Meal Prep Sunday: Under an Hour to Make Your Healthy Meals
All it took me was one hour and my meals for the week ahead were done, packed and put in the fridge just in time for me to head to our family’s house for the Super Bowl. I was actually debating if I should do my meal prep before or after the game, but I had a feeling that I would be in a food coma after the big game and decided to just get my meal prepping out of the way so I could enjoy my Sunday evening. We surely did go to town on appetizers, red wine and snacks but to be honest it’s days like the Super Bowl where I don’t deprive myself and just enjoy whatever I want. I picked a lot; I can’t resist picky foods like tortilla lime chips and guacamole, fresh seafood salad or goat cheese. Just thinking of it all now makes me want some more, I am slightly salivating over my keyboard. I hope you all enjoyed the Super Bowl and let yourself cheat a bit. The very next day (Monday) I was back in the gym doing my usual grind of lifting and cardio on the www.CrushFit.com 60 day program and I’m already into week #2 (if you want to do the program I am doing use promo code JERSEYGIRL and get 15% off, the link is here to my current workout program.)
I don’t eat pork so none of the meats were eaten by me, but the veggies and the salsa and seafood salad surely were 🙂
Back to meal prep, the purpose of this post…so this week was another week of meal prep for the next few days. I planned to make for five days, though usually this never lasts for five since my husband likes to sneak and eat my lunches whenever he is hungry between meals. I made 5 fruit containers of pineapple and honey dew melon which are great to have mid day when I need to satisfy my sweet tooth. So many people avoid fruit thinking it’s “sugar” but it’s not a bad sugar people – sugar without fiber is a bad sugar, but fruits also have fiber which help with the digestion and preventing the spike in your blood sugar so do not cut out fruit just cut out the fake sugars like splenda, sweet and low and diet soft drinks (now those are a bad sugar!) That is why I am never without a few packets of Stevia in my purse at all times, I never use artificial sweeteners and I suggest you don’t either.
For my breakfast I always do the same exact thing every single day and love it. I use 1/3 cup of organic rolled oats, 1/2 scoop of NutriWhey Belgian Chocolate protein powder, ground cinnamon, add water, let it sit over night to absorb the water and then in the morning I add 1 tbsp of D’s Naturals Fluffbutter and then microwave for a minute. It comes out creamy and delicious and keeps me full until noon! I also love adding healthy carbs to my diet since they help with gains and filling out that bootie! Girls, don’t cut out carbs if you want curves…if you just do cardio and eat no carbs guess what you will never get those “MURVES” – muscle curves 🙂
As for my lunch this week, I used my 2 compartment meal prep containers which are the absolute best purchase ever. They are so easy to clean and reuse and I just love that they help me plan out my portions. This week’s lunch was 1/3 cup of brown rice (another good carb), 1 cup of boiled cauliflower seasoned with some coconut oil and Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast Seasoning and then 100% grass fed organic ground beef chili. The chili was made with asparagus, onion, diced organic tomato, Trader Joe’s taco seasoning mix and a little organic vegetable broth. I have to say that ground meats are my favorite for the lunch time and they fill me up. I also sometimes sprinkle a little Bragg’s Liquid Aminos on my veggies since I love the taste and it adds some aminos to my lunch, which is good on lifting days to help recover and repair my sore muscles. If you like the taste of soy sauce/stir fry then you can literally put this stuff on any vegetable or rice and it tastes delish! (also has 16 essential aminos in it as well for nutritional benefits). I even use this when I have sushi take out at home.
As for snacks this week I am keeping a bag of Organic Brown Rice Cakes with me at all times and some packets of D’s Naturals Fluffbutter for a quick rice cake and peanut butter snack. I only use 1 tbsp of the nut butter but it’s enough to satisfy and the rice cake keeps me feel between meals. I also love celery for a crunchy snack too. I also love stocking the fridge with organic plain non fat greek yogurt. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, do not get yogurt with fruits and flavors. It’s all GMO fake sugars and sweeteners that are not healthy and load on the sugars and calories. Go with plain and add your own fruit to it or a few drops of flavored vanilla stevia.
As for dinner I always make that fresh when I return home after a long day at work. I like to cook fresh and it’s usually a mix of veggies and a lean meat or fish. Lately we have been loving fresh wild caught cod and flounder or grilled chicken made in my Cuisinart Slow Cooker with some natural organic barbeque sauce. It makes the house smell so darn good! I leave the chicken in all day while I am at work and then I get to come home to dinner already done which is awesome. The chicken just falls apart and you can shred it with a fork, which we both love, so that is a great option for dinner time. For dinner last night I made balsamic grilled and diced chicken, brocolli rabe with organic olive oil, steamed brocolli and then melted some organic whole milk mozzarella. It came out delicious and I love whole milk organic cheese but only mozzarella, American cheese is just gross to me. It’s not any kind of cheese but just chemicals.
The last meal of the day is always the same; cottage cheese healthy parfait. I make this about an hour or hour and a half before bed. I use 1 cup of low fat Breakstone cottage cheese, 1/2 scoop of Isopure Vanilla Zero Carb protein powder, mix that together and add a handful of raw almonds and a sprinkle of organic cocoa granola with coconut flakes. I put that in the freezer for about 20 minutes to get nice and cold and enjoy like a dessert. Since cottage cheese is a casein protein it digests super slow in your stomach, which makes it deal before bedtime. The slow digestion allows your muscles to feed all night, in what I like to call a protein IV drip type of way. I don’t wake up hungry and I get a lot more protein macros in for the day. Plus it tastes like a dessert so you can’t beat that!
At any time throughout the day that I get hungry I make myself a protein shake. I use a shaker bottle, ice and water and 1 scoop of Vega Sport Chocolate protein. It’s rich and creamy and does not require any milk to get that milk shake like texture. It’s also a plant protein so vegans and vegetarians can enjoy it and it might be good if you find that dairy/whey protein is hurting your tummy. As for pre workout and post workout I have been using Cellucor C4 Ripped during my workouts and then Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy after.
I hope this post was helpful for you as you plan out your meals and snacks for the week. It’s important to eat a balanced diet to meet your fitness and nutritional goals daily. Focus on good for you foods free of processed sugars and additives, your belly will thank you and so will your new muscles.
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The writer and creator of JerseyGirlTalk.com - a blog dedicated to inspiring and helping readers to feel and look their very best both inside and out. I love writing, photography, makeup, fashion and fitness.
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Is there a way I can get the actual recipe for the organic ground beef chili recipe you made?
As in how many cups you put of each in the pan and how long you cook it?