Meal Prep Take Two

Hello loves!

I have had such a huge influx of people asking for help with meal prep, I thought I would write it all down. It's not anything special, I'm definitely no expert, but maybe something I do can help you out.

When flexible dieting, you need to stay within certain number of grams of fats, sugars, carbs, and protein. How you determine this based on height, weight, exercise, desired outcome, etc and is better explained on IIFYM.com.

When I meal prep, I look



for recipes (usually on Pinterest) and adjust them to make them healthier. I.E. Swapping ground turkey in the place of ground beef, mashed avocado for mayo, sweet potatoes for white potatoes, etc. Look for fun recipes, delicious looking recipes. Eating healthy does not have to be boring. In fact, I prefer the healthier version of most recipes I find.

Most importantly: MIX IT UP. If you are eating the same thing over and over again, it is much more likely that you'll go back to your old ways. Find substitutes for your favorite foods and remake them into something healthy.

I also look at every nutrition label of every ingredient. Every single one. I know it's time consuming, but unless you know what you're putting in your body, there's no way you're going to be able to improve. You will get the hang of this and it won't be such a task after you do it for a week or so.

In my last meal prep post, I showed you some of the recipes I use. I will continue posting recipes. The recipes are all recipes I found and made healthier, or were already healthy.

When you cook so much at one time, make sure you keep notes. I write down which recipes I'm making, cook times, and when it needs to come out of the oven/off the stove. I'll have rice cooking, eggs boiling, chicken cooking, and two things in the oven all at once. On average, it takes me 3 hours from start to finish, but that is all depending on the recipes I make.

TOP TIPS

1. Make the time to scout out the recipes and make a detailed grocery list.

2. Shop organically as much as possible.

3. Stick to the outer aisles  - vegetables, meats, etc

4. There are healthy snacks out there! Some of my favorites: almonds, avocados, rice cakes with peanut butter, granola, etc. Use these to snack on (in the correct portion size).

5. Block off the time to cook it all at once. I promise you, it will feel so good to get everything done. I usually cook Sunday afternoons.

6. Rotate meals that you cook nightly. Since I meal prep for myself and my husband, I cook a lot at once, but it still only lasts four days at most. I cook fresh nightly for our kids and us. Then I use the leftovers from those meals to refill our meal prep trays so I don't have to bulk cook again until the next Sunday. I know a lot of you moms may have picky kids, but there are some excellent dupe recipes that are very healthy that will fit into your diet and your kids will like.

7. I say it again: MIX IT UP. Nothing will discourage you more than lame food.


When I started meal prepping, not only did I start slimming within the first week, but I also saved a ton on our grocery bill! Nothing went to waste or ripened too quickly, and I didn't make a quick, unhealthy meal just to get something in my stomach.

If you have any other questions, feel free to comment below.