Meal Prepping and Planning

Meal prepping and planning DOESN'T have to be complicated!

I will admit I can get a little boring in the kitchen and that stems from my Pro Figure Competition days of chicken and broccoli, chicken and broccoli...

But I know my hubby can get tired of chicken all the time and my 11yr old step daughter is often looking for "real food" lol. Which, well, we can't all just live off of cereal, chocolate and egg rolls now can we? lol

Generally what I do is take 1-2 hours twice a week to prep and meal plan. When I was working full time as an RN I would only do once a week due to my limited time in the kitchen. Now I have a little more luxury and time freedom with online health coaching to fit in meal making/cooking wherever we need it!





So first I decide what we are going to have for the week. I don't always pick specific meals but more-so specific foods that I can create a meal with later. . . Making sure that I am pairing foods together that help aid with digestion and breakdown.

(this also comes from me being a plain cooker as I have always avoided time consuming meals and was always looking for dairy free options)

I'll do my grocery shopping with these foods for the week in mind. Or if I am lucky I will have stocked the deep freeze with the lean meats I need and will only need a quick run to the farmers market for fresh fruit and veg!

I am all about saving time!

Here are 2 great grocery lists of healthy foods to think of when you are hitting the store!





So next I will set aside an hour or two, usually on a Sunday (so everything is ready for hubby to take to his Mon-Fri job) to do meal prep. Honestly, the majority of the time is spent on clean up!

It truly doesn't have to be complicated. And once you get used to it, you will find your own system and it will become natural to you and get easier and quicker each week!

Most humans are creatures of habit and you will find you were probably eating a lot of the same foods over and over anyway... this is just a way of making these habitual foods, healthy options!

The benefits you will find from eating clean and having things ready and prepared vs grabbing junk to stuff your face with when you're starving and realize nothing is around or you're driving home from work and stop at the dreaded drive thru!...  .... will be well worth the hour or 2 spent in the kitchen once a week!!! Trust me!

Ok. so onto the prep...

I will cook, grill or crockpot the main items all at once. For example, steak on the grill, chicken in the crockpot, fish in the oven etc. If I am using the grill or oven I will maximize the use of it by doing everything there. So you might find a spaghetti squash, cut up broccoli, zucchini and carrots, steak and fish all in the oven at the same time. Then on my counter I'll have chicken breast going in the crockpot with some seasonings and rice in the rice cooker.
My homemade "pizzas" and yellow squash!


Let it all cook itself and
BOOM!!!

done!

Measure out and put into separate containers for each meal. . esp if you're taking it to work. And wallah!!! Clean eats for the week!

Don't forget to baggy out your measured portions of snacks too! These will help keep you on track and also fill that tummy between meals. (I prefer to eat every 3 hours to keep my metabolism going!)



For myself I do 5-6 small meals including mayescakes, shakeology and 4-6oz of lean meat, 1/4cup complex carb (earlier in the day) for the other meals... and I don't limit my veggie intake.

I love fruit but I don't go hog-wild on it, knowing that it is high in sugar. Definitely avoid canned or prepackaged fruits and shoot for the whole fruit first. I always have bananas and grapefruit in the house. They're my favorite!

Grapefruit is great for food breakdown.
Pineapple is amazing for muscle recovery.
And bananas are a yummy source of potassium (and the baby loves them too!)
.. . ..not to mention they go great in Mayescakes!


Here is a blank meal plan you can use to write down what meals you will have for the week!
(more meal plan layouts can be found in the article listed "Meal Plans")


You can always add another snack before bed.. as long as it is a healthy, low carb option, I say go for it! My go-to bedtime snack is shakeology or egg whites! I will do 6 scrambled or hard boiled egg whites with steamed spinach! Yum!!


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