Let’s talk meal prep! I had a
question in regards to succeeding with meal prep on a budget and with limited
time, so let’s discuss!
As most of you have probably
noticed, I am a huge proponent of meal prep and here’s why:
1. Saving
Time – Once you get your meal prep
finished, you’re finished for the week! Each day for the rest of that week,
meal time is nothing more than grab, reheat and eat. No prep/cook/cleanup time
is needed.
2.
Eliminating Temptation – I don’t
know about you guys, but when I’m not sure what to eat and I’m just searching
my fridge/pantry for something… it usually ends in a diet fail. At that point,
I’m looking for what ‘sounds good’ rather than what I know I should be putting
in my body for fuel. By preparing your meals ahead of time, this is never a question!
Everything is ready, portioned and labeled so other foods really aren’t even an
option in my brain.
3. Saving
Money – When you plan your meals ahead
of time and you are able to cook everything in bulk, it really cuts down on
your grocery costs. Obviously, with my current injured situation, my meal prep
is off right now because I can’t cook. BUT the last time I went to the grocery
store to purchase my food for the week, I spent $40. For the week. Not too
shabby. My costs are typically lower because I don’t eat animal proteins but
you should still be able to stick to a tight budget if you plan it accordingly
(more on that later).
4.
Motivation – There is
no better combination than having an awesome workout and surrounding it with
awesome food to help fuel your fitness and everyday life. Staying on track and
schedule with your meal prep helps to keep your mind in the right place. When you
start going off of your diet, other parts of your healthy journey are easy to
slip… missing workouts, sleeping patterns etc. I like to think of my food as an
accountability partner… it holds me accountable to my goals and I always
perform better in the gym when I have the appropriate fuel in my body. Because I
workout so early in the morning, I can always tell a difference in my gym
performance if I don’t eat appropriately for my last meal the night before.
So now we know WHY meal prep is
awesome and important… now onto HOW to be successful:
I’m not going to lie, meal prep
can take a bit of time for planning – especially when you’re starting out. You need
to do some research and figure out the nutritional content of the foods you’re
planning to eat. I personally keep a spreadsheet on my laptop of nutritional
values of foods that I have used in my meal prep or in menus I have used for
clients and as I add a new food to my meal prep menus, I just add it to my
spreadsheet. At this point, planning a menu is much easier for me because I’ve
done so much of the leg work over time.
Your menu should be planned
according to your goals. I’m a big fan of 5 meals per day, spaced about 3 hours
apart and with the final meal being about 2 hours before you go to bed. Obviously,
if you have especially long days and need an extra meal, then go for 6. Your daily
calorie intake is dependent on your body size, level of activity throughout the
day and what you are trying to accomplish with your body. Because I am pretty
well versed with food and nutrition, at this point in my meal planning the only
math I do is counting calories (usually to ensure I’m getting enough). I know which
foods are high in fat/carbs/protein and I keep that pretty balanced. Each meal
should have a lean protein source and a good carb source.
Budget-Friendly
Planning:
When planning your menu, keep in
mind any crossover you can do with your foods. This will help keep your food
costs down and also your prep time. Also, as much as possible, try to use
produce that is in season. In-season produce will always be less expensive and
more nutrient-dense. Feel free to use alternative shopping sources for produce
as well! Farmers markets, organic markets etc… if you have a good source for
produce that is less expensive, feel free to utilize. I do all of my shopping
at Kroger and because I use my Kroger card, it tracks my purchases and I now
get coupons in the mail for items similar to what I frequently buy. So I’ll
receive coupons for a certain dollar amount off of fresh produce or coupons for
free bags of frozen vegetables etc. Take advantage of these! And if you’re eating
animal proteins, shop in bulk at places like Sam’s or Costco where your
price/lb will be less.
Time-Friendly
Prepping:
Multi-task! I always have more
than one thing going at a time. Being a chef gives me a big advantage when it
comes to prep because I’m used to cooking multiple things simultaneously. Take
a minute before you actually start your prep and itemize everything that needs
to be prepared. Then, list everything in order of cooking time. Start with the
things that require the most time. For instance, if you’re going to bake
chicken, start with prepping your chicken. I would do a dry rub or something on
the chicken to help with flavor and while your dry rub rests, work on getting
your rice cooking. Then go back to the chicken and get it in the oven. Then
prep and steam your veggies, etc. Doing things this way should allow you to get
everything cooked and finished in a shorter amount of time. My total prep time
usually takes 2-3 hours and I typically do it on a Sunday afternoon.
I hope this information helped!
If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me!
Happy Prepping my friends!
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