One of the biggest reasons people can't stick to a healthy lifestyle is the frustration of trying to find something to eat for dinner after a long day at work. This is especially taxing if you've got other people in your family to feed, which can lead even the most disciplined person straight to the drive-thru. Planning your menus for the week and doing your grocery shopping during the weekend is a fantastic solution to this problem. Sit down with your roommate or spouse and talk about what you want to eat for the week (hint: if you're just starting out as a cook, plan for three nights and plan healthy take-out or something easy like sandwiches for the other two weeknights). Make a list of every single ingredient you need to make the dishes, go to the grocery store and purchase them. Do as much prep work as you can in your spare time (chopping veggies, making sauces, etc.) so when it's time to put a meal together, it's already partly done. Plus, you'll already have the groceries in your fridge and the recipes chosen, so you won't want to waste the ingredients you already bought.
