Break up with salt by cooking more at home

This post was sponsored by the American Heart Association.

Help control sodium by cooking at home more

Yes yes, we know it is easy to suggest that we all cook at home more but it can be daunting to implement. If running around baby-wearing, toddler-chasing, and car-pooling isn’t enough to exhaust us, finding time to cook healthy foods every single day can be.

But we can start with baby steps.

Here are five different strategies that we use to make homemade meals achievable:

Write down a menu for the week. Planning makes the week run smoother, we promise. Whitney has themes for each night to make this even simpler: Monday is breakfast for dinner; Tuesday is DIY tacos, Wednesday is pasta and veggies (with zoodles for the grown-ups!); Thursday is take-out; Friday is pizza night; and Saturday and Sunday are wild cards.

Try a weekly Big Cook on Sunday. There are many ways to tackle the big cook, but I like to season and grill a flank steak and then work my way through the slices on salads, tacos, and sandwiches throughout the week. Another friend, Wendy, roasts a chicken on Sunday and uses the meat for salads, soups, and quesadillas for dinners.

Read more 3 more tricks and tips for eating at home to improve our families’ health >

Thanks to the American Heart Association for inviting us to participate in this important effort. All these opinions and shortcuts are our own!