What are you having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner today?
The key to success is to be prepared. Making sure you plan out your meals and snacks for the day/week. But, how do you do that??
Meal prep doesn’t have to be something you dread. Rather than making last-minute grocery trips and guessing about the numbers, follow these 5 simple rules of successful meal prep!
For many of my clients, meal prep has proven to be the key to reaching their fitness goals. When someone finally gets the hang of it, their results go through the roof.
1. Pick Your Day Ahead Of Time
Meal-Prep Sunday is typically a great day to meal prep because it’s the beginning of the week. However, if you work weekends and have another off then pick that day. Make it fit in with your lifestyle and schedule.
However, depending on how many meals you’re making, doing all the prep on a single day can add up to quite a bit of food and time.
Don’t overwhelm yourself: Meal prep is only going to last if it feels manageable to you. If Sunday doesn’t work, split meal prep into two days. This will cut down on the session length and definitely preserve the quality of your food. Sunday and Wednesday are usually a good pair, but find any two days that work best for you.
2. Know Your Numbers
Don’t even think about meal prepping until you know exactly how much you’re shooting for in terms of the number of meals and what those meals are made of.
Such as…
Meals: Determine the number of meals and number of days you will be preparing at one time. Some people find that preparing only their lunch for each day of the week is sufficient because they’re able to eat breakfast and dinner at home. Others have more success packing multiple meals for the entire week—or even all of their meals. Regardless of where you fall on the meal-prepping spectrum, choose a spot that sets you up for success and plan accordingly.
Macros: If you’re cycling carbs and you need 350 grams of carbs one day, but only 200 grams the next, know this ahead of time. Outline your daily macros or needs, with specific meal-by-meal guidelines, and post it somewhere in your kitchen. Like on your fridge 🙂
To be clear, you don’t have to count macros to make this work. You can have a health coach prepare a meal plan for you which outlines your quantities. In either case, having concrete guidelines ahead of time will ease the shopping and prep to come.
3. Stick With Staple Items
I am a huge advocate for including variety within your meals during the week. However, with that being said, spending time crafting fancy concoctions for your meal prep will keep you in the kitchen for much longer than you anticipated.
Save the “fancy” for a fresh meal. When you’re prepping, focus on choosing easy-to-cook, foods that store well. My recommendation is to mix and match from these categories and go to town:
- Protein: Chicken breast, lean ground beef, steak, and canned tuna/salmon
- Carbohydrates: Oats, quinoa, couscous, brown rice, wild rice, whole-grain tortillas, and lentils
- Healthy fats: Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, avocado, olive oil and coconut oil
I’m not a fish gal when it comes to prepped meals, but feel free to experiment. I typically make my fish the day of 🙂
4. Go Grocery Shopping
This might seem obvious, but beginning your meal prep with the remnants of what’s in your fridge and pantry is never a good idea. Sure, you might get a meal or two out of it, but in the end, you’ll run out of food and then before you know it you’re eating off plan.
Once you know your numbers, make sure you have everything to meet them. Make a weekly or biweekly trip part of your prep routine. Not only will it help you efficiently navigate the store, but it will also help you save money and avoid food waste.
5. Invest In A Cooler Or Insulated Meal Bag
Looking at your fridge after it has been stocked with your meals for the week is very rewarding. Towers of Tupperware, perfectly aligned with the perfect blend of macro, it’s a sight to see! But you might have a difficult time carrying your gym bag, briefcase, and numerous containers to work.
If you’re prepping just one meal a day, you may be able to swing it. If you’re the two- or three-a-day type, a cooler, insulated meal bag, or backpack of some kind is essential.
This extra purchase may sound a little much but it has the potential to save you tons of daily frustration. If you’re going to be doing this consistently, which is the only way to do it, then cutting out unnecessary hassles is essential!
If you have any question about meal planning please reach out. To book your meal prep session with me sign up here – http://www.totalshift.ca/cooking-with-kt/.
For personalized meal plans email me at info@totalshift.ca.
Will it be easy?…NO
Will it be worth it?…YES
Thank you,
KT