Prep It Real Good
To meal prep, or not to meal prep? That should never be the question. Although shutting down even a little earlier on Sunday adds to the dread that Monday is coming, there is nothing more rewarding than starting the week off right.
There are some great benefits to meal prepping, and we have developed a few tips and tricks along the way to make the process easier. Check out our secrets to successful planning below.
Why we think meal prepping is essential
The gym and nutrition goes hand-in-hand. We hustle hard during our workouts, but to truly see long-lasting results, fueling our bodies in the right way is necessary. Prepping allows us to ensure we are getting in balanced foods that fuel our bodies and increase energy. We want the food we eat to work with us, not against us.
It saves time. We are all over scheduled. Having one less thing to think or worry about each day is a big help. Whether it’s simply chopping all fruit and veggies for the week, or fully preparing each meal, prepping makes life just a little easier. It also allows the time that would have been spent in the kitchen to other activities and a little more self-care. Choose a routine that works for you. While CaCera usually preps for the full week on Sundays, Shawnie prefers to meal prep twice a week.
We like to save our coins. Eating take out quickly adds up. We find when we meal prep and stick to eating what we‘ve cooked, we are able to keep a little more money in our pockets.
Finesse Tips for Meal Prep
Make it fun. How many times now have you heard us say this? Every meal doesn’t have to be bland chicken and broccoli. Mix up your menu by playing with different sauces and spices, try new recipes, or put a healthy spin on a favorite dish. Some of our favorites include a veggie quiche for breakfast, quinoa “fried” rice for lunch and Whole30-approved Salmon Cakes for dinner.
Keep the cleanup light. Every meal prep session doesn’t have to mean an additional hour cleaning. We are the queens of one-skillet meals,or using foil packets. What has completely changed our meal prep game is these plastic containers by EZ Prepa we buy in bulk from Amazon. You can also grab containers like these from local food service stores like Smart & Final. After using, we toss them, and they can definitely be recycled! No additional washing and no smelly containers being forgotten about and left behind.
Have your go-to snacks on hand. Snacking can derail even the best meal prep efforts, so keep a few you love on hand. Whether at our desk or stocked at home, you will always find us with some raw almonds, apples, Siggi’s Icelandic-Style yogurt, individual-size pouches of almond butter, or a protein shake
Do you have some great meal-prep tips you swear by? Share with by leaving a comment below.