The Best Apps For Meal Planning

Smart Nutritional Planning - There are plenty of apps for that!

Here are a few tried and tested freebies that you will love! We use our smart devices for everything from from banking to gaming to shopping to recording our favorite shows. We might as well use the same technology to help us get smarter in our meal planning. Here are a few great apps for your smart device that will help you get your act together nutritionally. Did I mention these are all free? Here's what I love about each one:

Grocery IQ

This app has simplified my grocery shopping experience by organizing my list into sections that correlate with the sections in the store. For example, fruits and vegetables, dairy, eggs and cheese, meat, etc. Grocery IQ has a huge library of brands and items so as I type in items for my list, I can choose from those that come up. As you shop, you just check off the item you've just tossed into your cart and Grocery IQ moves it from from your list. When you finish at the store, you can hit the checkout button and Grocery IQ will remove the items you checked off but leave the ones you didn't so you know what you need at the next stop or next week. You can even create individual lists for each store you frequent. www.groceryiq.com

My Fitness Pal 

This is a great one for calorie counting or just to get an idea of the breakdown of macro-nutrients you are eating on a daily basis. You can set up your account with your current weight and goals and the app will map out for you how many calories you should eat per day to reach your goal in your time frame. This takes the math out of it for you - gotta love that! Then, you enter what you ate each day from the expansive list of options along with any exercise you did that day. My fitness pal then graphs your carbs, fat and protein and let's you know how you're progressing toward your goals. This can be a great wake up call once in awhile or consistent accountability. www.myfitnesspal.com

Whole Food Recipes 

Not sure what to do with all those random items left in your fridge at the end of the week? This brilliant app helps you search recipes, complete with fabulous photos, based on what you have on hand, by the meal or course and by dietary restrictions. You can then add recipes to your favorites list and even transfer recipes to a whole foods grocery list within the app. Even if you don't have a Whole Foods in your area, (my closest one is an hour away) you can find the ingredients at local stores just in a different brand. It's a great starting place for branching out or to inspire some creativity of your own in the kitchen. www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes