Meal prepping can often seem like a daunting task. What do I cook?!? How much do I buy?! How do I store all of this food? WELL let me just give you a few tips that will make this seem less intimidating and these are baby steps you can incorporate into your routine on Sunday if you find yourself having issues sticking to meal prepping!
- BOIL EGGS! I do this every Sunday. I put about 8-10 eggs in a pot of water and bring to a rapid boil and then immediately turn it off, cover it, and leave it on the eye for 9 mins. Perfect eggs! Put in ice bath right after and store in fridge. Eat throughout the week.
- COOK A TON OF BAKED CHICKEN. If you don’t know what the heck to cook, just bake a ton of chicken. Throw some chopped onions in there too. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. I love dijon mustard as a condiment. Just make sure they did not sneakily add sugar to it!
- STEAM TONS OF BROCCOLI. Again, this is great to have on hand! Add a little salt and pepper and eat with your chicken. Broccoli is so good for you and it will make you feel amazing. Force feed if neccessary. Your body and your abs (or future abs 😉 will thank you!)
- COOK MEAT IN THE CROCKPOT. If you don’t have a crockpot, get one! They are SO easy and wonderful! You can put some meat in there with some spices and forget about it! Get a large pork shoulder or beef of some kind OR chicken if you are cutting fat and put it in that morning and you will come home to a delicious meat for your meal! EASY. So get a crockpot and use it. I have so many crockpot dishes….pineapple pulled pork and chicken – check my crockpot tab on my blog front page.
- ROAST SWEET POTATOES. Wash. Dry. Stick on roasting pan. Roast 1 hour at 400. Cut in half and you’ve got carbs for lunch and dinner. Add grassfed (make sure grassfed) butter and cinnamon and pink salt. Heavy on cinnamon light on salt 😉
- COOK RICE IN BULK. 1-2 cups. White jasmine is my preference. Great to eat post workout! Don’t forget it’s very important to get carbs after your workout – white rice is a great source as it’s fast digesting. Re-fuels your muscles.
- HAVE YOUR DINNERS PLANNED. The only way to successfully stay on the eating clean wagon is to prepare. Prepare your meals. Plan them. Take some time on Saturday or Sunday morning. Sit down and write it out! Write out your lunches and dinners – I make sure to know what I am having through Thursday, at least! Friday it’s easier to run by the store if necessary since the next day is a weekend. So at least be prepared to have meals through Thursday. Go buy EVERYTHING for them on Sunday (or Sat AM) so it’s ready in the fridge. I personally cook fresh veggies and or sweet potatoes every single night so I make sure to cook my meats on Sunday and that’s it (in regards to my dinners). Throw some pork in a crockpot or some chicken and shred it and then you just have to reheat. It’s easy to prep veggies each night, it’s harder to prep an entire meal! Plus, veggies are BEST FRESH when possible because microwaving does zap some of the nutrients – so I try to limit microwave use (although for lunch that’s not possible).
- PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE. Before you go to bed prep the coffee so you can just hit the button and take it with you to the gym (or to drink at home if you workout at home). Prep your mug for your lemon water. Get the cayenne out and sit it next to the mug. Put your meals in glass containers (I prefer glass – microwaving plastic, even BPA free, is still putting chemicals in your food. Target and Walmart have great, cheap glass containers. Lid does not have to be glass). INVEST IN A LUNCHBOX. Does not have to be fancy. Just get one. Carry it with pride. Your homecooked meals are much better for you than eating out at any restaurant.
- BUY GLASS CONTAINERS/TUPPERWARE. As stated before, go to Walmart or Target ASAP and buy at least 5 of these for your lunches so they are prepped. I like glass for microwaving but I do use plastic for just storage in the fridge at home. Stock up on these because then you can meal prep like a pro.
- WHEN IN DOUBT, BUY MORE VEGGIES. AND ACTUALLY EAT THEM. Try to limit your fruit servings. I know fruit is good for you but it’s still a lot of sugar. I limit my servings to 2 per day and the rest is veggies. Make yourself eat them and you will eventually love them. Be sure to have 1-2 servings of veggies (preferably green) at lunch and have 1-2 at dinner. The more the merrier. Buy more than you think you need and follow my recipes to make them taste amazing. Roasting is the best way and you can basically cook everything the same…425 degrees or so for 15 mins…broccoli, brussels, cauliflower (cook cauliflower longer though), asparagus, onions, etc. etc etc. Balsamic vinegar is great but I also love just using garlic powder, red pepper flakes, sea salt, pepper! Red pepper flakes and garlic powder make any veggie taste outstanding. Just do it. Veggies are so good for you and prevent disease and keep you healthy. COUNT YOUR SERVINGS! Aim for 7-9 each day. Like I said, 2 servings of fruit and the rest veggies. Avocado counts as a serving, too!
- AND ON THAT NOTE, PUT SPINACH/KALE IN YOUR SHAKES/SMOOTHIES. It adds no taste. Just tons of vitamins. Do it!!!!! Don’t forget to get some of my favorite protein as well!!!
You have to believe in yourself, and not focus on the fact you are buying so much food or cooking so much. This is the healthiest thing you can do for your body. Get your family on board too – try to stick with it for a full month and by then it will be easy and you will feel so much better. I love knowing where each of my meals comes from and knowing that there are no hidden ingredients that can potentially damage my health. I am here if you have questions or concerns…just get started!!!!! Make it a fun family thing – and all of my delicious recipes are EASY, DELICIOUS, and NUTRITIOUS! Go trash all the junk in your kitchen this weekend. Get it out of the house. That is the only way you won’t be tempted. And go shop for your week and be prepared with nothing but clean food. Stick with it, I promise it gets easier!
xoxo!
Kelly
Kelly Hayman Fitness 