Meal Prep

Posted by Amanda Govenlock on

When starting a new meal plan, prepping the meals can be extremely overwhelming. You are not alone! It’s all about starting out slowly and working yourself into it. If you go all in right away there is a big chance you will get overwhelmed and want to give up within a week. It happens all the time! Start with the basics: proteins, carbs and fats. Also, stick with 1-2 types of foods. Buying meal prep containers can be a huge help with this. Label everything! You can find cute, little labels at the dollar store. You can also pick up some measuring cups. One can never have enough measuring cups when meal prepping! Figure out what you’re going to make and keep it consistent for the week. Yes, that sounds boring but it will help your success! If you’re changing things up daily you will go crazy!!! Trust me…been there, done that. When the following week comes, change things up for that week but again…keep it consistent that week. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Try to have everything pre- measured and pre-cut so if you’re busy, you’ve got ‘grab and go’ meals. “What do I do for the rest of my family?” Your kids will eat what you eat. Your spouses may be a bit more stubborn, however, if I can convince my significant other to eat healthy then you can convince yours! If you’re trying to get healthier why wouldn't you want the rest of your family to do the same? I hear this over and over again. If they don't like it plain, just add a little seasoning to it but again…keep it simple! You don't want to make more work for yourself. An example of a family friendly meal that I make all the time is taco bowls! They can be made in so many ways! For example, measure out the taco meat (protein), add some rice for carbs, add a little bit of sour cream for fat, throw it all on a bowl of lettuce and enjoy! This can be altered to each family member’s preference of toppings! “How can I keep it budget friendly?” To save money…buy everything in bulk. There is always a protein, a carb and fat on sale. Bags of chicken are frequently on sale and the frozen chickens have just as much nutritional value as the fresh ones do. Potatoes or rice can be purchased in bulk as well as peanut butter and cheese. There is always something on sale and with fats, the serving isn't very high so keep that purchase smaller and choose a different type of fat source each week. Fruit and veggies? Buy them frozen. They last much longer and have just as much nutritional value, if not more, than fresh produce does. Going into Fall, you will want to dive right into soups, stews etc but those can add calories and there isn’t a precise way to estimate calorie content unless you are measuring out the protein, the carbs and the fats per bowl of soup which isn't easy or ideal. We want to keep it as simple as possible and as clean as possible. A soup isn't going to fill you up as much as a chicken, potatoes and veggie meal would. Start reading labels. If the label has a word you don’t understand or can’t pronounce it is most likely something you shouldn't be putting into your body anyways. When you are ready to stop counting calories and kick guesswork to the curb, visit my website and check out the online programs! Sign up for “Nutrition” and we will reach your goals the easy way!


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