I realized after writing my last post I didn't go into detail about what I am doing for meal prepping. OK, I forgot to take pictures too. Let me tell you, meal prepping has been a life saver. It takes the fuss out of what I am eating for the week. Also, I works for those days that I have not felt well enough to cook. I just pop a meal in the microwave and go. Works for me!
What Meals Have I Prepared?
Last week, I made turkey meatloaf with a homemade tomato sauce, mashed sweet potatoes and green beans for the first meal. Originally, I created that meal to be my dinner but I noticed the denseness of the turkeyloaf held me over for most of the day so I moved it to lunch. My second meal was baked tilapia and sauteed spinach (show in the image above). I used one bag of spinach but I really needed a second bag to make a full portion that I would prefer. You live...you learn.
What About Eating the Same Foods Daily?
Anywho, I love meal planning and having all of my meals for the week planned out; however, meal prepping once a week is so much easier. I have two meals that I prepare for seven days. I have heard some people say the would get bored but I do not mind eating the same foods daily. I would recommend making four different meals for seven days just in case you do get bored. Have four meals will allow you to switch things up a bit.
How Do You Shop for Meal Prepping?
Planning is very simple. I decide what I want for the week and I make a grocery list that will make seven servings. It is a bit of trial and error to determine how much of what you need but if you have a general idea of how much of an item you normally eat, you should not run into too many problems. Please remember to break down the ingredients for each meal. I forgot Parmesan cheese for this week's meal and had to improvise on my Alfredo sauce. Desperate times calls for a little creativity. LOL! My best suggestion is to create your menu. Next, write out the recipes and ingredients needed to create the meal. Lastly, figure out how much of each ingredient you need for seven serving. Trust me, planning this way makes things so much easier. I am just trying to figure out how I missed Parmesan cheese. I had some but I didn't check to make sure I had enough. Big mistake!
Have you lost weight?
Yes, I lost 6lbs in the first week (last week) of having my meals prepped and pre-portioned. My biggest issue is not eating enough. Planning and prepping my meals made me more aware of how much I was eating and I was able to add more food. It sounds counterproductive but for me, eating more really was what my body needed to lose weight. I can't wait to see what my losses will be this week not that I've added more activity to the mix.
When Do You Cook Your Food?
I cook my proteins on Sunday night. I save my veggies for Monday afternoon because it only takes a few minutes to prepare. I would make everything at one time but I tend to start cooking late, around 1am. That is not intentional but just how it works out because I am a night owl. LOL! Next Sunday, I plan to start earlier and finish in one session. In total it only takes 1-2 hours tops to prep, cook, and store. The longest part is cooking my meats and allowing them to cool before placing them into containers.
I hope this helps someone thinking of weekly meal prepping. I would say go for it and you won't be sorry.
Until next time...stay healthy, stay encourage, and stay motivated.
Have you started meal prepping? Have you thought about it?
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