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20 Minute Meals!
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Global CalgaryHealthy supper meal planning in minutes.

Stumped about what to make for supper that is speedy AND healthy? You are not alone since this is one of the most common questions we get from our nutrition counselling clients. The good news is that healthy supper meals don’t have to take oodles of time and energy to prepare. You can prepare a fast supper meal quicker than you think. Here are some considerations to set you up for success:

What systems do I need to have in place to make supper prep easier?

Feb 2015 Global 3INTENTIONALITY trumps all. Supper will never get easier or healthier until you have fail proof systems in place that you can repeat as habit over and over. To ease the pressure at suppertime, it is critical that you do the planning ahead of time (after all late-afternoon you are likely time crunched and it is rarely a time of day most people feel energized or really creative). To experience success, there are a few critical things to have in place:

1. Book a weekly grocery-shopping trip in your calendar

Sometimes the simplest things are the most easily neglected. Often when I ask our clients if they have a set grocery shopping appointment displayed in their calendar, few will ever say yes (instead hoping to fit it in somewhere). This is risky since unless this is booked with as much importance as a family members birthday party, it may be skipped or pushed later than ideal. The success of your supper plan depends on making sure this grocery shopping date happens!

2. Map out a meal plan for the week

Consider labeling each supper of the week with the following legend that will be based on your schedule for the week. Be reasonable with how much time you realistically have to prepare and cook food as most of our clients “bite off more than they can chew.”

5 types of supper:

Fast – fresh single meal can be prepared and cooked/assembled within 20-30 minutes.
Repurposed – meals that are complete leftovers or meals that use planned extras (one part is leftover with new foods added to create a different meal). Meal can be prepared and cooked/assembled within 20-30 minutes.
Slow – fresh, single meal that will take 1 hour or more to prepare and cook.
Big batch – fresh meals that are made in large volumes for eating again at a later date.
Out – you are off the hook for cooking (social meals at someone else’s home, take out meals or eat out meals).

meal planning 2

3. Develop a re-usable grocery-shopping list

Develop a good list of staple foods and fresh foods once and use it over and over. Design your list to be navigated at the most common grocery store you shop at. What works best for our family and many of our clients is to leave a stack of photocopies in the kitchen that all eaters can add to. Alternatively download a grocery shopping list app. Use this staple list to highlight the specific foods you need for this week’s supper plan (also add in items you need for breakfast, lunch and snacks).

What are some 20 minute supper ideas?

Here are 7 speedy supper meal ideas:

Feb 2015 Global 41. French toast made with whole grain bread, fresh fruit salad and cottage cheese or yogurt.

2. Pan fried fish (dip thin fish fillets in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs mixed with Cajun spice or your favorite herb blend). Serve with steamed fresh carrots and steamed frozen peas with a wee bit of butter.

3. Grown up grilled cheese made with whole grain bread and Brie cheese with apple slices (or aged cheddar cheese and red pepper slices). Serve with a side of sliced cucumbers and grape/cherry tomatoes with hummus.

Feb 2015 Global 14. Tossed green salad with canned drained chickpeas, grated raw carrot/beets, fresh berries, goat/feta cheese and pumpkin seeds. Serve with your favorite whole grain crackers.

5. BBQ chicken breasts/thighs, steak/pork tenderloin or fish. Serve with boiled baby potatoes with a dollop of sour cream and steamed broccoli/cauliflower with a little butter and raw carrots and snap peas with dip.

6. Black quesadilla (made with canned drained black/pinto beans, diced red peppers, frozen corn kernels, chopped green onion and cilantro). Serve with avocado slices/guacamole and salsa.

7. Pasta, quinoa, rice or couscous served with pan-fried shrimp with olive oil, onions and minced fresh garlic. Add diced fresh/canned tomatoes. Serve with spinach salad on the side.

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Success stories

"I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
Adele Fox, Psychologist
“This is the first time I feel satisfied; my cravings have diminished dramatically and I have a whole new relationship with food. I am eating guilt-free for the first time in my life. My energy has also dramatically increased and I feel great!
Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
“The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“I spent 3 hours when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I learned more from my Dietitian about food in those 3 hours than I had learned in all the years of my life. I also love the newsletter, there is always something to learn.”
Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

“I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

ARC Resources Ltd.

“Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant

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