Meal prep is the key to healthy eating. Eating clean when you’re not prepared is near impossible!
Meal prepping your meals helps you to better manage your intake and keeps you on point with your key macronutrients. The way you prep is important in every single way. . You don’t need another yo-yo diet fad to get you slim and trim. A Simple Meal Prep once to twice a week is the best way to get you to reach ANY of your weight loss, muscle gain and any other health and fitness goal. Use these tips to Meal Prep with Success!
Tip #1: Plan For Success
The key to maintaining a healthy diet when busy is to be a step ahead. Just like any successful endeavor there must be a plan and proper meal preps require the same.
If you don’t have a plan you will find meal prepping to be a hassle, daunting task with unsuccessful results. Meal prepping is done best with laid out plan. So, plan which day you will shop, which day(s) you’ll prep and which days you’ll consume. “Failing to plan, is planning to fail.” So plan your preps wisely….
Tip #2: Plan a Day To Prepare
To successfully meal prep you want to pick a day to shop and prep your meals.
A good day to consider is the last day of your weekend. This helps to prepare you for a busy workout week and keeps your meals fresh. If you freeze your meals, you don’t want to do it in the middle of the week. Keep melas in the fridge that you plan to eat at the beginning of the week. Freeze meals that you plan on eating laterin the week, day 3 and later.
Depending on how many meals you need throughout the week two split days of prep may be beneficial and time efficient rather than preparing everything in one day.
Tip #3: Determine Your Numbers
Know how meals you want to prep. You can prep all your meals but it is not necessary!
Prep the meals that typically have you on crunch time. This could be lunch, a meal before your late workout and/or snacks. Determine your schedule and prep the number of meals necessary.
Tip #4: Know Your Goals
Your goal could be weight loss, lean muscle gain or merely to just eat clean! With a Simple Meal Prep plan you prep for success by planning your meals according to your goal. Meal prep also limits the chances of overeating with structured portion control. A healthy homemade meal tends to be lower in calories and sodium content as compared to our favorite go-to lunch spot.
All in all, meal prepping can help you better achieve any health related because you are the one in control of your plate!
Tip #5: Keep It Simple
No need to prep a gourmet meal. Not only do gourmet meals tend to be less healthy, they also don’t keep as well as opposed to the simple prepared foods.
The basic formula to eating clean is selecting whole foods nothing overly processed or added ingredients.
Here are some simple and healthy foods to consider:
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Protein: Chicken breast, ground or turkey breast, flank steak, turkey bacon, Fish, cottage cheese
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Carbohydrates: Oats, quinoa, couscous, brown rice, wild rice, whole-grain tortillas and bread
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Healthy fats: Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, almond butter, olive oil and coconut oil
Tip #6: Pack Snacks
Don’t forget to prep healthy snacks. Not only are snacks simple preps but they are essential if you are really on the go. Snacks will help avoid those midday crashes and keep your metabolism boosted.
Simple and healthy snack include:
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hard-boiled eggs, almonds, celery sticks with a side of almond butter, scoop of protein and shaker cup.
Tip #7: Plan your grocery shopping
After you determine the factors above make sure to make a shopping list and do not go to the store on an empty stomach. Everything looks good and healthy when you’re hungry! Plan either the day before you prep or day of to keep things fresh…
Tip #8: Prep Supplements
Often just sitting down to eat can feel time consuming on an overly busy day. Days like these plan to prep a simple smoothie or a light supplement snack to curb your appetite while reving up that metabolism.
Amino Pep Peach-Mango Smoothie Recipe
1 Scoop Peach-Mango Amino Pep
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein
1/2 cup Water or Almond Milk
1 Tbsp Liquid Vitamin
½ Cup of Berries of Choice!
1-2 Cups Ice
Blend and sip up!
Tip #9 Get Proper Storage Containers and/or Cooler
Last but not least be make sure you have the proper food containers. This will make a world of difference for convenience. If you choose plastic containers make sure they are BPA-free and they won’t melt in the microwave. Mason jars and other containers that will store neatly will be beneficial. If you are prepping more than one meal an insulated bag and/or cooler is good and affordable investment.
