Meal Prep 101

How To Plan Your Meals For The Week

How many of you want to start meal prepping but have no idea how or where to even begin?!
YOU'RE IN LUCK!
Meal prepping doesn't really have to be about calories, or portion control. Although I encourage counting macros, meal prepping for you can simply be about saving time and making better eating choices. Before driving yourself crazy trying to learn how to count macros, learning to prep meals and portion control all at once.. start slow. Teach yourself how to prep meals first. Once that's down you can dive into other things. Now.. 

Think about this:
– What does your week look like? Think about when you have the least amount of time, or when you normally resort to eating out, and prep for THAT.
– Prep for only what you need. You don’t have to prep every meal.

I usually have breakfast at home, prep my lunches &cook dinner when I get off work.
I don't usually prep my breakfast because it is always something simple. However I cook my lunches for the week in advance and put them in containers and heat them up at work. I prepare my dinners but I usually cook them the same day.

I'm goin to give you the best break down of meal prepping I have &hope it helps to get you started!

​It's important to get a balanced meal. You need to have a little of everything in your daily meals to make sure your body is getting its proper nutrients and vitamins from different foods.
​

Healthy Fats
Avocado
EVOO
(extra virgin olive oil)
Walnuts
Peanuts
Almonds
Coconut Oil
Pistachios
Pecans
Olives
Sesame Seeds
​

Veggies
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Carrots
Spinach
Red Cabbage
Tomatoes
Frozen Veggie Mix
Asparagus
Onions
Peppers
​Celery
​Zucchini

Protein
Beans
Chicken
Steak
Lentils
Turkey
Beef
White Fish
Salmon
Pork Tenderloin
Scallops
Deli Meat
(natural if possible)

Smart Carbs
Quinoa
Brown Rice
​Oatmeal
Sweet Potato
Corn
Peas
Wheat Tortilla
Whole Wheat Bread
Butternut Squash
Wheat Pasta
​Mashed Potatoes

​How you are cooking your items is just as important as choosing them over other things.
We should be practicing better cooking methods because we want to keep as much of our foods nutrients and vitamins as possible. We loose these when we cook carelessly. 
For example:
Steaming our veggies over boiling them. Instead of frying our meats try baking or grilling them. When seasoning our foods we should use more fresh herbs and make our own sauces. This all sounds difficult and time consuming. However, if we prep all of this in advance we save time, money AND we are eating SO MUCH BETTER!
Bare with me guys and I promise I will educate you in a way that you can appreciate.

Prep It!

Iv been freezing my veggies and fruits as well as my cilantro and other herbs for some time now &its worked WONDERS for my cooking and meal prepping needs!
Plan your meals &then make a grocery list. Head to the grocery store &buy the things you need while being mindful of storing time for your produce &grains, such as breads.
DO NOT GO TO THE STORE HUNGRY!

Make sure you have the proper containers, freezer bags and things you may need for your meal prep storage. I have endless Tupperware and Ziploc bags of all sizes including freezer friendly and room temp. It's ridiculous really, but necessary. Air sealing containers will be your best friend when meal prepping because they keep yours meals freshness longer.

Iv learned over time the way this process can go smoothly for me is by doing it the same day I grocery shop. I enjoy prepping for the week on a Sunday. I consider it my "get sh*t done day".
Prepping after the grocery store can be a bit much for some people. However, I personally would rather take advantage of my meats already being unthawed. I also would rather pack my freezer and fridge AFTER everything has been broken down into meal size. This leaves room for the lunch containers I prep after cooking.
​

You've probably bought the same meats and veggies for two different meals. SO, why not cut them up, season &store them separately so that you can pull them as needed.
For example:
Instead of unthawing three pounds of chicken only to refreeze the meat you don't use, why not take already unthawed meat and separate it into separate freezer bags so you're only pulling what you need? You might as well throw your seasoning or sauces in as well and save the time later.
Veggies and fruit can last longer when you freeze them. If you don't need a full pepper for one meal but you'll be using it in another, slice up your pepper and freeze it for later (freezing veggies works well if you're cooking them later, keep them fresh if you are using them to dip in hummus or sauces). Fruits such as raspberries &blue berries hold up as a whole in the freezer compared to strawberries which id recommend slicing before freezing unless you plan to use them in smoothies, then they can be frozen whole. 

​I hope this read gives you an idea of where to get started as well as how.
Ill be posting another blog soon on how I makes sauces and seasonings of my own.
Until then, give this your best shot guys! &Share your photos/experiences with me!