10 Top Food Prep Tips

This week we’re talking about a topic near and dear to our hearts: FOOD PREP! It’s a topic we talk about throughout our Get Fit Challenge (enrollment opens just 3x per year so get on the waiting list!). Hands down, it’s the best way to:

• Save money by being in control of your lunches and dinners instead of scrambling last minute and shelling out unnecessary moolah.
• Make sure you’re consuming healthy ingredients (because you know exactly how your food is being prepared).
• Provide peace of mind; you don’t have to spend extra time deciding on your meal plan each day.
• Help you stick to your goals!! When YOU are in the driver’s seat, you’re not giving up control to stress and unplanned circumstances (which are sure to come up throughout the week).

So if you’ve felt like you’re in a rut with your food prep routine you’ll love this week’s blog post! Heck, even if you’re a food prepping superstar, you’re likely to get some great new ideas below. Read on for the goods!

Tip #1: Write It Out
When your designated food prep day rolls around (Sunday is popular), do you want it to feel A) overwhelming or B) motivating? We can bet you want to feel the latter, and so it’s important to have a game plan. Sometime during the week BEFORE you go grocery shopping, peruse cookbooks, websites etc (some of our favorite resources are below in another tip) and come up with your meal plan strategy. We recommend planning:

• Breakfast
  *  If you’re busy, think on-the-go staples such as overnight oats and nutrient-packed smoothies.
• Lunch
  * Ditch the processed deli meats and opt for healthy, filling alternatives like “buddha bowls” and burrito bowls.
• Dinner
  * The crockpot is your friend! Set it on low and go … then come home to absolute deliciousness.

More prep ideas specific to what types of meals to prep are below! For our Lifestyle Transformation Academy clients and Cleanse30 participants, we provide a weekly meal plan template – always with the keep it simple method in mind and something you are likely to stick to!

Tip #2: Don’t Get TOO Fancy
We totally appreciate your nightly desire for filet mignon (or if you’re veggie, maybe some exquisitely prepared fermented tempeh). Thing is, you don’t want to spend 3+ hours food prepping every Sunday. We recommend keeping things on the simple side throughout the week and experimenting on the weekend when you’re likely to have more time; say, Friday – Sunday. Some of our staple prep includes:

Breakfast
Overnight Oats
Protein Egg Muffins
Nutrient Dense Smoothie

Lunch
Buddha Bowls
Burrito Bowls
Bacon Egg Salad

Dinner
Pot Roast Crockpot
Sous Vide Tempeh (sounds fancy, but you just set it and go!)
Power Packed “Kitchen Sink” Salad

Tip #3: ROTATE, ROTATE, ROTATE
Did we mention rotate? Maybe you’re part of the .00005% of the population who can have the same thing every day, week after week. Most people simply cannot do this without getting super bored and then giving up in search of variety. We recommend rotating your meal prep routine a minimum of every two weeks to keep things interesting and keep your taste buds guessing. Because, even if you love you some Bacon Egg Salad, it will get old after a month straight … trust us.

Tip #4: Decide on your Go-To Resources
Each week, have “default” resources for designing your meal plans. Some of our favorites include:

• Cookbooks
  *  Some of our favorites include (keep in mind we are NOT strictly Paleo but we do have quite a few Paleo cookbooks that we love getting ideas from): Against All Grain, Practical Paleo, Every Last Crumb
• Food Blogs
  * Some of our favorites include: Oh She Glows, Elena’s Pantry, Oh My Veggies, 100 Days of Real Food, Sprouted Kitchen, Mark’s Daily Apple
• Pinterest
  *  Follow Christina on Pinterest @tinacherrelle for some of our favorite recipes finds!

Side-note: we love to create meals that naturally have leftovers we can take for lunch the next day. We design things this way often with our Cleanse30 program to accommodate busy schedules.

Tip #5: Designate a “Wildcard” Day
Got veggies sitting in the fridge that you never used? Even with meal planning and preparation, it’s inevitable that you’ll likely have some leftover foods. Instead of throwing them away, designate a “wildcard” day where you scrounge together the rest of your ingredients from the week. This enhances your cooking skills, reduces food waste and saves you money (no more eating out when you really do have food at home and just need to get creative).

Tip #6: Look For Shortcuts
There’s nothing better than that feeling of being prepared for the week with all of your food. Prep helps, but so do “shortcut” recipes for those weeks you want to really accelerate your prep time; think grab-n-go. For example:

• Overnight Oats
• Mason Jar Salad
• Frozen Crockpot Stew
• Pre-sliced fruit and veggies

Tip #7: Map out your Week
What does your week look like? Is your calendar full of lunch meetings with clients where you know you’re likely to be able to find something healthy on the menu? Are you traveling at the end of the week or do you have guests in town? Make sure to account for the realities of your schedule when food prepping so you don’t buy more than you need and then you’re left with way more leftovers than you can manage. Each week when sitting down to create your meal plan, cross reference with your calendar/to-do list.

Tip #8: Overlap Ingredients
This is another money saving tip: don’t buy a bunch of exotic ingredients every week if you want to save money! Maybe go for one experimental meal and then keep the others similar with the ingredient list, such as vegetables and rice (cauliflower or regular) for multiple meals. Just be sure to change out your overall meal plan fairly often if you’re likely to get bored after 1-2 weeks of the same routine.

Tip #9: Keep Yourself Accountable
Don’t mosey on into the kitchen and just go with the flow … you need INTENTION with your prep routine so you’re not stuck in there for hours and can actually go enjoy your day! Game plan what needs to be baked, boiled, steamed etc., then gather the ingredients you’ll need to prepare the meals. Set a timer for no more than two hours and go to work. After two hours of dedicated focus (if not less) you should have most if not all of your prep done and ready to go for the new week. Also, keep a “waste bowl”; a bowl where you put egg shells stems and other food waste to be discarded when you’re done. If you compost, make sure to section that out, too!

Tip #10: Embrace the Freedom of “You” Time
Prepping each week is 1-2 hours spent preparing yourself to avoid the stress of the week. You’re taking care of yourself and nourishing your body. What you’re going to eat each day will be one less internal dilemma as you navigate a busy schedule. Some of our favorite activities while prepping include listening to a podcast or audiobook, jamming out to a great playlist and/or watching a movie or TV show that doesn’t require taking a ton of concentration (i.e. you can look away here and there and not miss much). You are proactively freeing yourself from making last minute decisions (which usually turn into unhealthy ones) about what you’re going to eat throughout the week. Now THAT is a stress reliever.

There you have it! Some of our top food prep tips for staying prepared focused and determined. Have more tips to share? Let us know in the comments!

Talk Soon,

Sham & Christina
Inspired Wellness