Here are my top 10 quick and easy meal prep tips for losing weight and keeping it off!
The purpose of meal prep is to give you a quick, healthy, inexpensive meal compared to fast food. It’s also helps you control your portions to prevent overeating and improves your mindfulness of what your putting in your body.
Quick Tip #1: Plan what you want to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Using a calendar to write it out will help put the amount you need to buy into perspective.
Quick Tip #2: Stick to Whole Foods like fresh, lean meats (chicken, turkey, tuna), fruits and veggies, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese. They fill your tummy and are filled with nutrition.
stay around the perimeter of the store. The stuff in the rows is packaged, processed, and preserved.
Quick Tip #3: If you’re on the go, traveling a lot:
- non perishables such as canned food can be a good option. When preparing, drain (and rinse if possible) to get rid of extra salt or buy low sodium which tastes fine. Note: Obviously fresh, unprocessed foods are better but if we’re talking about the difference between eating a prepared baked potato with canned chicken on top compared to a fast food burger, the canned chicken and potato is the way to go.
- Frozen fruits and veggies (without added butter or sugar) are great to keep on hand.
Quick Tip #4: Put grocery list items in order of your track around the store to make the trip faster.
Quick Tip #5: Make a grocery list on your phone of things you commonly get, put a check next to the items you need, and UN-check them as you put them in your basket. Now you don’t have re-create your list again next time you go to the store.
Quick Tip #6: Portioning
Choose my Plate is a good resource for the super basics of daily recommended amounts of food. This varies based on your nutrition and fitness goals but is an excellent place to start.
- Protein – 2 oz = deck of cards (2-8oz Don’t overthink it.
- Veggies – 1/2 plate
- Carb – fist size portion (potatoes, sweet or regular are great carbs and help meet your veggie goals)
- Fat – sparingly
- Fruit – fist size portion – desert
Quick Tip #7 Bring reusable bags. Sea turtles are dying because they’re eating plastic grocery sacks that have blown into the ocean thinking that they are jellyfish which are a primary source of their diet 🙁
Quick Tip #8: Seek out glass containers. They’ll last longer and are better for the environment.
Quick Tip #9: Wash, cut, and prep all the fruits and veggies as soon as you get home from the store. You’re more likely to eat the fruits and veggies if they’re already ready to eat.
Quick Tip #10: “Mix it Up” to keep from getting bored with your meals and stuck to adhering to your healthy eating plan:
Note 1: You may want to store some prepped ingredients separately so you can use them to make a meal when you’re craving something different from the prepped “packaged” meals.
For example, I like to cook pasta, and have washed fruit ready to grab and eat. My husband, Andy, likes to steam or bake a bunch of potatoes and corn on the cob to add as a side for any protein.
Note 2: Making the same meal for every day of the week is easy, but your taste buds are sure to get bored, and you don’t want to be taking a trip down to McDonalds ‘cause you don’t want the baked potato for the 3rd day in a row.
Prep 2 or 3 different meal options to keep you on track.
Now you have the tools, not only to plan your meals, but also to save time and money!
Happy Healthy, Meal Prepping!!!
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