10 Ways to Make Clean Eating Easier

Eating clean is simple, but can feel like a lot of work. Processed foods are convenience foods- so of course eating less processed food means more work, more time, more hassle. The good news is, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Plus, it’s so much better for your health! But there are also tips to help; here are 10 ways to make clean eating easier…

1. Make a meal plan. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: meal planning is so good! It saves time, stress, and money! Plus it helps you eat healthier all week long. Even if you just plan out your dinners it will make a big difference. Make your plan, write out your grocery list, get everything on it you’ll need for dinners for the week. If you don’t get to make something (that happens at least once a week here) freeze the ingredients.
2. Use a list of go-to recipes. There are probably some dinners you make regularly. Keep a list of those recipes handy and use them to plug in to your meal plan and to make writing out your grocery list easier.
3. Repeat meals and snacks. Variety is nice, but planning on having the same thing for breakfast and snacks makes shopping and planning easier. If you get sick of having the same thing, change it up on the weekend and choose a new thing for the following week. Make big meals and use leftovers for another dinner and for lunches. You can change up the main meal a little for variety (see this post I wrote about all the ways to use leftover chicken– it’s written about grilled chicken but a lot of the ideas work for other chicken too).
4. Cook in big batches. Make a whole lot of quinoa or brown rice and save the leftovers for easy sides during the week. Roast two sheet pans of vegetables and divide them up. Cook double the main dish and set yourself up for another meal or more.
5. Try a new recipe each week or two and add it into the rotation. It might make the whole cooking thing more interesting and can be a motivation for sticking with clean eating. If you like the new recipe add it into the weekly rotation.
6. Use a crockpot or Instant Pot. These guys are lifesavers. Be mindful of which recipes you choose- a lot of them call for processed ingredients (sauces, condensed soups, etc.). But they are a great way to save time at dinner time. The Instant Pot even lets you use frozen chicken- great for those days you forget to defrost something.
7. Pre-portion snacks. Having grab-and-go snacks makes it more likely you’ll make healthy choices when time is short.
8. Sneak in food prep. Do some preparation ahead of time- while you’re cooking, while you’re cleaning up dinner. When you’re putting lunches together, do some prep for the coming days.
9. Buy in bulk. I like to buy some things in bulk so that it’s less to buy later on. Crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, spices, quinoa, and rice. Also keep frozen vegetables and fruits in the freezer for quick options.
10. Find convenience in other ways. I succumb to pizza and tater-tots too. They’re quick and easy and everybody loves them. But the less often we do that the better! To make up for the extra time and inconvenience try taking advantage of other conveniences- Instacart or another grocery delivery service, pre-cut vegetables.

I try to make good use of my time in the kitchen. So while I’m cooking dinner (and not playing word games or scrolling Instagram) I try to do other things that will make my life easier the next day. I’ll cut veggies, make up my breakfast jars, fix salads, make salad dressing, etc. If I’m going to be in there any way I might as well use the time wisely. I’ll play music, rope someone into helping me, or listen to a podcast to make it more bearable/enjoyable (depending on the day).

Clean eating is a healthy approach to nutrition that can work for everyone. It’s worth the time and effort! What’s your favorite clean eating tip or timesaver? I’d love to hear from you…you can comment here, email me at mary@stayathomefit.com, or reach out to me on Facebook and Instagram.

Did you like this post? Please share it!