It’s a new year and that means for many people it’s time to start new routines and get rid of bag habits. One thing you should set out to do this year is learn how to meal prep. I stand by this exercise which I do every Sunday in order to prepare meals that I can take with me to work and remain on track with my diet. Meal prepping is not hard and it prevents you from getting lazy and going to the vending machine or closest take out place for a quick unhealthy lunch. By meal prepping you know exactly what is in your food right down to the oils used and seasonings which you won’t really know if you order out. I like to be in control of my health so meal prepping is a must! For containers I recommend either Ziplock food storage containers or meal prep containers like these from Amazon.

This week my meals were done with a mix of lean meats and vegetables. Some staples in my diet include organic chicken tenderloins or breast, broccoli rabe, butter but squash or sweet potato, green beans, Brussels sprouts, spinach, tuna fish, Ezekiel bread, high protein almond butter, protein shakes using Vega Sports Performance Chocolate protein, plain non fat organic Greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, raw almonds, cucumbers, carrots, lemons and green tea.  I am also now slightly addicted to artichokes and have bought them two weeks in a row ever since having them on Christmas. I also  like to buy the baking pans to make clean up after using the stove very easy.

This week I did a bulk of my grocery shopping at Shop Rite which is okay but their organic section is far from stellar. By the way the rotisserie chicken is my Yorkie (dogs) favorite kind of chicken so I buy it on occasion, don’t judge lol. The produce is extremely overpriced for organic so I always prefer to get my veggies and fruits from Trader Joe’s where the produce is better and more reasonable by price. I hate that large grocers now up the price for organic by sometimes 4-5 times the amount! It costs to eat healthy but to me it’s worth it and you just have to know your prices and shop around.

To make my artichokes I first clean them, cut the tips and the steam then steam them either in my Cuisinart slow cooker for 4 hours in 2 inches of water with some lemon and salt or I do the same thing for around 40 minutes to 1 hour in a boiling pot of water. Cook until the artichokes begin to pen and the petals are soft. I then re-rinse them, use some organic olive oil, sea salt and then sprinkle them with Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast Seasoning. I also made some steamed organic carrots as well which are a great snack or side dish for  any meal prep container.

Another  super easy and fast option for dinner or lunch is organic grass fed ground beef, which I buy from Trader Joe’s, with your favorite seasonings, red bell peppers, onion, garlic and some spinach. These can be eaten as a chili or you can use it to fill your artichokes and have a tasty bowl to eat out of. I don’t eat a ton of red meat but organic grass fed ground beef is now a weekly purchase I make because its a good macro content and high in protein.

I love making bbq chicken, there is no better smell in the kitchen than bbq sauce. I bought two large packs of organic chicken tenders and baked them in the oven with Trader Joe’s all natural barbeque sauce at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. I also really like to use this organic bbq sauce too, but I ran out.

As a potato alternative I made some butternut squash cubes baked in the oven with organic coconut oil, bragg’s nutritional yeast seasonings, sea salt and basil. They turned out so soft and delicious!

Connect with me on social media:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•