The Meal Prep world can be scary if you’ve never done it before. I wanted to break it down for you so you are set up for success. In order to be successful in anything you must pan ahead. This is what Meal Prep is all about. Planning ahead, so you can be successful.
Remember, meal prep is a lifestyle change. It takes Planning, planning what you are going to eat. Time, time to prepare the food on your plan, Thought, thought on how you will prepare and cook each item. Knowledge, knowledge on what a balanced plan looks like based on the goals you want to achieve. Schedule, schedule for how many days each plan will last for. Most food is good for four days so planning a schedule around when you have time to prep the food for that time and when you can set aside more time for the rest of the weeks prep.
Maybe this idea could look like:
- Friday you get a new Meal Plan.
- Saturday you shop for the items on the new plan.
- Sunday you wash, cook and prep the food for the next 4 days. THEN
- Wednesday you shop for the next 4 days of food.
- Thursday you wash, cook and prep the food for the rest of the week.
This gives you an idea of how a prep week could look. Plan the schedule around your least busy days. If your food could be frozen, your entire week could be prepped the Sunday. If not, you will know you need to prep twice that week.
Meal Prep Basics
Get a digital scale. These aren’t expensive but are super accurate in weighing your proteins and vital, especially when you are new to meal prep. Don’t guess what 4oz looks like. Weight it and find out.
Get containers to put your meal prep into. Doesn’t need to be high end but you need enough containers for all your meals. If your meal plan had 5 meals a day you’ll need 5 x 4 days = 20 containers. If you’re going to prep the entire week in one day, adjust the amount of containers you’ll need.
Spices & Condiments. Find some low calorie spices and flavoring. Not all spices are zero calorie. This takes some creativity and searching. Take the time to read labels and learn to shop at different stores to get the proper items. Good Earth has a ton of good, healthy options.
Protein. Protein is an essential building block for muscle and maintaining energy throughout the day. The portion size will depend on your health goals.
Choosing a lean protein is important. Choices can include:
- Chicken breast
- Lean ground turkey
- Lean ground beef (90:10)
- Sirloin steak
- Salmon
- shrimp
- Tuna
If your a vegetarian Protein choices can include:
- Black beans
- Garbanzo beans
- Kidney beans
- Edamame
- Tofu
- Tempeh
Vegetables. Vegetables are a great way to complete your meal. Most contain low to no calories. So we can consume a lot of these. Leafy greens are some of the healthiest options out there, and include spinach, kale, and romaine. But if you don’t want raw vegetables the options are limitless. You can sauté green beans, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, sugar snap peas and red, yellow, green, and orange peppers.
You can even prepare spaghetti squash and zucchini to mimic pasta noodles. Lots of ways to spice up your meals. Remember some vegetables, like broccoli, when you consume too much, can give you gas. And can bloat you. So do your research.
Carbohydrates. Although some carbohydrates are limited in most meal plans. Understanding their importance of them being key nutrients that help break down and absorb proteins in your body.
Choosing healthier carbohydrates and turning to whole grains and complex carbs are better options. Items can include:
- Quinoa
- Sweet potato
- Brown rice
So now that I’ve broken down the basics to Meal Prep. Get started. Get a Meal Plan, from me meal plan , meal plan or from another coach. Set aside the time to shop, prepare and cook the foods and start. You will thank yourself.