How do you manage to eat something great when your schedule isn’t flexible, and you need to choose between planning your day and taking time preparing food?

Liva F.
I could do it in one time. Planning and cooking 🍳, especially if I have a few minutes while one product will be ready)
Ana S E.
Keep a few prepared things in the freezer or cabinet that don’t require anytime. Microwaveable breakfast burritos, granola bars, hard boiled eggs.
Wade X.
Two options: multitasking or fast but healthy recipes. Multitasking means that i will reduce the precision of my daily schedule in order to do it while i'm eating / fast but healthy means smoothie or similar, something i can do in a few minute, in order to reduce time cooking anda have time for schedule. Anyway, i don't care which of the two things will have less time than usual, i will do both of us.
Shawn U.
Start small. Make changes that are manageable and move you closer to your goal. Don’t try to change everything about the way you eat at once. Also, put yourself in a situation to have great food nearby. Don’t get junk food from the grocery store. Get food that is good for you that you have time to prepare. Don’t go to fast food restaurants, or if you do have to, only go to ones that you feel are acceptable and have a plan going in to get only food that you feel good about eating.
Ryan O.
Hmm I could make it the night before, so that I'd be able to take it and eat it on the go. Or I could eat something smaller but effective like an apple or nuts.
Louisa P.
Having something that's easy to eat rather than cook. The more options the better. For ex- a banana
(easy to peel and eat), peanut butter on toast, yoghurt with fruit…
Margarida C.
As a single mom, grad student, and bartender I COMPLETELY feel ya on this. This probably isn’t a recommended avenue, but I’ve found that eating at Zoe’s kitchen or other healthy quick places is incredibly helpful (Whole Foods, Panera, etc). I can order and pay for it on their apps and quickly pick it up on lunch break. I can usually stretch it out to last for 2 meals too! I wouldn’t say I’m picky but I hate tradition “healthy” fast foods like McDonalds salads. At these places I can get a meal that feels REAL. And I check the meal options with the app LifeSum to make sure I’m getting a healthy balance of macros and avoiding heavily processed foods.
Ruben U.
I like to make things simple. For breakfast, I'll often eat yogurt with granola and fruit or oatmeal (microwaved oatmeal is much easier than cooking it on the stovetop), hardboiled eggs with fruit, smoothies (pre-freeze them and blend in the morning), and overnight oats (takes less than 3mins to prepare the night before). For lunch and dinner, I like meal prepping. So, I'll get a roasted chicken or bake a whole sheet of salmon fillets. I'll also cook a ton of brown rice or quinoa and veggies. If I don't have time for meal prepping, I'll just cook a larger batch of food for dinner so that I can have extra for lunch tomorrow. For more veggies, I like buying frozen veggies and then dumping that into my lunch box as well. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm assuming you can also freeze quinoa or brown rice. So, in conclusion, keep your meals simple and the freezer is your friend.
Kasper C.
If my schedule is tight I prepare food once a week for the whole week. Where I live (in Denmark) it is also possible to buy food from food delivery businesses. You can pick wether you would like vegetarian, vegan or just healthy food. They deliver it prepacked once a week and it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare.
Pacal Z.
You need to make sure that you always have healthy choices on hand. Possibly protein bars or yogurt or fruit. Prepare some things in advance for the week, such as putting cottage cheese & fruit into containers you can grab on the go. Or even snack foods that you have trouble eating a lot of. Make individual 'serving size' snack bags. That way when you reach for them, they are already portioned out & when the bag is done, you have to discipline yourself to say, "that's all I'm going to eat of that food for now. I will not get another bag."
Pauline U.
It’s good to always have something quick and tasty on hand. Fresh veggies, quality olive oil and a can of tuna or some cheese make a great, healthy and nutrient meal.
It’s also good to have some snack handy – nuts and dried fruits are my favourite. Just check there’s no added sugar when buying a mix.
Vicky F.
Plan your day the night before or prep breakfast the night before. I like overnight oats, get smoothie stuff in cup ready to blend in morning exc.
Berthold O.
If you're struggling to make time to prep a healthy breakfast in the morning, think about whether there's sometging you can prep in advance. There are lots of recipes for homemade fruit and nut bars which will give you a slow burn protein boost – you can make them weeks ahead and they aren't as packed with sugar and other nasties as store bought. You could throw in an apple or a banana for an extra pick me up and a boost of fresh veg. No prep and no washing up on the day, and you can even eat them on the go.
Ngelo Y.
Great food need not be complicated good. To the extent your budget allows, but good ingredients. High quality tuna in extra virgin olive oil is one of my go to comfort foods. So too are pasture-raised eggs. A fantastic simple omlette, made from great eggs, is a fast, nutritious, and delicious dinner. In this season, add a wonderful sliced tomato and some watermelon and you have a perfect light dinner. Need something more robust? It's easy to bake a potato.
Maximilian T.
I have always some meal prep food in my freezer, frozen fruit for morning smoothies or some dinners for the slow cooker
Hans Dieter R.
Eat raw… my meals mainly consist of veggies/fruits that don’t require a lot of prep. Find what is filling for you. I find mushrooms help me to get that satiated feeling. I split 1/2 to stay at home, and the other half to go to work.
Alison E.
Bananas are a great source of energy, and are quickly eaten. If you throw in some oatmeal and/or yogurt, you got yourself a quick and ‘great’ breakfast!

Hope this helps.
James

Traute U.
Try to prepare everything you can in advance or turn to something that doesn't need a long time to cook, like dry fruits, fruit, yogurt… Be smart and creative!
Brice A.
Batch cooking on the weekend, or a day off, might help. Tools like slow cookers and instant pots are also handy. You could chop/dump what you need into your cooker just before going to bed and leave it in the fridge until the next
Morning. Plug it in and set the time and off you go.
Chris Z.
I prepare overnight oats the evening before with almond milk, yogurt, oats, nuts, seeds and whatever fruits are in season with a little honey. It's delicious the next day after a night in the fridge!
Aaron F.
Preparing your food is part of planning for your day ! I tell myself – I love myself and my body enough to eat what is healthy for her. I know it sounds irrational but would we treat our kids / family as though they are little to no priority? Then let’s us treat our bodies also with the same love and attention. Because if the body fails, the crazy schedule wouldn’t matter.
Alice Z.
I’ll choose prepare food for great next meal.
Planning something
Needs sometimes
But it’s just planning
Do act like preparing is more important
Charlotte W.
Sometimes, when I don’t have time/mood to prepare my food, I just go and eat somewhere else (like cafeteria), or I buy myself quick meal (like noodle cup etc) in organic quality, plus I take some fresh vegetables/fruits with me. It happens from time to time, cause I do not always have time or mood to prepare the meal, which is ok.
Arianna P.
Try to prepare some food at night and put it on the fridge or prepare the things that you need to make your breakfast at night so you can prepare your breakfast faster and still have time to plan your day.
Sam J.
Eating something great doesn't necessarily mean that you have to take a longtime in preparing it. You could have some fruits, or some scrambled eggs or even some oatmeal with some almond milk or milk of choice. If you prefer taking your time in preparing your breakfast then you could perhaps prepare it beforehand by cutting the vegetables that you intend on using the night before, making sure all your Tupperware boxes are ready the next morning I'm case you're going to take your breakfast on the go, have some standard recipes ready in the kitchen so you won't need to look and prepare for a recipe, you could implement all these tiny but effective actions the night ahead so you could save time for yourself the next morning and have enough time to plan your day.
Jared S.
The first step towards answering this questions is recognizing that ultimately a schedule is just a plan of your time, and your time is life. I understand it may seem like our schedules are too busy and prevent us from doing what is best for us but it is important to consciously choose to prioritize our needs first. When we choose ourselves first and act out of compassion we can fit both planning the day and taking time to prepare food because we understand how both are important for our health and well-being and they need to be present in our daily lives.

If you’re struggling with the more technical rather than emotional part of this process, it may help to look into both the small and big ways your time may be used up during the day and work to remove some of those timesinks. They can be anything from playing a distracting mobile game or surfing the web aimlessly to dealing with the problems of other people around us instead of working through our own issues—like making time for planning and breakfast prep! You can even schedule time to prepare food when you sit down to plan the day because you really do have that power, that freedom, to shape the day and therefore your life by choosing your needs first.

I wish you the best.

Dave P.
Here is some ideas:
– Prepare food the day before
– Free more time in the morning
– Plan the day during cooking in your mind. Or plan in the evening the day before.
Randall X.
I have a meal replacement shake for breakfast and I meal prep the night before to make sure I'm eating a good meal even when I'm busy.
Sara N.
Hunt down healthy, low prep options, like yogurt, mixed nuts, granola, fruits and veggies. Just be sure to check labels. Also, if you have a little time another day, preboil some eggs and cut your veggies for grab and go convenience. If you have the money but not the time, you can also buy these items prepped for you. Hope this helps!
Timmothy S.
Spend the weekend shopping and preparing healthy meals that can be frozen. Use frozen veggies and frozen fruit that can be thawed or warmed as you would a microwaveable meal.
Amelia Z.
Usually I go for a quick recipe as a Salad (simple one is with chicken and avocados) or a tartine with avocado and eggs or salmon.. You can meal prep ahead like on the weekend or the night before..
Esa N.
The easiest way to make meals faster is to prepare as much as you can outside if your “crunch time.”

You can prepare breakfast the night before with an Overnight Oats or an egg dish (quiche, frittata, or egg cups) that can be portioned to grab, heat, and eat.

Instead of packing a lunch in the morning, you can prepare lunches the night before or make your week’s lunches on one day (like Sunday). Then each morning, you just have to grab and go.

At dinnertime, we usually make enough so that there is enough leftovers to be lunch the next day. This is good if you don’t mind eating the same thing two meals in a row.

One day a week (usually Sunday) we make a meal plan for dinners for the week and make a grocery shop based off that meal plan.

I hope this helps! Good luck with creating a system that works for you!

Isolda F.
I usually plan weekly menus with an eye on my agenda, when my days are really busy, I do meal prep the days before or during the weekend. This helps a lot!
Anna P.
This is me every day! When I cant prepare anything I have places I can go where I can get something to support my goals. Even if it is a coffee house, i would go for tea and oatmeal or grain bagel rather than the sugary temptations. Smoothies really work for me, especially for breakfast and they take about 10 minutes to make. Having the discipline to prep things before is 80% of the battle won….plus 20% effort and execution.
Sauro T.
This is tough for me but I basically plan to have things with me that allow me to eat good food, like clementines and apples, which require no preparation, and pre-made bean burritos (which are made by a local restaurant and sold in the deli section of my grocery store) that only require 40 seconds in the microwave and can be eaten on my drive between offices. At some point, you have to make the choice to prepare in some way so that you can eat well but that can look like whatever is best for you. For example, I friggin’ hate meal prep and I don’t want to eat the same thing every day. Also, I think my salad-making capabilities are lacking but I really like salads. So I might prepare a sandwich or microwave meal for day one and maybe two of my work week, but I also buy the salad kits from the grocery store and plan to eat that for two lunches during my week. I also keep healthy nut bars in my desk and grab one of those if I need something to hold my appetite. On occasions when I’m traveling or when I’ve forgotten my prepared meal at home, I pick items that have lots of protein and vegetables from a restaurant. My doctor once told me that it’s okay if I want to eat a burger from McDonald’s, but I should ask for extra vegetables or make other customizations so that I’m keeping calories down and upping my vegetable intake as much as possible. And then, the next day, don’t eat a burger and choose a salad, whether I bring it or buy it. I took this to mean that you’re going to have imperfect days but the best thing you can do is make better choices the next day, or even the next meal. Sometimes it’s just about getting creative when you’re at the grocery store. I hope this helps!
Same X.
I don’t. I usually don’t eat much at breakfast – my schedule is hyper flexible and I think of nothing but food for the entire day after eating breakfast. I eat something small and drink a lot of water, that does the trick for me
Martha Y.
I am realistic. I know that on the majority of the days I will not bother to prepare. So I buy healthy foog alreasy perpared usjt in case. This way I just grab that.
Alison E.
make easy healthy food and then plan the day. Don’t need a big plan. A big picture about three important task is enough.
Mason O.
I usually end up planning my meals ahead of time. I used to have a really busy schedule at work and found that I was buying a lot of take-out because I was too exhausted to cook when I got home. Taking a day that you have off to prep your meals for the week is a great way to save money and eliminate the need to grab take-out when your zipping around. If you prep ahead of time then all you need to do is grab and go from the fridge!
Heinz Werner O.
I grab any of the available fruit that I can find. If I don't have the time to prepare my meal or prepare it overnight meal the night before.
Nadeschda Z.
Think about what you would look like when you have eaten a healthy diet & also when you haven't. Now, compare the two. This should be enough motivation.
Lilo X.
Cold fresh food is the answer for me sometimes as well as meal prepping when I can. Deli/rotisserie meats, fruit, vegetables, cheese, wholegrain breads and plenty of spices for flavour
Michael S.
I say this to myself: Preparing food is important, I'm showing love to myself doing this, so I'll take the time to do it. It is as important as the other tasks for the day.
Marshall X.
I do prepare my week (activities,work,groceries, meals) during each Sunday morning. Each Sunday afternoon and Wednesday i prepare my food for the week. Because as family we don’t like to eat fast food so i have to have meals that i can grab while leaving for work.
Alvino N.
You have a lot of options.. I usually always have skyr (island yoghurt) or greek yoghurt, some cereals and seeds with me