Why You Should Plan Your Dinner in Advance

I can’t believe that this is my last Great Starts article already! Today I wanted to talk a little bit about beyond breakfast, and how Great Starts can be continued throughout the day.

I believe that a great day starts with a nutritious breakfast and ends with a healthy dinner, but as many of us with families and a full schedule know, sometimes it’s hard to maintain good eating in the evening when your being pulled in every direction. What I've learned is that it’s imperative to have a plan. Weeks when I sit down and schedule the meals and make a meal plan go so much smoother than others when I’m scrambling at five o’clock trying to figure out what to make – wondering if we can just grab something real quick instead.

When I sit down to make my meal plan I only need three things, a paper, a pen, and a cook book for inspiration. I try to make meals fairly simple during the week, and when I’m really organized I’ll even spend an afternoon cooking up meals that I can freeze and then take out for evenings when we have activities.

Since we keep it simple Monday-Friday, I’ll usually plan to have a protein, a grain/carbohydrate, and a vegetable. Some easy ideas might be:

·         Grilled steak, baked potatoes, and roasted carrots

·         Meatloaf, baked butternut squash, and a green salad

·         Chicken breast, rice pilaf, and green beans

For me, the key to meals is keeping it simple by having three items and making sure there are a variety of colors in each meal. Being prepared saves us not only a lot of money, but also excess calories and unneeded ingredients that I don’t want us to be eating every day.

Here’s a simple recipe for a meal that will have your family asking for seconds, and it’s really quick to make!

Parmesan Chicken Fingers with a Corn Flake crust

Ingredients:

4 cups of crushed cornflakes

2 pounds of skinless chicken breasts (approximately 4 breasts) sliced into 1 ½ inch strips.

1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons of finely sliced green onions

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.       Pour crushed Corn Flakes into large storage bag and add cheese, onions, salt, and pepper.  Shake well.

3.       Crack eggs into large bowl and beat until well blended.

4.       Add chicken strips to bowl making sure each strip is completely coated.

5.      Take a couple strips at a time and placed into Corn Flake mixture. Shake well until coated, then  place         chicken on a greased cookie sheet.

6.       When all of the chicken is coated, place cookie sheet in oven for 20 minutes.

What are some of the ways you go beyond breakfast to keep a Great Start? Do you need more beyond breakfast ideas? Check out more tips at: Kelloggs.com/GreatStartTips

~Melissa

Kellogg’s® believes that From Great Starts Come Great Things®. So we’re helping Moms start every day with a tip from the top athletes of Team Kellogg’s™ and Team USA dietitians. The thirty days leading up to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will each feature fun pieces of advice to help families fuel just like the athletes of Team Kellogg’s. To see all 30 tips, visit Kelloggs.com/GreatStartsTips

Compensation was provided by Kellogg’s via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kellogg’s.