Food Prep….why do it? Well...because in reality most of us have hectic schedules so when life get’s crazy during the week having your food prepped and ready will help ensure you stay on track with your nutrition goals instead of grabbing fast food (yuck), ordering pizza (delicious but not ideal unless it fits your macros for the day), or worse...stopping at a gas station and filling up on packaged food I like to refer to as chemical shit storms. It makes sense to prep your delicious whole foods ahead of time both from a nutritional standpoint AND a budget standpoint! So why aren’t more people doing this?! Let's be real, food prep can be a daunting task if you go into it unprepared. I've been working with clients on food prep for quite some time and I've found that those who haven't dipped their toes into this have similar initial questions and fears, so I wanted to address those publicly in hopes it will help someone else 😊😘
1. First and foremost I often hear people say they don’t have time to meal prep. I call Bull$%^#. If YOUR health and the health of your family isn’t a priority then you need to take a step back and re-examine where you’re spending your time.
2. No, you do not have to prep your entire week in advance. That’s a lot to comprehend if you’re new to this. You certainly can, but if you find that doesn't work for you for some reason then don't throw in the towel completely, just try a different tactical approach. Try prepping for two or three days in advance and see how that goes, then move forward accordingly. Each time you prep you’ll learn new ways you can save time and money. It’s actually pretty fun!
3. KEEP. IT. SIMPLE. Period. So many times I watch people try to take on intricate recipes and extensive meal plans when quite frankly you can make a variety of flavors and meals with a few staple items. Depending on your macro breakdown, your goals, and your palate, find your basics and run with it. For example, our Basics include sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, fish, chicken, turkey bacon, eggs, egg whites, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, brussel sprouts, onions, bell peppers, bananas, apples, and every berry you can imagine. Doesn't seem like much does it? With a creative mind (or a quick Pinterest search) and a few spices you can create a wide variety of different flavors and meals.
4. Related to above...the most efficient way to do this is to sit down with pen and paper and plan out your meals for the week. Make sure you’ve hit your nutrition goals for each day, then make your grocery list based on what’s on your menu and STICK TO IT.
5. Even if you don’t want to cook all your meals ahead of time you can absolutely cut down on prep time during the week by spending a few minutes on a Sunday afternoon chopping up vegetables. Hence this photo! I am blessed with a schedule that allows me time to cook every day so instead of prepping all my meals, I simply plan out my weekly menu then do misc things ahead of time. I like to chop all my vegetables and store them in glass containers in the fridge, this cuts down quite a bit of time in the evenings. For example on Monday, Wed, & Thursday nights I teach classes so I don’t’ get home until fairly late. If I waited until then to decide what we’re eating and start cooking, it would likely take me an hour and I’d get frustrated with having to wait (Hanger is a real thing people..) and order pizza instead...and THAT is not going to get me anywhere. So, those nights, I know we’ll be having baked chicken and typically some variation of stir fry veggies. All of these vegetables chopped up ahead of time will make it easy to throw in the pan as soon as I walk in the door. 20 minutes later and voila, dinner is served!
If you’d like more hands on tips head to Google or Pinterest, because I love you but quite frankly that is the easy part. Figuring out your menu and getting started is the hard part...the hands on part is easy. You simply cook your proteins, measure them out, and store them accordingly. You do the same with your grains, fruits, and veggies. You truly can’t believe what a difference this makes in your life!! It saves time, (aka more time with your kiddos or loved ones, or time to exercise, shop, clean, or however you wish to spend your lunch breaks and evenings) saves money (we can get all the food we need for the week for BOTH of us for under $60), and saves those empty calories. I hope this helped ease some fears or answer some initial hesitations!! As always, don’t hesitate to let me know if you have questions! XOXO
