Meal Prep Pep

Hello my friends and top of the afternoon to you.  Yesterday, like most Monday’s I hunker down in the kitchen for about an hour/ hour and half to food prep.  By food prep I mean I begin a monotonous process of preparing healthy foods in an organized fashion so during the week I can make quick healthy meals and snacks.

I usually show my routine weekly meal prep tips on my instagram stories. but apparently it had been a while. My Abercrombie and FITness approved meal prep regimen isn’t super peppy or sexy.  I basically prep the same 7-10 foods over and over again.  However yesterday…I was shocked to receive an overwhelming response with questions pertaining to my food prep.

So today I wanted to revisit a former meal prep post and share my secrets to living a lean healthy lifestyle.

Typically I make time on Sunday or Monday afternoon for meal prep.  It just seems to start the flow of alignment for my week.

 

 

Usually, Monday is my grocery store day!  Not that I don’t make small runs for all of the crap I will forget, but I make a major shopping trip every Monday.  I call it meal prep Monday. If you have been paying attention, you already know that I live with Mr. Chicken Fried Steak which means that none of my fortitude in planning satisfies him. His list for meal prep Monday is a bag of chips, shredded cheese and jalapeños for nachos!  SMH.

Every week I ask him if he needs or wants anything special from the store.  He will request the usual man items like shaving cream and razor blades, but it turns ugly fast.  He will text me something like this….flour tortillas, pepper jack cheese, hamburger buns, shredded cheese, Oreo’s, oatmeal iced cookies and beer! (no joke)

 

Allow me to outfit your kitchen with weapons for the weekly battle field of healthy eating.  The first line of defense is having plenty of fresh artillery at your finger tips. Stock your pantry and frig with the good stuff!  A snap shot of my Monday meal prep routine involves several pots of boiling water. I boil a large bag of frozen chicken breasts, a large vat of my better than Chipotle brown cilantro rice and a dozen or so eggs!

Later, I shred the chicken and season to my liking. The chicken is refrigerated for a weeks worth of meals. I can have it topped on a kale salad or eat it for taco Tuesday!  By Wednesday or Thursday you can add it to some broth and make a great tortilla or chicken soup!  The brown rice is a filling complex carb for lunch or dinner. I season my rice with soy sauce and pepper and eat it with chicken or a can of tuna. Once I peel the eggs, I seal them tightly in a large plastic container. (Warning: boiled eggs will stink up your house like a foul toot). Make sure you have arm and hammer baking soda box in your frig to absorb the horrendous odor.  The boiled egg is great fuel before or after a workout because it is a high protein snack.  It also dices easy for a festive salad topper!  Believe it or not, my one and only Mr. Chicken Fry actually loves boiled eggs. He will occasionally give me a domesticated darling compliment on how good I boil eggs!  (go me, snap)

Rooty tootie fresh and fruity 

I also wash and chop up all of my fruits and vegetables!  I clean and freeze fresh berries.  Black berries, strawberries, raspberries and blue berries are my BERRY favorite to munch on. I prepare and bag celery, carrots and cucumbers!  Oranges and apples require zero prep so I keep plenty on hand.  I also advise that you keep nuts and pretzels handy for the afternoon doldrums. At the time this process can be laborious but having fresh snacks in the frig ready to grab and go is so worth it!  Honestly, not counting lugging all of the groceries into the house, all of this takes about an hour…maybe 45 minutes.

Other weekly staple items on my list are gluten-free bread, Good Thin crackers, fresh deli turkey, avocados, kale, cilantro, peppers, corn, whole grain pasta, ground turkey, garlic, and potatoes, green beans, tuna, and quinoa!  

I also usually make fresh salsa, guac and my infamous Lite Chicken Salad. As the season changes I usually add my famous HOBO stew into the mix/ rotation.  (each bold, italicized, highlighted word is a link to a recipe)

FOOD FIT TIP: I grill or bake pork chops and or chicken breasts in MASS quantities because it packs well for lunch or will reheat easily for dinner.  I also bake several sweet potatoes at a time for fast snacking or reheating.

FOOD FIT TIP CHEAT:  If you don’t have 45 minutes to meal prep you can purchase pre-packed boiled eggs, baby carrots, fruit and vegetables.  You can also purchase de-boned rotisserie chicken and grilled chicken breasts in the deli department.  (YOU’re Welcome)

Do you have any meal prep favorites or tips?  Please share them with in the comment section below.

 

I hope this post is helpful and will set you up for meal prep success. That’s what it’s all about!

Love, eat clean and live lean

Angi

xo