Remember the days of cooking alongside Mom as you read the ingredients from a much-loved, oil-stained recipe book? Ah yes, the glory days (and stained recipes) will hold a nostalgic place in our hearts, but things have since changed. We live in a digital era, juggling schedules packed with family and work, all while trying to stay in shape and eat healthy. When was that genie in a bottle supposed to come into play, anyway?
(MORE: What You Need to Know About Pinterest)
What if we told you there’s an easier way to search, save, and organize your go-to meals and recipes? Hint: There is.
Meet Pinterest
Pinterest has emerged as the go-to place to visually share what you love via online pinboards. In fact, it’s now the third most visited website in the United States. On Pinterest, you can virtually “pin” a photo that leads to a link anywhere on the web.
As the number of users grows, so does the content. By pinning between friends (repinning) or pinning links from a favorite site, you control what you want to be saved. Think of Pinterest as a online poster board covered in clippings of photos; as you click on each photo, you’re taken to the associated web link.
Because of the way it’s set up, we’ve found Pinterest to be an ideal tool for planning and organizing your weekly recipes all in one place. It just takes a few minutes to set up, and off you go.
Pinners to follow
You’ll quickly find that repinning is the quickest way to save recipes that you can categorize in any way you wish. Thus, following great pinners means you get to nab killer recipes and (ultimately) eat more good food. Win! Here are a few of our favorite healthy food pinners for you to follow.
- Bob’s Red Mill is a great resource for tasty, healthy recipes including meatless and gluten-free options.
- Rachael Ray Magazine is chock-full of enough meals to last a lifetime. Find 30-minute meals, “veg with an edge,” and even how-to’s for the newbie cook.
- Food That’s Healthy by women-focused website How Does She features healthy meals with weight loss tips, including healthy and fun meals for the kiddos.
- Healthy Food that Looks Good is exactly what it sounds like. We’ll let your taste buds be the judge.
- Eat Up by fashion designer Michael Kors must be how the Project Runway king can stay looking sharp. When you’re stuck sitting next to Heidi Klum all day, you better hope you’re eating right.
- My Healthy OC features fresh, healthy options for apps, kids’ lunches, dinners, salads, and even a board dedicated to smoothies.
Organizing meals
Now that you’ve found some great recipes, it’s time to get organized. Try out our ideas to help you organize your new mouth-watering faves.
- Stay on track with your diet by keeping a board for each day of the week. For example, on Monday’s board, you could list a morning smoothie recipe, lunch, snack, and dinner. Create your entire meal plan day by day, eliminating the need for a quick Taco Bell run.
- You can also categorize recipes by diet preference. Maybe you’re a vegetarian, but you also like to incorporate dishes with no carbs. Set up a board for each preference, so when you’re craving something in particular, you can get exactly what you need.
- If you cook for guests and love to entertain, make a different board for eating within each season. Begin with a few dishes on the board for summer barbecues, or create a winter stew board. You could also do the same for meals for specific holidays, such as a Thanksgiving board or a holiday dinner board — the choice is up to you.
Now that you’re loaded with an arsenal of knowledge, it’s time to get your nom-nom on. Happy pinning!
This article was written by Haely White and originally appeared on Tecca.
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