With anything in life, a lack of preparation often leads to lackluster results. When you are well prepared, you can handle anything that comes your way with comfort and ease. This same ideology can be directly applied to our diets. Think about it: You get home from a long day of work and notice you have no ingredients in the fridge. You don’t want to go to the grocery store, so you make a quick trip to the fast food drive through to satiate your hunger. Now imagine that you were to come home to a healthy meal that was ready-to-go. Of course, you would pop it in the microwave and have a nutritious meal.

So why don’t more people - who are trying to maintain a healthy diet - plan ahead? Maybe you have never thought about it this way, or maybe you think it is too expensive. Either way, here are some tips for meal planning on a budget – so that you have no excuse not to maintain a healthy diet. 

Hit the Right Food Groups

Meal prepping is an excellent way to save money, especially if you do it the right way. You are going to want to make sure you hit all of the right food groups within each meal. Spend one day during the week cooking up all of your meals and ensuring they are packed and ready to go. The “prep” is the hardest part!

  • Lean Protein: About 30-40% of your diet should come from protein. It would be nice to get to eat a steak each day, but less expensive proteins will work just fine. Eggs, tofu, chicken, lean beef, canned tuna and salmon are all relatively inexpensive proteins. Don’t be afraid to diversify your protein sources each week so that you don’t get tired of eating the same thing.
  • Carbs: Carbohydrates should take up about 40-50% of your diet. Carbs are generally inexpensive. Pasta, brown rice, and chickpeas are excellent carbohydrate sources – depending on your goals.
  • Healthy Fats: Healthy fats are also important, and should make up the remaining 10-20% of your diet. This may include nuts, avocado, seeds, and vegetables. Vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, kale, and spinach are all packed with essential nutrients. Switch up your vegetable sources depending on what is in season. This will keep things fun and interesting!

Let the Professionals Design your Meals

Did reading all of this make you think, “that is a lot of work”? We get it. Even finding the time to make one meal during the week, let alone all of your meals can make the most ambitious person a little reluctant. At New Vision Nutrition, we design healthy meal plans for individuals based on their specific goals. Whether you are looking to build muscle, lose fat, or get toned – we will cook up amazing meals to meet your goals. Everything will be shipped right to your door, so when you get home from that long day of work your perfectly portioned meal will be awaiting you.

If you are looking to meal plan on a budget, you will save both time and money with New Vision Nutrition. Get started on a healthier path today!

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