Meal prep, food prep, is the #1 way you are going to succeed with a healthy lifestyle. Why? Because when something is already done and ready to go you are going to grab for it. Easy. Imagine this:
Around 5pm start thinking about what to have for dinner. You have 2 kids asking when dinner is going to be ready. You have cleaned as much of the house as you can and then the kids just made a disaster zone of your house since their school work is done and they are HUNGRY! Go to the fridge and look in there and find:
Scenario #1:
Chicken still partially frozen that you put from the freezer to the fridge this morning and it will take more time to defrost.
Scenario #2:
Pre-packaged meals that are already done and ready to go just need to be heated up and that will take less than 5 minutes!
Scenario #3:
Nothing really in there is calling to you so it is an instant Pizza night or fast food because it is too late to start making something now!
I have been there with all 3 of these scenarios. At 6 I am beyond that point in my day of trying to think of things to do to make dinner. (I say 6 because 3 days a week I teach until 6pm.) And often for those days, if I don't have anything all ready to eat before 6 then it is a boxed Mac n Cheese, or a pizza night for us. Which neither of those things are good for us.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Sunday nights I make my rice in my rice cooker. Season it with fajita seasoning to give it some kick and a yummy taste. And I also just cook up some chicken on the stove. I am going to try this week to make a kind of stir fry with broccoli. Cook the chicken and then add some broccoli florets in the pan near the very end. And I just got these awesome
Meal Prep Containers on Amazon to help me sort them out for each day. Dishwasher safe and microwave safe too, however, for personal reasons I don't really use my microwave.
I am going back into my stricter eating habits for the next 8 weeks. This is one of my resolutions. Challenge myself to eat a super clean, healthy lifestyle for 8 weeks, and honestly see what it does for me and my body. So for me, these containers will be perfect. Mine and my husband's meals will be done and ready each day of the week. Just heat it up and go!
Here is what I am planning for my week!
Meal 1 (Breakfast): Egg scramble with onion and bell peppers. Apple 1 slice of GF bread – 1.5 red, 1 green, 1 purple, 1 yellow
Meal 2 (Snack): Quinoa Berry Parfait – 1 purple, 1 red, 1 yellow,
Meal 3 (Lunch): Chocolate Shakeology with almond milk, peanut butter, 1 banana, 1 kale shot. – 1 red, 1 purple, 2 green, 1 tsp
Meal 4 (Snack M/W/F/Su): 3 tsp. peanut butter and an apple, cucumber – 1 purple, 3 tsp 1 green.
Meal 4 (Snack T/Th/Sa): carrots and bell peppers with hummus- 1 green, 1 blue, 1 orange
Meal 5 (Dinner M/W/F/Su): Chili Spiced Chicken Salad. zucchini sautéed with ground cumin and 1 tsp. olive oil, salad of black beans, quinoa, cilantro, tomatoes, cotija cheese, lime juice, and 1 tsp. olive oil – 1.5 red, 2 green, 2 yellow, 1 blue, 2 tsp 1 orange.
Meal 5 (Dinner: T/Th/Sa): Baked chicken breast, fajita seasoned brown rice, broccoli roasted with 1 tsp. olive oil, bell peppers and onions sautéed in 1 tsp. olive oil – 1.5 red, 2 green, 2 yellow, 2 tsp.
Meal 6 (Snack M/W/F/Su): Cottage Cheese – 1 red
Meal 6 (Snack T/Th/Sa): Greek Yogurt with blueberries – 1 red, 1 purple.
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