6 Easy Ways to Eat Healthy When Life Gets Crazy

I'm JUST back from almost 6 weeks(!) of intense travel, and I’m SO happy to be home.

Holidays are great, but I missed our coffee maker and our dog.

It was a whirlwind of back-to-back trips to Indonesia (honeymoon ❤️), Mexico (business 🙌), and the Sunshine Coast, BC (my bestie’s 50th bday 🎂)...

And a LOT of eating really random / different / unhealthy foods.

My guts feel like total garbage and really, all I've been wanting for about 2 weeks is one of my big, beautiful salads…

But I’m currently fighting something, my period is imminent and I have so much going on I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or nap.

So tonight, in hopes of making a healthy dinner, I stood and stared blankly into the void of our fridge: 

My sweet, sweet husband, Bryan, had “stocked” it with half a zucchini, 3 dry carrots, some wilted kale, a stupid amount of cheese, pickles and a pack of sausages. A for effort?

Nonetheless, as much as we just wanted to get take-out sushi or Thai or basically anything else, we did not...

We stubbornly stuck it out on the healthy train, sticking to our resolve to bring our food intake back to normalcy after weeks of overindulging.

Good thing I was prepared (see below).

Anyway, if like me, you ever catch yourself wondering, “How am I supposed to eat healthy when I barely have time to breathe?”

I get it. My clients ask me this all the time.

I get that eating well can feel like just one more freaking task on an already packed to-do list.

But here’s the good news: eating healthy when you're short on time is way easier than it seems....

A tiny bit of planning goes a long way. 

Think of it as “future-you” doing “present-you” a solid. 

Cook once, eat thrice. 

Avoid the 6pm stare-into-the-fridge panic.

And keep yourself from ending up in a full-blown “food emergency,” AKA: ravenous, unprepared, and one step away from grabbing whatever is closest. 

Cooking your own food is an act of love for yourself, and over time, could save your health (and even your life).

So…

Here are 6 super simple strategies that help me (and my clients) stay on track with healthy eating — no matter how wild the week gets.

1. Make a list (and stick to it).

Take a few minutes once a week to plan meals and write a grocery list. Grab everything you need in one trip. It saves time, money, and keeps random junk food from magically hopping into your cart. Bonus tip: NEVER shop hungry unless you enjoy buying 14 snacks you didn’t plan on.

2. Frozen is your friend.

Frozen veggies—especially organic—are clutch when time is tight. Same goes for frozen grass-fed beef, wild salmon, and berries. Warehouse stores can be surprisingly great for stocking up, saving you time and money. If you’ve got freezer space, fill it! Future you will be grateful.

3. Go for pre-prepped.

If chopping veggies feels like a major commitment, grab pre-washed greens or pre-cut produce. Yes, they cost a bit more—but if the choice is between healthy and takeout again, pre-prepped wins every time.

4. Don’t fear canned foods.

High-quality canned or jarred staples—like broths, sardines, wild salmon, artichokes, or roasted red peppers—make last-minute meals a breeze. Go for lower-sodium versions and stuff that’s low in gluten, dairy, sugars, and other unwanted nasties…and BPA-free cans whenever possible. Homemade is even better!

5. Pick two prep days (and make them fun!)

Once your kitchen’s stocked, choose two days—Sundays and Wednesdays are great—to do some meal prep. Chop veggies, cook grains, mix sauces… turn on some music, get the family involved, and make it a vibe instead of a chore. This is what my husband and I do and I gotta admit, I look forward to it! (If you have kids, teach them how to prep & cook from a young age and they’ll thank you later.)

6. On chaotic days, choose the best option—not perfection.

Some days everything falls apart, sh*t gets wild, and even tossing a salad together feels like a heinous chore. That’s why you keep healthy backup snacks: boiled eggs, olives, nuts, seeds, whatever keeps your blood sugar happy until dinner…even if dinner is a can of salmon, toast and a bagged salad.
Plus, many grocery stores now have healthy hot bar options. Whole Foods rotisserie chicken + pre-cooked veggies? Fast food glow-up.

The point is: always aim for the best choice available—not the perfect one.

If you want more support getting into a healthy rhythm, join my FREE Better Beyond 40 group on Skool or check out my free Masterclass, a training I developed to help you master your hormones and metabolism.

You’ve got this! We've got this together. 💪🥗

Mary