We have heard this
over and over…. Meal prep is KEY to having a successful week. It’s so true! If
you don’t have it prepped, you are more likely to grab the most convenient
thing… which is most likely not so good for you.
Here are a ten tips to help you with your meal
prep/plans :
1-Make a Plan
Make a list of your favorite
healthy foods, choose some simple recipes that you can make quickly or in
bulk. Make sure you choose what you are
going to eat for every snack and meal.
This may take a little bit at first but this step does get easier and
faster with some practice.
TIP: You can save your plan for a week in the
future. Once you create a few meal prep
menus then you can rotate them every week or every other week to keep things
interesting. I am going to work on
creating a few for myself today.
2-Stick to Your
Grocery List
When you are
shopping, don’t let the sales on junk food tempt you into throwing it into your
cart. If you don’t have it in your house
then you won’t have to worry about having the willpower to avoid it. Now, I
realize that sometimes we have to buy it for our family members, but I suggest
weaning them away from it too. If it’s
not good for you, why is it good for your loved ones?
Impulse purchases…if
you can find a way to fit it in with your eating plan for the week, then go for
it, but keep them to a minimum. It helps
with your waist line and your budget.
3- Don’t Forget About
Shakeology
For those of you who
drink Shakeo…If you feel like you are short on fruits and veggies, this is one
healthy snack that takes care of it all.
I make sure to drink mine every
morning. Don’t let yourself get stuck
drinking the same shakeo every day though.
Try out some new recipes. I have
found a few lately that I absolutely love.
I share them on my like page. J
4-Keep Snacks Simple
When you are cooking
everything for your week, or even 3-4 days at a time, (I usually do from Sunday
to Wednesday, then Thursday to Saturday), it is so important to keep things
simple. Save some time by choosing
snacks that are simple to prepare. Cups
of fresh fruit, nuts, cut up veggies with hummus and hard boiled eggs are great
snack ideas.
5-Cook Foods All At
Once
Roast your veggies,
sweet potatoes and meat all at once.
That way your dishes are all prepared for the week, ready in about 30
minutes or so. This saves you so much
time.
6-Look for Shortcuts
Buy your veggies and
fruit precut (I don’t normally do this), or a cooked rotisserie chicken (be
careful with this, because your not sure how much salt they use). Tuna is an easy no cook protein that you can
add to your salads or snacks. If you are
roasting veggies in the oven then try this tip to cook a dozen eggs…
Preheat your oven to
325. Put your eggs in a muffin tin and bake them for 30 minutes. Then carefully remove them and plunge the
eggs into a bowl of ice water until cool.
7-Get on the Mason
Jar Salad Bandwagon
Mason jar salads are
very practical. They cost about a dollar
a piece, are microwave safe (remove the lid first) and have a lot of uses. The dressing is at the bottom of the jar and
the greens are at the top, no soggy lettuce for you! I will share a few salad recipes later on. J
8-Mix Things Up
Eating the same meal
every day can make your meal planning very easy. AND it is very tempting to do
that, but you can get bored with what you eat.
Have two lunch options and two dinner options. You can do this by choosing different
proteins for your salads each day or eating chicken with your veggies three
nights a week and fish with veggies the other nights. Get creative but still remember to keep
things simple.
9-Invest in Food
Storage Containers
It’s a great idea to
choose one container type and buy several that stack and store neatly. Insulated bags make carrying your meals
everywhere you go a breeze. Mason jars
and sturdy pyrex are great containers as well.
Make sure whatever you choose is microwave safe and BPA-free.
10-Keep Your Eyes on
the Prize
All of these tips and
your meal prep have a purpose and that is to help you reach your health and
fitness goals. When everything is
prepared and it is in the fridge ready for you to take out and go, then you
will be less tempted to grab something from McD’s or a gas station. It doesn’t matter if you are doing your meal
prep for a few days at a time, or for a week, getting it done will help you
stick to your meal plan, focus on your goals and give you more time to Push
Play!
~Darlene <3
