I used to think time was the problem…

I’d always assumed that lack of time was my biggest barrier to preparing healthy meals on a regular basis for my family.

It seemed to be the one thing that was lacking.
So I carved out the time. Made a plan. And a menu.

It helped. A lot.

But recently I was reading journal about this study done at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia.

120 working mothers were interviewed about preparing healthy meals for their family (in this study, they were all the primary meal providers).

Unsurprisingly, most of them reported in the initial interviews that they too felt lack of time was the biggest barrier they faced.

The Results

However, the results of this study were interesting. It found that lack of time wasn’t really connected to healthy or unhealthy meals. Or at least not as expected.

What they did find was that confidence in their ability to prepare healthy meals was the biggest determining factor.

Time it turned out was not so much the issue.

Rather, time was not an issue once they had the confidence in their ability to prepare the meals.

In fact, the women who were confident in their ability to prepare healthy meals often required LESS time!

Time Vs Confidence

What do you think? When I first read this, I felt A LOT of resistance. Probably because it make me reconsider my own approach. Did I need more time? Or did I just need a better plan.

While of course everyone is different, this definitely got me thinking. So many of the women I work with are poor on time.

Not necessarily because they struggle with time management. Or doing ‘too much’.

I mean, we probably all do too much, but sometimes we’re in a place in life where that’s just the way it is.

So, maybe this study made a good point. The answer is not carving out more time. It’s developing the skill and confidence to do what we need to do in the time we have available.

What do you think? Is it time? Or is it confidence? Or both?

Lunchbox Legends

With that in mind, I created Back to School Lunchbox Legends. 42 healthy, tasty, and easy recipes that are perfect for lunchboxes.

(yep, 42 recipes! I completely discarded the traditional advice that few is better then more. I don’t know what you and your family like to eat – so 42 is definitely something for everyone!)

You can download it for free right here – as a member of my community and subscriber to this mailing list, it’s my gift to you.

If you have been struggling with ideas, inspiration, or time when it comes to lunches – you are going to love this cookbook. There’s something for everyone.

And it’s all nut free.

Enjoy 🙂

Family Menu Planning Made Simple

What do you think about time, ability, and confidence and how it might impact prepping healthy food for the family?

Do you think having more of a plan, and less time spend trying to decide what to eat, might help?

If you do, then you might be interested the newest service I have to offer!

When I asked my community what sort of support or service they thought would be useful to them, to help them make the changes they have been trying to create and stick to.
For their health and lifestyle.

A lot of you told me you wanted help with a simple but personalized plan to make cooking, prepping, and shopping simple.

Less time, not more.

And, I agree! So I am excited to share with you my new menu, recipe, and shopping list service for individuals and families.

Essentially we work together to put together weekly menu plans for the month and shopping list, complete with detailed recipes.

What’s appealing for so many of my clients is that we can make it specific to the needs of you and your family.

Do the meals need to be gluten free… and nut free?

Does someone refuse to eat tomatoes?

Do you prefer recipes that include fish but not chicken?

When asked what kind of food you’re family likes to eat, do you frequently reply with ‘it’s complicated’?

You set the rules and we make the plan together.

Simply 😉

To learn more about my newest service, Family Menu Planning Simply, just reply to this email and say ‘Tell me more!”.  This has always been part of my one-to-one coaching service, but as demand for the healthy menu has increased, I’ve decided it’s time to offer it as a service all by it’s self. Early adapters will be getting the launch price, so if you are keen let’s chat!

Just hit ‘Reply’ and let’s talk about menu planning!