Moving is difficult for everyone. It’s expensive, it’s time-consuming, it wreaks havoc with our emotions, our sleep cycles, and our bodies. Still, for most of us, it is something we have to do at least once or twice in our lives if not quite a lot more.
There are steps that you can take to mitigate the stress and expense of moving, of course. For example, the moving experts at North American Van Lines recommend that you begin preparing for your move up to eight weeks before the actual event.
Another step you can take is to declutter as much as possible so that your move won’t take up as much space or cost as much money.
Packing a suitcase with clothes and necessities for the couple of weeks that bookend your moving day so you won’t have to worry about finding something to wear or having to dig through boxes to find your personal hygiene products can also help with the stress factor.
The one area that continues to flummox people, however, is food. How do you stick to a healthy meal plan if you’re trying to pack up your kitchen? Are you really relegated to dinners out? Do you have to resign yourself to weeks of fast food menus and drive-thrus?
No! Here are some of our favorite “eat well while moving” tips.
Eat it All Up
Moving is the perfect time to eat your way through all of the food you have in your freezer and pantry. This is a much better plan that ordering out/in for every meal. Obviously, you aren’t going to want to cook every single night so, as you’re gearing up for the big moving day, take the opportunity to “cook ahead.” Prep lasagnas, stews, casseroles, etc. Put them in those disposable foil trays you can buy 3 for $5 and store them in your freezer. Thaw them in the fridge during the busiest days so that they’re ready to pop in the oven when you’ve finished a garage sale or packing spree!
Grocery Store Picnic
This is one of our favorites because it allows you to eat real food while also not requiring you to do a bunch of cooking or cleaning up.
Head to your local grocery store. Have everybody pick out their favorite roll from the bakery section. Individual rolls usually cost less than a dollar. Then head toward the refrigerated section of the store. Look for the sandwich meat and the already thoroughly cooked proteins. You can often find single servings of sandwich meat, cut up chicken, etc. Next, use the grocer’s salad bar for whatever veggies and spreads (you can put them in those little cups) you prefer to include. Make sure to grab a plastic knife or two while you’re there. Add a piece of fruit and a small bag of chips and voila! You have a perfectly healthy and “home” made sandwich for every member of the family!
You can change this up depending on what your grocer offers from it’s deli and bakery section. Some grocers offer cups of freshly made soups, hot food dishes, etc.
Snack Like You Mean It
One of the biggest reasons that we opt for take out or fast food when we are moving is that we forget to take the time for regular meals and snacking. Set reminders on your phone and keep a stash of healthy snacks on hand to curb any cravings or hunger spikes you might feel during the day. This way, at the end of the day you’ll have enough energy to do some basic meal prep. Healthy snacks are also important during the actual move, especially if the move is long-distance.
There are lots of fresh foods that make great snacks and travel well. Stock up!
Keeping up a healthy diet plan while you’re moving is important. Not only will it help you save money, it will help keep up your energy and make all of the other moving stressers easier to deal with.
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