The Art of Meal Prepping

Real Talk on Food Prep

Who gets tired of seeing the endless pictures of containers filled with: Plain chicken breast or white fish with a serving of rice and some green veggie with zero condiments or good fats????  Who really wants to live a boring food life? Who wants to live out of plastic containers?
BUT….who also wants to live a fit and healthy lifestyle and reach weight and strength goals?

Now,  I’m not saying,  I do NOT prepare food and have healthy food combos always available in the fridge or pantry ready to grab and go with my crazy busy schedule.  However, I make and create diva-licious, easy foods on a weekly basis to take to work so I can chow between clients all day long.
Meal and snack prepping is truly an Art!  Once you get in the habit…keyword HABIT, it becomes easier & easier.  It just needs to be a priority like any other important task in your life.

Thankfully, more and more cafes, restaurants and fast food places are offering many more healthy options, but who wants to spend an average of $60-70 a week on just lunch?  The other issue that tends to happen, even if our intentions of walking in, ordering what we should be getting, turns into a ….”well, I will just have this one bad meal”….and then the ugly food cycle starts and back to square one you go!
Here’s the deal, If you know the days you need to buy a meal out, then set that into your schedule and be prepared for the others!
Ok, enough of me blabbing on….Let’s go over some ways to make meal prepping a little more exciting and quick as possible.

Meal & Snack Ideas

I want to repeat the word HABIT.  I can give you endless food ideas in this blog for food prepping, but you can go on Pinterest or google anything…it’s all there!  FREE!   It’s up to you to make it happen!!!!!
Breakfast
Whether you like to drink your breakfast or eat it on the go, be sure to have some items ready to grab in the morning as you run out the door.  For Shakes: You can have frozen veggies and fruits that you can just toss in the blender along with your protein powder. If you like eating pre made breakfast, then breakfast burritos, protein muffins (recipe below), overnight oats or egg cup Quiche are all great ideas you can prep beforehand.  If you like to make your breakfast in the morning (like me:)) you will need your favorite ingredients readily available. It is seriously a flow I have in the morning with my eggs, toast and turkey bacon.

LUNCH

If you’re bringing your prepared lunch to work, make sure that the lunch you prepared is the lunch you actually LIKE eating. We tend to pack chicken, rice and broccoli and they just look so sad in the lunch box. Think about how you can make your lunch appetizing. I like to look at it as proteins, carbs and fats.  The number game!  Our bodies have a specific number of carbs, fats and proteins it needs to consume each day depending on the goal and activity level.  The most common mistake I hear from a new diva/client starting out is: “I’m trying to loose weight so I wont eat”….WHAT!?!    Ladies, I can’t say this enough….eating too little will not only increase your body fat, but also slows down your metabolism.  You must turn that little voice off in your head and feed that hard-working body.   I could go on and on, but that would be another blog all by itself!
Ideas:   Chicken stir-fry,  turkey meatballs and zoodles or turkey taco salad with baked tortilla chips, just make sure it looks and tastes delicious.   Pick a protein like ground turkey for instance.  Saute your one package of turkey into 2 saute pans.  Spice one up with cilantro, cumin, garlic and add some salsa and chopped onion.  The other: Italian spices and ½ a can of diced tomatoes.  Lots of fun options for a few days of lunches.  Make taco salad bowl and italian zoodle bowl.   Also, always have roasted or sautéed veggies in the fridge to add to any meal. I make a large cookie sheet filled with my favorite veggie each Sunday.

I have another rule of thumb. If you like to have something sweet after lunch, make sure you calculate for a dessert in your daily calorie intake. Then you can have a square of chocolate, half of protein bar, a cookie or an apple. Plan for it and set yourself up for success.

 SNACKS

I am defiantly a snacker!  I like to think of snacks as mini meals.  I will have a snack between Breakfast & lunch and even around 5ish, otherwise I’ll just be hangry until dinner and there is no way I can get through a workout or have the energy to see clients.   My typical choices are: deli meat, hummus, rice crackers or raw veggies.  Apple & almond butter.   Boiled eggs or low fat plain greek yogurt with berries are also good choices.  Again you can google the best snacks to keep on hand…you just gotta make it happen!!!    The key is to know your energy patterns and pay respect to them by choosing the right meal at the right time and having them readily available.  Another one of my absolute fav snacks is the protein pancake!  I make a bunch on Sunday, keep in fridge and grab them during the week.  Super filling, super clean and sweet!!   Recipe on former blog!  If you cannot find it, let me know.                         If you must buy quickly on the go: Kind bar, turkey or beef jerky ** read food label, some have super high sugar content** or a protein shake.  Just be sure to create it yourself.   Most smoothie places list their version of “healthy shakes” which is loaded with sugar and fat and little protein.

 DINNER

This is typically a time when we end up face first in the pantry.  Grazing on Crap!!!  Either we waited for too long to eat, or we didn’t have enough throughout the day. That’s why snacks before dinner will help you stay on track. I keep hummus or guacamole in the fridge along with dippers: cucumbers, peppers, sugar snap peas.  Use this as a holdover snack when you get home before prepping dinner.
Dinner is one meal that I do cook on a nightly basis.  I will cook up extra of the protein I am having and use it as lunch or dinner the next night, but combine it with other food options.  Example:  I will saute chicken in a neutral spice combo: garlic, salt and pepper with a little avocado oil and maybe some onions and mushrooms.  Now I have a base to build different tasty food combos on.  For dinner I may have chicken with sautéed greens and stuff a large Portobello with chopped tomato, mozzarella cheese and basil.  Then use the chicken as chicken salad the next day with plain greek yogurt, spicy mustard.  Mix with either rice and my roasted veggie as a bowl or have the chicken salad on a wrap with my veggies.

Just be Prepared!

I urge you to find the best day to set out at least an hour to chop, create and cook.  Sundays are my day!  I actually enjoy it!  Sounds crazy, but I know it needs to be done and makes my upcoming week so much easier.  I want to keep this strong, sexy body in shape!!!  Figure out how many meals per day you want to have and the strategy for each meal. Create an environment where you enjoy the meal prep. Cook with your friends, turn on your favorite music, have a half glass of wine and make it your ART work!  Once you stop looking at it as some chore, and instead look at it as your fuel for success, your perception will shift and you’ll know what you need to do.
As always, if you need any further tips, advice or just some fit diva motivation, contact me anytime.  laura@belladivafitnesscom
Have a diva-licious meal prep and don’t forget to let your inner diva Shine

Diva-licious Recipe