How to Create Weekly Routines for Success in the Kitchen

Are your weekly routines in the kitchen taking you closer to your goal or farther away?

In my opinion, weekly routines for success in the kitchen are the most important piece of the puzzle. By scheduling a few simple routines, chaos and overwhelm can be replaced with peace and effortless meals.

As my children’s activities intensified and our schedule began bursting at the seams, I quickly realized weekly routines in the kitchen were a necessity. As soon as I implemented meal planning, shopping, and meal preparation routines, I began to enjoy my busy and full season of motherhood.

This post is all about How to Create Weekly Routines for Success in the Kitchen.

The Keystone Habit

In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg (Random House, 2014) shares a transformational story about the power of starting a chain reaction with habits. “Keystone habits” matter the most and can shift and create new patterns that can transform everything! What if you created a few simple weekly routines that changed everything for your daily health success?

Head back to How to Create Monthly Routines for Success in the Kitchen to plan out your month before diving into this post. The key to victory in the kitchen is to create monthly, weekly, and daily routines.

Weekly Routines for Success

With your pantry and supplement shelf stocked, the kitchen crew chomping at the bit to help, and your calendar wide open, it is time to “break it down!” Because I work with women who want to feel their best and love the bodies they live in, throughout this post the goal will be – to eat three or more vegetables a day and drink half your body weight in fluid ounces of water.

1. Where’s Your Mindset?

Although this post is about “strategies” for your weekly routine, only 5% of your success lies in strategy! Whaaaaaat? 95% is your mindset about health and success in the kitchen. It takes time and energy to create the healthiest life you desire and if you keep thinking it’s hard, overwhelming, not working, and/or you are unorganized, lazy, or undisciplined, you will go right back to the chaos.

Therefore, if the goal for the month is to eat three or more vegetables a day and drink half your body weight in fluid ounces of water then that is what should be on your mind all the time! Repeat your goal EVERY TIME you are in the kitchen, EVERY TIME before a meal or snack, and EVERY TIME you pick up your glass to drink! What No One Told You About the Importance of Mindset and Your Health gives you more insight behind “why” this repetition is important.

Here are a few ideas to keep your mindset focused on the goal to eat three or more vegetables a day and drink more water:

Start your day in gratitude for fresh vegetables and an abundant supply of clean water
Place vegetables on the counter and your refrigerator shelf, eye-level
Fill a jug with the specific amount of water you’d like to consume in the fridge, knowing it must be empty before bed
Write the goal – I’m so happy and grateful now that I eat three or more vegetables a day and drink half my body weight in water several times throughout the day.
Feel the feelings you will feel when you eat more vegetables and drink more water – feel the energy, focus, clarity, or feel light on your feet or visualize your glowing skin – soak it all in!

2. Meal Plan for Success

The Not So Boring Truth About Family Meal Prep explains my weekly system for success in the kitchen. Because your goal is front and center, meal planning takes out the guesswork on “how” you will accomplish it. For example, to eat three or more vegetables a day, you can choose three meals with three different vegetables or mix and match any way that best fits the day. Think of it as an adventure and every vegetable is a stepping stone along the way!

Here are a few ideas to keep your meals focused on the goal to eat three or more vegetables a day and drink more water:

Write one to two vegetables into each meal, on your plan
Incorporate one new vegetable a week

3. Shopping Routine

Shopping as a routine may sound absurd! You may be thinking, of course, I shop every week. But, do you shop with intention or on the fly? Creating an intentional shopping experience will not only help you achieve your goals faster but save you time. And I bet you’d like more time in your life!

Here are a few ideas to keep your shopping focused on the goal to eat three or more vegetables a day and drink more water

Visit the Farmer’s Market to buy fresh, local, and in-season
Create your shopping list in the order of the aisles (fruits/veggies, pasta/grains, sauces, meats, dairy)
Select shopping times and days that are less busy (early Sunday morning or later evening)
Stack your shopping day after a specific activity or during a scheduled kid activity (Wednesdays, during 4:00 dance lesson)

4. Prepare for Success

My friends roll their eyes at me when we chat about preparation! Prepared is my middle name! Yes, I’m the mom at the ball field with the basket and cooler of healthy snacks! Of course, preparation is essential for your weekly routines. If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail, have a setback, or fall off the wagon! So, just follow this simple direction – prepare!

Here are a few ideas for preparation focused on the goal to eat three or more vegetables a day and drink more water

Wash, cut, and store vegetables in mason jars
Make a few salads in a jar
Make a dip or two that is irresistible for veggie snacking – I prefer homemade guacamole or hummus
Stock up with low calorie, zero sugar drink packets – for a few ideas visit my Shop page

Although weekly routines for success do not require the brain of a rocket scientist, your health depends on these simple keystone habits in the kitchen. Beginning with a positive mindset, creating a simple meal plan in alignment with your goals, shopping, and ending with meal preparation leads you on a path to a strong finish.

Come back next week for the final post in this series about creating routines for success in the kitchen.

How to Create Weekly Routines for Success in the Kitchen

The Keystone Habit