Fast Meals for September’s Busy Routines
By Shannon Olson, Registered Dietitian
September flips the switch from summer flow to jam-packed days. Suddenly “what’s for dinner?” turns into decision fatigue. If that’s you, you’re not alone.
A client of mine was training hard —often doing more before 9 a.m. than most do in a week—but felt stuck. Her routine looked “healthy”: smoothie for breakfast, salad with chicken for lunch. By 3 p.m. she’d crash and graze on snacks until dinner, and continue into the evening. Once we balanced carbs and protein across her day and aligned meals with training, her energy leveled out, workouts felt stronger, and her results finally showed.
Fueling smarter isn’t about eating less—it’s about eating intentionally. A simple plan makes it doable:
The 4-Step Meal Planning Method:
Block time for success. Don’t cram it all into Sunday. Schedule mid-week blocks to plan, shop, and do quick pre-prep.
Use fast methods. Match meals to the time you have: sheet-pan when you need hands-off, slow cooker for busy nights, batch cook and freeze for extra busy weeks, no-cook options when energy is low.
Build your recipe collection. Use recipe books organized by cooking method, or search by method online and save your fav’s!
Prep & delegate. If you live with others, delegate age-appropriate tasks. You don’t have to do it all! Look at what can be done in advance and assign to others.
Shortcut: The 3-2-1 Method
Pre-prepare or purchase 3 proteins, 2 grains or legumes, 1 sauce or dressing. Add veggies (fresh or frozen), mix-and-match, done.
Next step: For more information on this grab my free guide with My Top 3 Nutrition Secrets to Train Smarter and Perform Better? Grab it here.
About the Author Shannon Olson is a Registered Dietitian who helps runners and triathletes fuel smarter, optimize performance so they can show up big on race day. She provides step-by-step strategies and personalized support to make nutrition feel simple and sustainable in every phase of training. You can check her out on instagram and facebook!