Dani Spies

I take an hour or so on Sunday to prep a handful of nutritious ingredients that I can use on the fly when I don't have a ton of time to make a meal during the week.

This not only saves me time during the week, but it keeps me from making a "last minute, too tired, too busy, and too hungry to care" decision about what I'm gonna eat. (I know you all know what that’s like;)).

My "set up" varies a little week to week, but more or less the staples look something like this:
* Fresh chopped veggies - carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, green beans, peppers, etc.
* A grain of some sort - quinoa, brown rice, barley, couscous, wild rice, etc. I usually just pick one for the week and make a big bowl that I can use all week long.
* Chicken - depending on my mood I'll either roast a couple of chicken breasts, then shred them and pop them in the fridge OR I'll buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that for the week.
* Oatmeal - I always make oatmeal on Sunday. I buy steel cut oats, which does take a little longer to cook, but if you make it on Sunday, pop them in containers and stick them in the fridge, all you need is a couple of minutes to warm it up in the morning...yum!

So that's it. Nothing too fancy.

These are just the basics. Then when I don't have the time OR am not in the mood to get creative, I have my "go-to" items that I can turn to, to whip up a nutritious meal. (Not to mention, when I am in the mood, I have a lot of "head-start" ingredients).

My 5-Minute Chicken and Broccoli is a direct result of a "last minute, too tired, too busy, and too hungry to care" moment. Thanks to my Sunday "set-up", I was still able to whip up a meal that I could feel good about eating:)