So here’s the low-down…I’ve been “saying” that I was going to start meal prepping months ago! I would cook and somehow what was left ended up being devoured. Not to mention one extra serving of fish just doesn’t cut it. Okay, maybe I just didn’t take meal prepping seriously. But then, I didn’t like having to figure out from day to day what I was going to eat for lunch (or dinner). I could take the easy route and just buy frozen meals for lunch, but I wanted a healthier option. Not knocking anyone who does, because sometimes a Smart Ones is what’s on the menu! Well…
Let’s Get Serious
My great friend, Leticia, inspired me to get serious about meal prepping. This girl stays on it and she does not deviate. She has the results to prove it! She turned down Krispy Kreme for some grapes! WHO TURNS DOWN KRISPY KREME?! That should be against the law!!! But, I tell you who does…somebody on a mission! I’m gonna be real with y’all…after getting on the scale the other day, I said, “This ain’t gonna cut it”. I knew after my marathon I could gain weight. Well…I did. Not a lot, but enough to make me change my focus. I was getting way too comfortable. My marathon was 3 months ago, so I can’t keep saying I’m still taking time off to recover. As for training, I don’t want to use “I’m carb-loading” as an excuse to pig out before a race. There’s a way to eat clean(er) and still run, crossfit, weight train, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I will never be an advocate of deprivation. That’s why those cabbage, applesauce, baby food diets…just don’t work. We need real food! That’s the reason why I love Weight Watchers–nothing is off limits and everything is in moderation. I can easily eat a doughnut or a half a dozen (no judging), but that only derails progress. I’ve heard people say, “Don’t reward yourself with food, you’re not a dog!” Well, of course we’re not dogs…but if you know you want to enjoy a splurge meal or item, then plan accordingly. A sacrifice has to come from somewhere. You know your level of will power and I know mine. If I can go without something, I’ll wait until I REALLY want it—not just because it’s in front of me.
Sometimes you have to shock your body by kicking in healthier habits that will benefit you for the long haul. Food prepping is actually fun! You feel a sense of accomplishment when you’re done. I’m talkin’ meals for the whole week! My HB was so intrigued by all my little meals and containers sprawled all over the kitchen, I think he wants to join the party!
HOW IT WENT DOWN
I pretty much baked everything at the same time. You may have to do two or more cycles depending on how much you want to prepare. My menu consisted of Brussels sprouts, yellow squash, broccoli, boiled eggs, salmon, chicken, brown rice, sweet potatoes, fruit, and mini snack packs. I measured out each baggie on the food scale to make my 100-ish calorie snack bags. You save so much money doing it this way. I never thought I’d love Brussels sprouts either, until I made them for the first time. Did I mention, as a kid, I wouldn’t dare eat them? Now I love em’! I’ll also be switching up my foods/meals so I won’t get bored.
If you don’t have a food scale, I encourage you to get one. I absolutely love my Weight Watchers scale and it has become my BFF. It converts into points as well. I measure everything. It amazes me how portions can get out of control, especially in restaurants—but it’s also interesting to see how often times we cheat ourselves. I was testing out a new recipe and I wanted French bread. I was surprised to see how much bread I did actually get, simply by weighing it.
I’m really excited about this new journey of food/meal prepping! I’ll check back in a little later to share how it has been going. Do you meal prep? What are some of your favorite go-to food prep meals/items?
Cool! I swear I need to get into this as well. So do you pull your scale out at restaurants or nah?? Lol =p
Tiffany, you are crazy lol I do NOT! They do have a food chart to show you about what size portions should be, so I use that by memory! :-)
I love meal prepping! Yours are so organized. I usually only do it for 3-4 days at a time, but it puts my mind at ease knowing I have food prepared for the week. I love to do chicken and roasted sweet potatoes.
Thank you, Meredith! It does make things a lot easier!
I don’t meal prep in the sense that you do…where everything is cooked and put together on Sunday nights. But I do meal plan and grocery shop for the week on Sundays, and do things like clean and cut up veggies and anything I can prep ahead for the week. I usually take 5 minutes each morning to throw my lunches together, unless I have soup or something that I can make Sundays.
Once you do it for a few weeks, you can’t stop! It becomes such a routine and you feel like your whole life is out of order if you skip it one week! Haha! Good luck! I love seeing what other people are doing for lunches, etc.
Thank you, Nadine!!! I hope I can keep this up! I’m always looking for new ideas! :)
I have friends who do this. We have food allergies at our house and I’m kind of picky, so doing this with other people probably wouldn’t work for me. But I do menu planning on Sunday and shop for everything, so we know ahead what we’re having.
Meal planning on Sunday is a great idea too, Wendy! It’s always good planning ahead.
I really need to start meal prepping, I have zero time as both a student and nanny, and I find myself eating the worst junk ever! I love all your choices for meals, so much color!
Thank you, Jess! I totally understand being busy. It’s so easy to grab whatever. Meal prepping is awesome! I hope you give it a try!
I love the IDEA of meal prep. It’s the DOING it that I can’t do! I know it would save me so much money and help me with my weight loss! This has me thinking about it again!
Thank you, LaShawn! You can do it!!! It is well worth the time and effort. I hope you give it a try! We are on a mission girl!!!
I love this! Such a great idea!!!
Thank you, Brittany!
oh my gosh! this is so impressive! I have friends who have done this also and I wish I had the time and really the patience to do this so that I can eat healthier and lose some weight! Oh and I would turn down Krispy Kreme for Dunkin Donuts! lol
I love your meal prep ideas! I do eat a lot healthier when I actually take the time to THINK instead of just grabbing food when I’m ravenous!
Thank you so much, Michelle! I’m so excited to finally get started! We’ll see how this goes. :)