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by Coach Bianca
WHAT? Meal prepping can be easy? It doesn’t take all day? Is this for me?
Who doesn’t want to be successful and master the art of food?
At first it can be a little intimidating to think, “crap now I have to meal prep, and cook for my family and feed my children and still eat healthy. There is no way I can do the whole eating healthy, meal prep thing”
Well I hope that after I give you some “beginner” friendly tips you change your mind and decide to give it a try. Meal prep can be really intimidating at first, but really it just takes planning, practice, and staying committed to your goals. It can be done just like you get laundry done, make your bed, or brush your teeth. Meal prep became one more action in my weekly routine that prepares me for a little more success during my week.
When I eat healthy, and I stay within my “diet” (no process foods) I feel better about myself, and it reflects in my energy, emotions, thoughts, actions and my favorite, IN THE GYM!
“But… Coach it’s not that easy.”
Well… It sorta is. That’s all. Meal prep is not hard; it just takes time. If you are like me, a creature of habit then it becomes a must for my week to go smoothly.
Step one:
-Every Saturday after training I head over to Costco with my shopping list.
-I choose one vegetable for that week, maybe 2 or 3 if I’m feeling adventurous.
-I choose one heavy carb for the week; this is sweet potato, brown rice, pasta, plantains… etc. depending on my diet preferences. Right now I am mostly Paleo so I grab sweet potatoes.
-I choose my protein for the week: one package of chicken breasts and one of thighs.
Step two:
On Sunday, after I eat breakfast and enjoy my morning coffee I start this whole ritual. I normally give myself 90 mins to about 2.5 hours to get it all done.
Too much time? Nah.
I literally bake all my sweet potatoes, (I put them in, and check on them every 30 mins) SO HARD! Right?
I bake two sheets of greens, normally broccoli or Brussels sprouts. (20 mins) check on the every 10 mins.
I pick a weekly sauce; can be anything from Mexican salsa to Korean BBQ sauce. And I either marinate my chicken to grill or throw it on the crock-pot and let it cook.
*While my food is going, I am cleaning my house, paying bills, sometimes even watching TV. Depends on what kind of Sunday it is.*
Step three:
Place all the cooked food in 3 big containers of prepared food. Every night I pack individual meals (5 mins) of my breakfast and lunch, sometimes snacks such as fruit, protein shake, nuts…etc. (What ever fits my Macros).
Step four:
Have a kick as week where I don’t starve, or make decisions that make me feel guilty, or having to eat out and have to guess what is in the food I just bought at the local coffee shop.
But Coach… WHAT IF I GET BORED?
By giving myself structure M-F I allow myself to go out to eat on the weekends, I normally eat something completely different that I didn’t have during the week, or sometimes I even eat what ever I been craving. I do have to say this: by supporting myself with healthy choices and good options during the week, I normally just want to continue on a good note, I may here and there eat a burger and fries AND THAT’S OK. I do recognize that I don’t feel to great after those choices, but sometimes I just want some CHEESE in my life. I also know that I will be okay, it is not the end of the world, I am not a failure and I will surround myself with good choices the rest of the week, so ONE treat or two is OKAY.
One last thing! FUNNY STORY!
I recently was craving… well a SALAD. If you know me I’m always like “YEAHHHH MEAT GAINZ, CARBS, GAINS!… LOL but this weekend I was like “WOW SALAD, WOW cucumbers, wow HOMEMADE DRESSING, YAAASSS!” and that was my happy meal for the weekend. I was in shock, as I stopped and realized, WOW I had been compliant in my meal prep and eating all week, and my craving turned into more fresh, more gains more veggies!
So.. I took a picture and decided to share with all of you!
This is me with my happy salad.
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Cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, romaine lettuce, pan fried Salmon, feta cheese, avocado, and some random dressing (lemon juice, rice vinegar and salt).
My take away:
- Have a plan
- Start small and simple
- Celebrate your wins
- Be kind to yourself, and learn from your mistakes.
- With time you can expand your recipes and explore your talents! But I suggest you dial in the routine first and you’ll be having “Fancy” meal prep in no time
- Beware of those who will want your delicious homemade meal, you might have to hide in a closet at work. 😛
Coach Bianca
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