Anyone add greenery to their home last week? If not, head to your local nursery soon!

I know I’ve mentioned that my schedule can be nuts—as everyone’s can, and I’m constantly on the hunt for easy ways to incorporate wellness into my meals. I live for mornings when I can leisurely make a healthy breakfast, gather veggies from my garden for dinner, and just kill the health game, but that’s not always realistic.

More times than not during the week, I’m running around trying to quickly make meals, especially in the a.m. Because of that—and in an effort not to skip breakfast or eat something non-nutritious—I’ve been finding ways to easily and quickly incorporate healthy items. Having stuff on hand takes the guessing game out of what I can make, and I don’t have the excuse to grab a sugary muffin from Starbucks or eat cereal for dinner (though isn’t that the best sometimes?!).

I wanted to share the items I keep stocked up for those crazy days, and challenge you to do the same! You don’t have to buy what I have, but think about healthy meals you love, and keep pieces of them in your kitchen.

Challenge: Keep healthy, quick backups on hand.

• These acai and pitaya dragonfruit packs (pictured) are my favorite for busy mornings; just toss one into a blender with a liquid and some greens, and boom, a nutritious meal to-go!
• In the same vein as running out of fruit for my smoothies, greens sometimes go bad and then I have zero to add to a smoothie. I now keep a bag of kale in my freezer for those situations.
• I also keep a big ol’ bag of frozen fruit for oatmeal, smoothies, pancakes, etc.
• Keeping meat (if you eat it) or tofu frozen is great for protein purposes.
• I like to have frozen green beans and bell peppers for an easy stir-fry base.
• Vegetable—or chicken—stock is always in my pantry, so are cannellini beans and quinoa for a soup base. Throw in some of that frozen kale, a protein + seasonings to a crock pot for a quick soup.
• Steelcut oats (love Whole Foods microwavable oatmeal) + nuts store easily, last forever, and are a good hearty breakfast when you don’t have anything fresh. Some frozen berries on top doesn’t hurt either!

Whenever I use one of my “backup” ingredients, I write it down on the fridge so I know to get more. Having these go-to items really helps my mind and body on busy days. I challenge you to plan ahead a bit and stock up on some goodness. I think you’ll be happy you did!

Do you have any backup ingredients you keep on hand?

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