saturday: Pork and Beef
- Sunday: Beef
- Plan How You’ll Prepare the Protein:
- Monday: Ground beef for tacos
- Tuesday: Ground beef for sloppy joes and grilled chicken for salad
- Wednesday: Grilled chicken with pasta and veggies
- Thursday: Crockpot shredded chicken for chicken salad, and ground pork on pizza
- Friday: Ground pork burgers on the grill
- Saturday: Pork chops on the stovetop and grilled steak with vegetables
- Sunday: Grilled steak in a stir-fry
- Create Your Grocery List:
List the amounts needed for each protein:- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 pork chops
- 2 steaks
- Decide When to Cook Each Protein:
It’s often easiest to cook all your proteins on your days off and store them for the week. - Plan a Grocery Trip:
Set a day to buy your groceries.
Adding Vegetables
The same 5×5 method applies to adding vegetables. For example, with your ground beef tacos on Monday, you could pair:
- Tomatoes: raw, in salsa, grilled, roasted, or canned
- Lettuce: romaine, spinach, kale (fresh or cooked)
- Peppers: sautéed, grilled, raw, roasted, or pickled
- Onions: sautéed, grilled, raw, roasted, or pickled
- Zucchini: grilled, raw, roasted, or sautéed
Step 2: Decide how you’ll prepare the vegetables:
- Raw tomatoes
- Chopped romaine
- Sautéed peppers, onions, and zucchini
Step 3: Make a grocery list:
- 1 large slicing tomato
- 1 bag of chopped romaine
- 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper
- 1 onion
- 1 zucchini
Step 4: Plan when to prepare each vegetable.
Step 5: Set a grocery shopping day.
Keep It Simple
If eating the same protein every night for a week helps you stay on track, that’s okay! Next week, try a different meal every night. Use the Eating 5×5 method to simplify meal planning and keep eating healthy meals at home.
Let me know how it goes, and reach out if you’d like more coaching on simplifying healthy eating and establishing lifelong healthy habits!
Coach Emily