Realistic Meal Planning Tips The Whole Family Can Follow!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WhatFuelsRight #CollectiveBias

Hello, my name is CourtneyLynne & I'm a crazy cat lady!
​
It's true! If I could live on a kitty farm where I could get kitty snuggles all day every day, I would be the happiest gal on earth!

I'm convinced it's impossible to be stressed or in a bad mood when your getting loved on by a big ball of fur. One of my number one de-stressing methods on a wacky Wednesday is one big ole’ kitty snuggle fest! Better than therapy I tell ya!

Kitties > People
#SorryNotSorry

Meet my two rescue cats Kitty & Baby! Our oldest, Kitty was a tough cat to convert to the loveable side that’s for sure. This cats idea of fun was hiding under beds and hissing at us nonstop when she joined our family. Honestly, I wasn’t use to cats having a dark side. Most cats are drawn to me and Kitty was the exception. She hated us! Or at least she acted like it. I was literally heart broken.

After hours of surfing the web on ways to win a cats heart, I stumbled on the best tips EVER!!! It was so obvious that I wanted to smack myself for not thinking of this sooner.

The Tip?

Wet Cat Food!

​ Cats LOVE to eat!!!! I swear all they do is eat, sleep & bathe themselves so you best believe the following morning I hopped in my car to head to PetSmart to pick up some good Kitty eats!!! PetSmart has the widest variety of premium quality Purina® products available at amazing prices!!! They were bound to have that tasty treat I was looking for.

Hoover Over The Photo Above And Shop Purina At PetSmart NOW!

Why Purina?
Just like the tips you will read below about the human members of your family’s eating habits. It’s important to purchase a pet food with the same types of nutritional value! Purina provides complete and balanced diets for your pets from a leader in wholesome pet nutrition, which include Protein, are Grain-Free and Natural!!

​ Head to the social hub for more stories about how people are going the extra mile to show their pet love, by providing them quality food from

Purina

PetSmart

Right now if you head to your local PetSmart, you can get some killer deals on our cats favorite, Purina Beyond Natural Indoor Cat Food - Grain Free, Salmon, Egg & Sweet Potato AND that wet food favorite, Purina® Beyond Simple Origins Cat Food - Natural, Grain Free, Cod, Herring & Spinach! Plus many more fantastic deals on other Purina foods. Sale begins 3/4.
​
Just head to the cat food aisle and toss a few cans and a bag of dry food in your basket and you’re good to go!

​PetSmart always has the most friendly of staff!! Most animal lovers have the kindest souls out there! So if you do get lost, just ask for one of the many pet-loving employees walking around to point you in the right direction!

It was love a first bite with Kitty. I would use the Purina Beyond Simple Origins Cat Food to lure Kitty out of hiding. I also made sure that we all took turns feeding Kitty. That way she would eventually love us all & not just be food dependent on one of us.

After about a week, Kitty finally decided it was time to join our family. These days she has chosen my husband as her human & is one huge cuddle monster! She follows him everywhere all day everyday. Funny how cats do that when they choose “Their Human”.

A New Cat?

With all the success we had with Kitty, I decided I needed a cat to call me her human. I was a tad bit jealous that I’m the crazy cat lady and didn’t have a cat claiming me. So my daughter and I headed to PetSmart since the Humane Society houses cats there & adopted an 8 year old cat named Baby.

Just like Kitty, Purina Beyond was the answer to gaining Baby’s love. She sure does love her Purina! I will have to update y’all in a few weeks on Baby’s transition into the family. She’s still in the confused I want to eat and cuddle, yet hide phase since I have only been her mommy for 3 weeks AND she’s an older rescue. These pets take more time to transition than kittens.

As you can see above, any pet of mine gets the same royal treatment my husband & daughter receive. My husband may even claim I spoil my pets more on some days. I can’t help it! I am the crazy cat lady after all! But one thing all human AND cat family members in this household have in common is a good meal plan! I want us all to be one happy family forever, and eating right can hopefully help us achieve that!!!

Here are a few realistic meal planning tips the whole family can follow!

1. Swap Soda for Water ~ My husband was the biggest soda drinker of all times! He drank so much of it that my daughter thought if daddy drinks it, Kitty can drink it too! Yes, this really happened! If you follow my Instagram & Twitter, you probably saw the actual photo the day it happened! Kitty was meowing non-stop. I assumed she spotted the bottom of her food fish & ignored her. About 15 minuets later, I walked into the kitchen and spotted the water dish! Yup! Full of Mountain Dew. Don’t let this happen to your poor kitty! Since this happened, we have swapped most of our sodas for water. It was a real eye opener that’s for sure. Not only have our waist lines slimmed down due the fact Water has zero calories, we just feel all around better!
​
2. Never Go Grocery Shopping Hungry ~ I love going to the grocery store after eating a huge lunch since I’m ridiculously full!!! When you have zero cravings since you are beyond stuffed, it’s crazy how things like candy and chips don’t end up in your cart! Not only will your body be thankful for less junk food, your bank account will be happy too! Junk food is expensive!

3. Plan Ahead ~ Never go to the grocery store without a list! Plan out your meals for the week and when you are shopping after that giant lunch you just ate, you will be rather impressed on how little snacks worked their way into your cart! It also helps that urge to order takeout! When you have a meal already planned, you are more likely to stick to it. Use the printable download below and start planning out your family’s meals.

Free Meal Planner Printable
File Size:	546 kb
File Type:	jpg

Download File

---

4. Don’t Skip Breakfast ~ I was a breakfast hater for years! I never wanted to wake up 5 minutes early to grab a bite to eat before running out the door. I would be starving a few hours later and would end up snacking on all sorts of gas station and vending machine garbage. Once I started eating a healthy breakfast daily? The snacking on junk food ended! I was eating way more nutritious food that helped me feel full and consuming way less calories & saturated fats! A total win & worth that extra 5 minuets in the morning.

5. Look For Juices With 50% Less Sugar ~ This is something my husband and I started when my daughter was old enough to drink juice. All the kids juices contain 50% less sugar! It turns out sugar isn’t exactly that great for your body! Actually some people claim sugar is just as bad as fats! The less sugar you intake, the better! So when you see those 50% less sugar juice options at the market, make a habit of reaching for those instead!

6. If You Can’t Grow It Or Raise It, Don’t Eat It ~ Just like our pets get a balanced diet thanks to Purina, make sure you’re family is getting the same balanced diet. Say no to processed foods and say yes to fresh fruits and veggies!!! Grilled chicken and fish also make fantastic dinner options compared to anything frozen, canned or fried!