Meal Prep 101

By popular demand, here are some quick meal prep tips:

- Pick 2 of each of the following and prepare them in bulk ahead of time: meats (chicken, ground beef, salmon, etc.), carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, oat, etc.), veggies (bell peppers, asparagus, broccoli, etc.), and fats (avocados, healthy oils, nuts/seeds, etc.).

- Use one of each to create each meal (1 protein, 1 carb source, 1 veggie, 1 fat)

- Mix and match them differently to create a variety of meals to last you the week so you don’t get bored.  Creating the same meal for the whole week is a surefire way to wind up off track and in the drive through line.

- Weigh and measure amounts of each into containers and label it with the macros based on amounts.  Put amounts on a piece of tape: example: 410 cals/ 40g protein/ 40g carbs/ 10g fat

- Make sure you have enough meals for lunch breaks at work, and any other meals you won’t have time to prepare throughout the week.

- If you have time to prepare breakfast or dinner on your own each day then great!  But try and at least plan/log those meals ahead of time so you stay the course.

- Consider meal prepping for the weekend too since this is when most people fall of track.  Plan and log those days the same you would your weekday meals.  If you know you are going out later in the day plan for it by making the needed adjustments to your meals (lower carb/ higher protein).

- Consider investing in glass containers so you are not eating out of heated plastic too often as this can cause a variety of health and hormonal issues.

- Short for time?  Look into frozen rice, potatoes, and veggies with pre-made meats like rotisserie chicken.  But fresh is always best, so try and prep whenever you can!

- Play around with spices!  Spices are a cheap and easy way to add some flavor to your food, so buy a few and try them to see what you like!  My personal favorite is “Everything but the bagel” from Trader Joe’s.