I was talking with a new client this week about grocery shopping and healthy meal planning. She mentioned she is clueless in that area and asked for help. She showed me her pantry which was filled with only cereal, snacks, and processed, easily prepared food. She's definitely not alone. Much of the country has a pantry filled with unhealthy items purchased out of convenience, not necessarily because of taste or nutritional value. 

The problem with easy food is, it is lacking nutrients. They are mostly lost in the processing and packaging. The nutrients are replaced with chemicals that make it shelf stable for an eternity. That box of cereal doesn't go stale nearly as quickly as eggs spoil. Plus, it's cheaper...sort of. 

Making healthy meals from whole foods does not have to be expensive or difficult. It does require a little planning and minimal effort. I like to say if you can use a knife, you can cook. Creativity can ease the cost and cooking can be very simple. When you break down the cost of those prepackaged items, you will find that you're paying more than you would if you prepared it yourself. For example, a box of cereal may seem inexpensive at $3. Eggs are often double that. Eggs, however, contain protein and fat which fill you up. Cereal might have a tiny bit of protein but it's mostly sugar and starch, which your body burns through quickly. You will need more cereal or something else much sooner than you would if you had eaten an egg. When you eat twice as much, it costs twice as much. 

So if you have been thinking about trying to get healthier, lose weight or trying to get your family to eat more healthily, clean out your pantry. Before you worry about wasting food, many food pantries will take donations of canned goods, which usually includes boxes as well. So go to your home pantry, take out anything that comes in a box, bag, or can. The only items that are somewhat healthy in those categories are pasta, rice, beans and other items with 1-3 ingredients listed. Then get rid of them and don't buy any more. Replace them with whole foods that can be used in a variety of recipes.

The internet is full of easy recipes with healthful ingredients. Websites such as allrecipes.com, skinnytaste.com, Pinterest and the like have many suggestions. Start with some basic whole ingredients and see what you can come up with. You can often filter the recipes by level of difficulty and ingredients.

Have fun, enjoy your meals, and don't forget to share when you find a good recipe! Click here to view some of my favorite recipes.