If you are one of my challengers in my groups, you know that I am all about making sure you are prepared each week in the kitchen. Meal planning. Meal prep. It is all essential and here are my reasons why:
1. It saves me time.
I know what you are thinking...Ashley, how does spending a couple of hours in the kitchen on Sunday (or for me, on Monday) save you freaking time? Well, let's see...if I knock out meals for the week in one day, that is time I don't spend each day making lunch & dinner which in turn gives me more time to work (if the kids aren't home) or spend time with my kids since I am not spending an hour cooking dinner each night. All we have to do is heat & eat when we are ready! Now, that being said, sometimes I do have to cook a little something extra for the kids to go with their meal, like their favorite Annie's Mac.
2. No room for poor choices.
Ok, so this goes along with saving time. If you are like me, you are often on the go. And being on the go means stopping & grabbing something, usually something not so good for us. But if you have snacks ready to grab & go before you leave the house...you are less likely to make poor choices while you are out & about. And yes, I am known to take a cooler with me wherever I am going if I am laser focused on my goals or even if I know I am going to be gone a while & don't want to spend money on junk.
Same with your meals, if you know you have a soccer game or dance class & you aren't going to feel like rushing to cook before or cooking for your hangry family (yourself included) after...if you have healthy meals planned & prepped in your fridge to heat & eat...that is a life saver!
Of course, I don't prep everything in advance but if I know what is on my plan, when I am feeling hungry, I know what I should be eating...back before I got on the planning wagon, I used to stand in the pantry or stare at an open fridge & eat whatever jumped out at me which usually wasn't a healthy choice or something that would leave me feeling good afterwards (a.k.a. something sugary that would cause me to crash).
3. It saves money.
See above. On the go = money spent. And if you don't at least have your meals planned out (not everyone likes to prep ahead & that is ok but planning is still essential), then you are more likely to grab the family, go out & spend WAY more money than you need too. And more than likely eat more calories than you need too.
4. I fuel my body better.
What do I mean by that? Well, when I have planned (& prepped) my meals & snacks, I know exactly what I should be eating & when. Typically this comes down to 4-5 small meals a day which means I am eating often & keeping my body fueled with healthy foods. Again, I don't have to go stand in the pantry or stare in my fridge, I know what I should be eating, therefore more often than not (let's be honest, I am not perfect), I make healthier choices! And when I make healthier choices, I stay fuller longer because I am not feeding myself empty carbs from junk!
5. It helps me reach my goals & stay on track.
If I am really pushing to reach some goals, I have to plan & prep otherwise I leave it to chance which we all know what that does (see 1-4 above...).
One thing I ask my challengers in my virtual health & fitness groups when they tell me they are struggling to reach their goals is...what is your nutrition like? Are you planning & prepping your food according to the meal plan guidelines for the program you are doing or are you leaving it to chance? They pick what I am putting down after I ask that.... ;)
This kind of prep (see below) makes me happy....it was salsa chicken, meatballs, taco meat & burgers! All great prep staples.
My tips:
(Keep in mind, these work great for me, but what works for me may not work for you!)
1. Break it up!
I split up my prep throughout the week & therefore I go to the grocery store AT LEAST twice.
I plan our meals out for Mon-Thurs on Sunday & then I plan Fri-Sun on Thursday evening. I do my shopping on Monday and Friday.
Why do I split it up? Because what I plan on Sunday for the following Sunday may not even sound remotely good to me which means I am more likely to say fuck it & eat something that isn't on my plan BUT if I break up my planning & prep into chunks, I can plan what sounds good to me & it helps me stay on track.
2. Always keep healthy food on hand!
Do I really need to explain this one? Ok, I will. Even if I have a week where planning & prep sounds like pure torture (trust me, I have those weeks, typically after vacation), I still keep healthy snacks, protein & veggies on hand...that way when I do grab something or throw together a meal, it is still healthy!
3. I am a creature of habit.
Fit people tend to eat the same thing over & over. Why? Because they enjoy it & it makes planning & prep simple. I have staples in my meal plan every week that I know won't change...then I plan the rest of my meals around those staples.
Current staples: Greek Yogurt + Frozen Cherries & at least 1 salad a day!
4. Double up!
When you cook, double the recipe, portion it out and freeze the extras! Or even put them in the fridge and eat them for lunch the next day or sometime that week (preferably within 4-5 days if it is in the fridge, however I leave food in the freezer for months at a time).
Genius idea, right?
If we have burgers for dinner, I make 8 instead of 4. Turkey tacos. Make extra taco meat for salads, tacos, the kids quesadillas, etc., you get the point!
5. Track your food!
Especially if you are wanting to hit a certain goal by a certain date. TRACK. TRACK. TRACK.
I use my awesome color coded container system to keep me on track with my nutrition. I not only plan out my meals on a spreadsheet (that tracks how many of each food group I get a day by container color) but I also print out a tally sheet to mark off each food as I eat it.
I notice when I am not tracking my food that random things tend to jump into my mouth without me even noticing...like a bite of my kids french toast or mac. Or those tootsie rolls that have been in the pantry since Easter.
We tend to eat without even thinking about it...no conscious effort, we just grab stuff BUT if we are planning, prepping & tracking, we learn to eat to fuel our body & make better choices!
If this helps you, comment below or share it so you can help a friend who wants to get on the planning & prep train! Want help staying accountable? Fill out this form to get info on my next virtual health & fitness group!