By Contributing Author: Sharon A. See

​It’s back to school for the kiddos! And for most families this means a return to routines and schedules. Be sure to keep your Friday afternoon visit to the Monroe Farmers Market part of your back to school routine. There are still two more months of growing season with lots of nutritious fruits and veggies for the entire family. The market will be open on Fridays through the end of October.

Healthy eating and nutrient rich foods are even more important now. With the beginning of school comes the need for increased immunity. Kids are inside together in close quarters for several hours a day. This means lots of germ swapping.  Keep your kids healthy and their immune systems strong with farm fresh, nutrient dense foods found at the market.

By Contributing Author: Sharon A. See

​Being a health coach, I talk to a lot of people about healthy eating. The most common reason I hear from people who find it challenging to eat healthy is a lack of time. I’ve come to learn, that this is really more of a planning issue than a lack of time issue. We all have the same twenty-four hours in the day. What we choose to do with them makes the difference.

I think we can all agree most things in life go better with some planning and forethought. The same is true for healthy eating and cooking. Do you know that by 4:00 pm on any given day, most families have no idea what they are having for dinner? That’s a recipe for disaster. I don’t know about you, but if I were to leave meal planning for the end of a long day when I’m hungry and tired, I’m not going make the best choices. 

So, in this week's article, I've picked three strategies to share with you. I use these and others with clients who feel they are time challenged when it comes to cooking healthy meals at home.

Create Your Weekly Meal Plan
This first step may not be what you think. This is different than and comes before menu planning. This is…