Hi, All! Would you like 3 extra hours, $50 saved dollars, way less stress, and probably even less calorie consumption? Yes? MASTER MEAL PLANNING AND MEAL PREP!
In one study shared by my personal health coach, those were the benefits of meal planning and meal prep. I added the last one about eating less because it makes total sense based on what I’ve learned from the fun and funny books “Mindless Eating” and “Slim By Design” by Brian Wansink.
Anyway… yesterday I gave a presentation on meal planning and meal prep and I wanted to share some quick tips based on what people wanted to know.
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SMOOTHIES
Make them ahead of time and FREEZE THEM! I love using this type of ice tray with the lid and soft push-out feature. At the beginning of the week, I check my trays to see what I already have and then usually I make one kind of chocolate smoothie with greens and superfoods and one kind of fruity superfood smoothie. I drink what I want and freeze the rest. Then, I blend up the frozen smoothie cubes with a little almonds milk, coconut milk, water, or whatever other liquid I want to us. Yum!
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THEME YOUR NIGHTS
This saves a ton of time when you plan because it takes all the hundreds of recipes floating around in your brain and categorizes them, making them much easier to access. Here are the theme ideas I shared at the class:
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Taco Tuesday – Maple-Cumin Black Bean Tacos with Lime-infused Salsa. A family favorite.
Meatless Monday/
Vegetarian - Taco Tuesday/Mexican
- Friday Fish Night
- Slow Cooker/Crock Pot
- All-American
- Asian/Stir Fry
- Italian/Pasta
- Main Dish Salad (taco salad, tuna on salad greens, chicken/strawberry/pecan…)
- Breakfast for Dinner
- By protein – beef, chicken, shrimp, tofu, beans
- Main Dish Salad
- Pizza Night
- Intentional Leftovers
- Freezer meals
- Canned soup and salad-in-a-jar
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Hot, fresh, home-made, stone-ground whole wheat honey bread. Nothing says “home” quite like this for me.
Staples
The attendees wanted to know my staple foods that I always keep on hand. Our staples are homemade bread, eggs, butter, raw and local milk, dates, cucumbers, applesauce, home-made plain yogurt, and at least one box of a healthier kind of cold cereal (like home-made granola or Cascadian Farms brand granola).
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Raspberry Overnight Oats. One of my favorite flavors. So delicious!
What I Meal Prep Ahead Randomly
They also wanted to know what things I prep ahead without really having a plan of when to use them. I often prep boiled eggs, tuna salad, pre-cut onions, cute ‘n curly spiralized carrots, home-made yogurt, and whatever vegetables I have in my fridge. For myself I also make superfood smoothies and overnight oats. I buy sauerkraut and pickles for snacks. Soooo good. Especially the dill pickles and almonds. Really. Sounds weird? Try it and see!
Favorite Recipes Free Offer
I am putting together some of my favorite recipes, many of which are gluten-free. Check on my free offers page and if they’re not available yet, email me if you’d like me to send them to you.
To Your Health!
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