Meal Prep and Emergency Preparedness #WellnessWednesday

Hello Everyone! This Wellness Wednesday Week 4 and I'm here to talk to you about Paleo Meal Prep and Emergency Preparedness. One of the easiest ways to fail with a Paleo diet is to not have a plan. It's so easy to get home late and think to yourself "I don't have time to cook now, we can get takeout tonight." That may be okay if you choose the right restaurant and pick a paleo option, but it's really
easy to let "tonight" become tomorrow night, and the night after that, and before you know it, you have been eating out for several weeks in a row. Taking the time to form a plan for your meals for the week ahead of time can not only save you time, but also be easier on your budget (eating out is expensive!).

Some of the best ways to prepare are baking a whole chicken and/or ham; steaming several day's worth of quinoa or wild rice; baking sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, or another starch; or even preparing breakfast foods such as pancakes, egg cups, waffles, or baked oatmeal. Don't forget that a crockpot can also be an excellent asset, allowing you to prepare tomorrow's meal today.

You can either prepare enough meals for a few days and use all of them fresh, or you can prepare enough for the entire week and freeze some for the end of the week. This is also helpful for when the primary cook in your house is going out of town. It can also be great for when your children are home from school with a babysitter or when you are preparing for a big storm. I grew up in rural Connecticut and we lost power several times a year for days at a time because of the weather, and it was always nice to have food prepared ahead of time rather than having to live on processed foods and tuna fish.

While you're at the store, don't forget to pick up a few gallons of drinking water, extra batteries for flashlights, anything missing from your first aid kit, and stop by your local sandbag distributor if your home could be in a flood zone (also a good idea to check evacuation routes!).

Stay safe, stay dry and please remember to reschedule your appointment if you won't be able to make it!
Yours in Health,
Dr. Chelsea