Meal Prep Saturday

You've probably heard of meal prep. It's where you meal plan your week by writing a schedule for all your meals, and then prep what foods can be made ahead of time. Since I am a stay at home mom, I don't do as much meal prep as other people do. Sometimes, not always, I enjoy making dinner. I also feel too overwhelmed if I have too much to do at one specific time. My meal prep makes things easier for me throughout the week, and ultimately saves me some time.

I've decided to start sharing my meal plan with whoever wants it, so that I can A) be more accountable. If it's out in the open, I can't be lazy. I've got to get it made. I've got to follow through. B) help anyone who's starting out and might feel a little lost with what to do on this program or eating healthier in general. and C) hopefully show that this is doable and you can still enjoy food while eating healthy.

When I don't meal prep, I usually waste a lot of time trying to figure out what in the world I'm going to make and eat. We end up eating out more than we should. I don't always eat as good as I should. I am not as excited about food, at least not healthy food. We also have wasted food when I haven't meal planned and prepped.

When I do meal prep, I'm able to save time, money, and the resources. Planning out the meals and looking on Pinterest for recipes gets me excited to cook. I look forward to the week ahead instead of dreading all the hard work I'm about to do. Things run smoother, and I am happier.

With all that said, here is my meal plan for this coming week. (I am going off the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan. I am in the lowest bracket. Any extra food that was prepped is for my husband who is on the highest plan).

I know it looks like I only have veggies once-twice a day, I usually have 2 servings at dinner. Some days may vary, and I might add some veggies in with my lunch and wrap the tuna salad in lettuce, or add a veggie for a snack. I also don't usually eat the same thing every day, but I'm getting strict, and boring helps me stay on track! 

Prepping

As I've mentioned above, I don't meal prep EVERYTHING. This week, I washed, dried, portioned out, and bagged raspberries.

These are the amazing portion control containers that come with most of the Beachbody workout and meal plan programs.

I have found that snack sized baggies are super useful! 

Washed and cut romaine and peppers and stored them in mason jars (I have found that the mason jars keep produce fresh much longer than everything else. I am in need of more jars, otherwise I would store everything else this way as well. Except the portions that are grab and go.)

I firmly believe that we enjoy food a lot more if it looks pretty :)

And finally, hard boiled eggs. I get as many eggs into a large pot as I can, fill the pan with water until the eggs are covered, and then place on the stove. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat from High until medium low heat, and cover. I let them boil for 10 minutes, remove from heat, drain, and let cool. I personally like to peel off the shells and store in a gallon sized zip lock bag.

I usually prep at least a few more things each week, but this week I decided to do things fairly simple. I also need to make my overnight oats, but all of my mason jars, aside from these three used already, do not have lids. Walmart run! 

As I make my meals, I'll add in the recipes!
Cheddar and Broccoli Stuffed Chicken
Crockpot Chicken Burrito Bowls