A lot of us are aware that eating a more whole foods-based diet is something we should be doing, but we often get tripped up in implementing this by common roadblocks that get in our way: namely time and general kitchen/cooking overwhelm. It may be doable to cook ONE healthy meal, but what about the rest of the week? What about work or kid commitments, dietary restrictions, or picky eaters? The truth is cooking dinner is something that a lot of people struggle with. In this episode, Erin sits down with bestselling author Cassy Joy Garcia to discuss ways to cut down on cooking time and overwhelm. Listen in to hear more about meal planning versus meal prepping, how your partner can actually help, and navigating cooking for picky eaters. Cassy Joy doles out real, actionable steps to simplify healthy eating so we can create meals for our families that we feel good about. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the thought of cooking, planning out your weekly dinners, or creating more whole foods-based meals, this is definitely the episode to tune into! Cassy Joy Garcia is the bestselling author of Cook Once Dinner Fix, Cook Once Eat All Week, and Fed and Fit as well as the creative force behind the popular food blog Fed + Fit. Eager to share her healthy living secrets with the world, she started Fed + Fit in 2011. Since then, she became a holistic nutrition consultant and transitioned her personal blog into a tremendously supportive and nimble online wellness editorial, backed by a small but mighty team of writers, researchers, and editors. After realizing that her own struggles to get a healthy homemade dinner on the table overlapped with the same struggles experienced by her readers, she decided that there must be a better way. The Cook Once method was born and it has revolutionized how people cook. She lives in San Antonio, TX with her husband and two children. In this episode: -Building on the importance of a whole foods diet with actionable steps [2:00] -Cassy Joy’s attitude check that helped her reach her goals [5:57] -The evolution in Cassy Joy’s business [10:28] -Where to start when approaching dinner making overwhelm [16:54] -The difference between meal planning and meal prepping [19:09] -How the Cook Once method gives you more kitchen confidence & know-how [27:03] -Cutting down on mental load and decision fatigue [29:32] -If your partner is asking how they can help [30:56] -Animal protein: pre/post cooking storage + defrosting tips [33:12] -Gluten free + special dietary needs adaptations [35:47] -Navigating cooking for picky eaters [38:08] -A simple way to take the overwhelm out of cooking dinner [41:25] FOR OUR FULL LIST OF LINKS + RESOURCES, HEAD TO: https://www.erinholthealth.com/funktional-nutrition-podcast/2021/10/12/episode-176-reducing-dinner-overwhelm-with-cassy-joy-garcia