This is a quick summary of many things you can do to make your life easier. It will give you an idea of how much easier your life can get with a little planning! There are of course obvious time saving tips, like buying prewashed salad greens and spinach. And then there are these.

1) You don’t need to deep-clean your blender every time you make a smoothie (or anything that doesn’t contain fat). Simply rinsing it with hot water as soon as you are done using it will save you a lot of time. If it needs more than a quick rinse, fill it half way with water, add a few drops of dish soap, and run it for a minute. Rinse and set aside to dry. Every week, fill it with hot water and soap, and run it.

2) You can chop most fruits and vegetables in advance and set them in a container in the fridge overnight. In the morning, simply throw them in a blender with a little water, and you’ll have a green smoothie that took only 2 minutes to prepare. Add other foods to it to take it to the next level. I like to add raw grass fed whey protein, or hemp seeds, or coconut oil, or yogurt, etc.

3) You can make many salad dressings in advance. Simply make different mixes of oil and vinegar with various seasonings. As long as the seasonings are dry and you are only using oil and vinegar in addition to them, they will stay fresh for several weeks at room temperature. You can then use fresh ingredients like garlic just before serving, or just keep the dressings in the fridge for about 3 days. Be sure to check my magical salad dressing!

4) Many sauces freeze very well, and I am known for making jars and jars of fresh pesto every summer to eat in the winter. Simply make large batches of pesto, which do not require more clean-up or even a lot more work than making small batches, and freeze them in ice cube trays. When frozen, store the cubes in resealable plastic bags. You can also freeze specific portions (for 2 or 4 servings for example) in jars, and leave a jar in the fridge overnight to thaw.

5) In the winter, set prepared portions of frozen fruits in the fridge overnight to thaw. In the morning, they are ready to use for
smoothies. I rarely ever cut fruits in the winter, and use all frozen.

6) Buy bananas in bulk, and when they are ripe, peel them and set them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When they are thoroughly frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag and use as needed. Awesome for milk/whey protein smoothies with a little vanilla and maple syrup!

7) Soak large quantities of nuts and seeds and dehydrate them overnight. You now have ready to use nuts and seeds that are more nutritious than their unsoaked counterparts, and you don’t have to think about soaking them in advance since the work is already done. One dehydrator tray usually holds about 2 cups of nuts or seeds. Store crispy nuts and seeds in the fridge, or at room temperature in a sealed jar.

8) Buy large quantities of lacinato kale and make kale chips out of them. This will allow you to eat enormous amounts of greens without really realizing it. They are great to eat in the evening, when you are tired but a little bit hungry. They will supply you with a lot of minerals, which you will especially need when you are breastfeeding.

9) If you eat sourdough bread, you can make many loaves at a time and freeze them. Simply let them thaw in the fridge or kitchen counter as you need them. While they are cooked, you can make them with the best ingredients you can find, and filling thin slices pastured cheese, tomatoes, cucumber slices, avocado mash and dulse seaweed makes a very nice lunch. Can you find a good bakery where they make real sourdough? Save time and freeze those.

10) Don’t forget about sea vegetables! Wakame takes 5 minutes to get soft, dulse can be eaten right out of the bag, kelp granules can be mixed in guacamole, nori can be used instead of a tortilla to roll around veggies etc.

What do you do to make healthy eating easier?