Secret Weapon: Meal Prep!

emmalynanne

Hey there!

So, one of the things that helps me a bundle is meal prep! I put on about 50 pounds last year because of my work and school schedule and I was never home, so I ate what was near me and I also stress ate. And I recently decided to change my lifestyle and get on the right track, which has helped to to lose 30 pounds. And meal prepping has helped me do that! And the key is to make it a routine! Friday or Saturday I'll write out my meals and what I need and then go to the flea market and stock up. You'd be amazed at how much money you will save and the quality you will get by going to a flea market. It's pretty much an obsession for me. I always come come had tell my mom, "guess how much money I saved this week!!"

I'm not a cook by any means, but I'm slowly getting there. Some of my favorite things to make:

Zucchine Pasta: Instead of using noodles, which isn't the best for you, I get zucchine, slice them so that they are long like noodles and boil them. And they serve as my noodles. Just add some tomatoe sauce and it's super yummy. What I like about it is that the zucchini has a salty taste, so I don't feel like I'm depriving myself.

Roasted Snap Peas: One of my finds at the flea market of course! I add 1/2 tbsp on olive oil to a pound of snap peas. Add salt and pepper and any other spices you like. Stick in oven at 450* for 10-12 minutes. And it's done! You can see my post on my blog: http://emmalynanne.blogspot.com/#!/2012/07/roasted-snap-peas.html

If you have any other questions or even tip let me know!!!

veerichie

I agree with you 100%! Preparing and planning ahead of time makes all the difference!

DreamSM85

I agree! I don't like to hear excuses such as "I was busy" or "I didn't have anything made so I just ate___(insert something unhealthy here)___" ! If you know you are going to be busy do something about it. Make better choices ahead of time so you don't have to worry about it later. Don't allow yourself to get stuck in a bad situation. Excuses are just there to make yourself feel better about a bad decision.

wellnesscoachmegg

Chiming in with another agree! Meal planning and prepping keeps me on track, and in the long run, saves me a lot of time. I do my shopping and cooking on sundays, and even if it just means breaking down fruits and veggies so I can just grab them and go--it makes a significant difference. Makes my life much easier

Debbe2

You've discovered a great tip for your success. The more involved we can be with our food prep the more we truly know about what we are consuming. Your favorites sound yummy too!

jenbroussard71

bump for later! I need all the tips I can get!

Rmazula

I plan our weekly meals, which occasionally change. If I know what I am making that night I am able to put it in my dinner log before I even get to dinner so I know more about my calorie in/outtake I have.

zoegator

Meal prep is definitely a life saver!

And your roasted snap peas sound so yummy!

DrJeep

I absolutely, positively suck at planning meals. And I did the exact same thing, stressy job, just shove down some energy food to keep my mind active, while I actually sit at a desk all day being a tech support monkey.

For me it worked both ways, I started this a week and a half ago and the simple fact that I HAVE TO log everything I eat keeps me constantly aware of what I eat.

And it forced me to plan better, to make sure I have healthy food with me (or buy healthy food instead of snacky food at work)

I tried it once or twice, to actually fill in the meal I was going to eat that evening right when I got up in the morning. It forced me to say "well, I noted this down, I better get my *kitten* in gear, go to the shop, get this healthy food and get cooking"

I'm not a great cook either, but it's simple things like peeling potatoes the evening before. Or when you're done doing the dishes (which miraculously happen every evening now, I swear, I'm changing) you pick out food for the next day.

For example, tomorrow I will have the rest of my little potatoes, I picked out lean pure ground beef from the fridge to make myself a lovely burger. And I will slice up some raw bell pepper to go with it.

Done..meal..ready, and in hindsight it took me less than 5 minutes to think about it.

Like everything on here, makes me wonder why I haven't done these things to begin with.

My absolute favourite thing to make though is a grilled chicken fruit salad.

I get some fruits from the kitchen and cube them up, I add some bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, cucumber (whatever I have laying around and looks healthy) And throw that all in a big deep plate.

Then I grill a piece of chicken, no oil, no butter, just a piece of chicken breast fillet and a cast iron grilling skillet. And let that sear nicely, (salt and pepper to taste)

After grilling I let the chicken rest for a few minutes, then cut it up in thin strips, drape those over the fruit salad, add a dash of lemon juice, and done.

It's sweet, it's savoury, you're not depriving yourself, and fruit is awesome.

Weebs628

I do this as well and it has saved us a lot of money (and calories for me). When I get hungry and don't have a plan, I'm more likely to hit up a drive-thru...

HazelCaz

This week I roasted a large chicken and stuffed it with onion, celery and carrots (this really makes the meat flavorful). Then I took it off the bones and stored my whole chicken breasts in one big container and all the dark meat in smaller pieces in another. I've been using it all week in tons of different recipes. My husband also grilled up some extra meat on the weekend to use in his lunches for work the next week. Saves time, helps with food prep.