You have made the decision to eat healthier! Now, how do you do it. I know, eat more veggies, less processed food, lower the sugar intake and eat lean cuts of meat. It’s easy to say but not so easy to do. We are busy and coming home from work late, having to take the kids to sports or other activities doesn’t leave a lot of time to cook. Here is a solution that you can start to incorporate into your weekly routine.
You have heard and seen pics on social media about food prepping, but how to do it? Great question. I don’t make individual, single serve meals. That doesn’t fit into my lifestyle. What has worked for me and my family is to cook ahead some meat and veggies. Also cleaning and cutting up fruits and veggies makes for easy grab and go. That way it can be used throughout the week in many different healthy meals. Grilled chicken can be put in soup, sandwiches, fajitas, salads. Marinate meat for easy cooking. I like to marinate pork chops and keep it in the marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator. When I get home from a busy day, I can grab it out of the fridge, bake it, pan fry or grill it for an easy, quick protein.
What to have on the side? Buy a head of cauliflower or broccoli. Cut it into medium size pieces, put on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes. I put my roasted veggies in a container in the fridge to grab and warm up when I want them. Buying steamable frozen veggies is a quick way to cook a veggie for your meal. You can also cut up peppers, carrots, celery and put in a baggie for an easy grab and go.
Get your fruits ready to grab and go too! Wash and cut up strawberries, wash grapes and put in the fridge to grab when you want it.
My husband, Anthony, loves an egg breakfast sandwich in the morning. I prebake uncured bacon on Sunday to have it ready for mornings during the week. I put my bacon on a rack on a baking sheet and bake it until it’s nice and crispy.
All of these food prepping tips will help you stay on track with your nutrition and help you stick with this new, healthy lifestyle. Give yourself about an hour or 2 on a Sunday afternoon and you will be set for the week.
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