Meal Planning for 1 or 2…with menopause in mind

Dear Denise,

Turns out eating out every night isn’t great for weight loss or hot flashes.

Also, I hate cooking!  Those memes about the hardest part of being an adult is figuring out what to cook every night….that’s me!

How do you do all those things like seed cycling, warm & cool foods and fasting?  I totally see the benefits but implementation is killing me!

Help,

Fading fast in Philly

Ps, Married-how does that stuff work with person #2?

 

Dear Fading,

First, I hear you-Loud and Clear!  Before I met Ken my meals were basic and for fuel only.  No spices, maybe burnt, maybe raw, once it was both!

I am lucky, for sure, that Ken likes to cook.  And the blessing can be a curse.  He only cooks corn as a veggie and he’s pretty fly by the seat of what’s on sale today.

It’s definitely tricky.  But like all new habits, start slow.  Add just 1 at a time until it doesn’t require any thought.

I thought seed cycling was going to be a breeze…WRONG.  Took 3 months just to get the seeds ordered and start.  So I let it take the 3 month before I added fasting days (which ended up being super easy for me).  Cooling and warming foods, still working on–more lessons for the cook.

Here’s what I have figured out…

PLANNING IS KEY

COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT

When I first changed my eating I didn’t do a very good job of cluing Ken in.  So he’d get mad if I requested fish when our freezer was full of beef.  He’d be surly when he’d planned a great meal and I told him I was fasting.

I was not communicating.  (I know this is a food article but when cooking for 2, you gotta talk!)

So I mapped out a sample month and sat down with Ken so he could see it and understand what I was trying to accomplish.  And even though he intuitively knows when my period is, I put that on the calendar too.

Now he at least has a basic outline of when to focus on chicken and fish vs beef and bacon!  This doesn’t mean I refuse burgers in the estrogen phase, but it does mean burgers aren’t every night.

What does meal planning look like at The W-P?

1. Look at the grocery ads to see what’s on sale
2. Check calendar to see if Denise is warming or cooling phase
3. Schedule fasting and low carb days
4. Maybe Ken looks at cookbooks, maybe Ken makes it up
5. Ken checks freezer to see what meat we already have on hand
6. We schedule what we plan to cook so frozen meat gets thawed on time
7. Plan what meats and veggies need to be bought
8. I’d like to say we post it on the fridge but once Ken knows the plan, it is the plan.

At The W-P we look for recipes in actual cookbooks, a stack is always on the table, but maybe you prefer Pinterest or YouTube (please share your faves, I am trying to expand my mindset here).

As far as veggies, I try to pick grill-able options when I know Ken will be grilling (my faves are asparagus and zucchini) in the winter I roast a couple pans on my at home days to have on the ready for lunches and suppers.

For work lunches I start with veggies and add the bonus portion of meat that we always cook the night before and for good measure, once a month I make a big batch of meatballs  and lentils to have in the freezer for surprises (like when I fast and Ken has pizza the night before).

But what if you don’t have time nightly to cook?

Ingredient Prep!

On your “free day” look at your recipes.  What can you make ahead so supper is more ready?

• a hot dish
• a soup or chili
• a pasta dish
• meatballs (yes they are my go to protein)
• pre bake a few potatoes (sweet or regular) as you roast your other veggies (you can always use them to make home fries on Saturday!)

And of course, plan some extras (some people call them leftovers, I call them planned overs) because sometimes evening activities require a quick fix supper.

Let me know what works for you best.

xo,

Denise

PS. did you know Ken and I cook live on Facebook each Thursday at 4pm? March is veggie month…3/5 is Onion Poelee and apples.

And at the end of the month I email out all the recipes!  Are you on the list?

PPS.  Ready to go all in with 1:1 coaching so I can go in depth on all the protocols and support you through the struggle?  Get on the wait list and when I have openings I’ll reach out to you.