True Confession Tuesday: I Meal Prep on Sundays
Where every Tuesday: I confess.
Confession: I meal prep on Sundays.
Does anyone else do this?? I stay in my kitchen for an hour or two cooking proteins, vegetables and healthy carbs. Exciting – no. Necessary – yes.
A few years ago I identified part of the reason I was struggling to eat healthy. I didn’t have food prepared and ready to eat. And I didn’t really know how to cook (a whole separate issue).
So when it was time to pack a lunch or make dinner I would have no idea what to make, none of the appropriate groceries in the house and I would get really stressed out. This would often result in a trip to Chipotle (surprise!) or some other quick food. Not good for the budget or the nutrition.
Once I started to take time to meal prep, I was so much calmer. I had easy foods to pack for lunches and a more clear idea of what to make for dinner. And often leftovers of my dinner served as roll over lunches for the next day.
Here’s a sample of some things I make each week.
- Roasted potatoes
- Steamed or roasted vegetables (broccoli, beans, asparagus, peppers, brussel sprouts)
- Ground up proteins – ground turkey or beef (often seasoned into taco meat)
- A pot of zusketti – zucchini noodles with marinara and beef
- Enchiladas – corn tortillas, taco meat, rice and enchilada sauce
- Cut up carrots/celery
I also have on hand:
- Eggs
- Chicken Sausage
- Frozen grass fed beef patties
- Chopped salad mix
- Avocado
- Coffee
- Organic yogurt
- Frozen broccoli/beans – easy to make and fast
- Frozen hash browns/french fries
At any given moment I can throw together a protein, a vegetable, a carb, and a fat. Well balanced, healthy, simple and FAST.
You can make it more flavorful with spices, dressings, or marinades.
The idea is to keep it super simple (KISS).
Other ideas that are working well for clients are meal deliveries like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh where all the food for one recipe comes to you and you follow the directions and voila- dinner is served.
Food should not be complicated or stressful. Allow yourself to set aside time to prep food, buy prepped food or whatever you need to do so that meals are super quick and super easy. Or…you might find yourself at Chipotle! Which I still do often enough.
Do I always want to spend part of my Sunday nights in the kitchen – NO WAY! But am I happy on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday when I have food ready to go – YES!
Remember – KISS!!
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I do this every weekend, too! It’s amazing how much of a difference two hours of prep can make on your week!
I agree!!!