2:16:00 PM
My husband had made reservations for us for Valentines Day that year at a super fancy restaurant and all I had in my closet that FIT ME were 2 pair of size 16 jeans. I desperately needed to go to the next size but refused. I did not have any nice close to wear to such a fancy restaurant. I cried and then called the restaurant to find out if they would allow jeans. I was desperate. I was depressed. I was nearly 200 pounds at 5 foot 2 and tired all the time...the last thing I wanted to do was shop for a nice outfit knowing I would have to go up in size.
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| Cut up zucchinis for grilling |
I had tried so many things before from diet pills, diet shots, fad diets, name brand companies you name it...I had tried them and spent so much money along the way! Don't get me wrong, I had success on MANY of them....heck on the HCG diet I was restricting my calories to only 500 each DAY! No wonder I lost weight...but was it sustainable??? HECK NO!!!
In 2015 I was introduced to such a common practice that we are told over and over again to do by doctors, magazines, TV shows YET I had not done it.... I was always looking for that quick fix and eating right and exercising was NOT quick!
How many times have you heard that? How many times have you heard that we need to eat right and exercise? So simple, right? WRONG!!! If it were that easy to do EVERYONE would be doing it.
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| Make a BIG salad every week |
This journey has not been a perfect one by any means. I have struggled along the way and will continue to struggle and have setbacks. The key for me has been to pick myself back up and keep moving forward. Even if that means taking 2 steps up and one step back over and over again, eventually I will reach my goals!
So, first things first....I wanted to try this MEAL PREP thing out....and I DID! The first few weeks I spent HOURS in the kitchen on Sunday afternoons prepping ALL OF MY MEALS for the week. When I say HOURS.....I MEAN HOURS!!!! After the 3rd or 4th week of this, I nearly cried thinking there was no way I could do this week after week after week. One thing I found by week 3....what I made on Sunday and prepped for the entire week was NOT what I wanted 3, 4 or even 5 days in a row. This MEAL PREP thing was NOT FOR ME!!! I could not line all of my containers up every single week and fill them with the same meal or two for the week AND BE HAPPY!!??? By Wednesday of each week I was wanting to make a run for the boarder to Taco Bell!!!....and sometimes I did!!!
Nearly a month into eating the right foods and exercising I knew I needed to change how I meal prepped or I would not succeed going forward. I found the value in preparing my meals ahead of time...not only did it save me so much time after work with not having to make dinner but on days that my kids schedule changed or something came up that we were not expecting during the week, I knew I already had food prepared and ready to go.... I KNEW meal prep was actually saving me time during the week but I also knew I did NOT want to spend hours of my precious time in the kitchen prepping over the weekend.
Here is what I started doing and have been doing for almost 3 years now!
Meal PLANNING is KEY! You have to know WHAT you want to make before you can ever get in the kitchen and make it!!! If you skip this step, you might as well skip meal prep. What are you going to PREP if you don't know what you are having????
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| Wash and cut up fruits & veggies |
FIRST: It is VERY important to take 10 minutes of your day and write down what you want to have that week for meals. If you are stumped...start with your usual meals. Our family has a few GO-TO meals that I tend to make over and over and over again....tacos, spaghetti, pizza and hamburgers.
SECOND: If you don't like left-overs....this will be a bit harder for you. I plan only a few meals each week (3 or 4 total). I make enough of each meal for my family to have twice and for me to have for lunch the next day. ****Just because we eat 21 meals each week (breakfast, lunch & dinner times 7) does NOT mean I am going to MAKE 21 different meals each week. GOT IT? Work smarter, NOT HARDER!!! If you do not like left overs...well....you will either need to learn to like them OR make 21 different meals....YOUR CHOICE!!! 😉
THIRD: Based on the meals you have decided to make, now take a minute and make a grocery list of items you do not have in your pantry/fridge and go shopping for those items ONLY. (Follow me on Instagram @jamialford - I have in the highlights on my page a few grocery store tips there for you).
YOU HAVE NOW COMPLETED MEAL PLANNING!!! See, that was not that hard. Once you start doing this...it becomes a habit. TIP: I usually meal plan for the following week during lunch on Friday at work!
Now on to MEAL PREP! What everyone has been waiting for....do you see how important it is to have a PLAN first? It does not take alot of time to jot down a plan of meals you want that week. Sometimes I even ask my boys...anything you boys want me to make for dinner this week? That simple!
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| Trim & marinade meat |
MEAL PREP - now it's time for the dreaded MEAL PREP however there is no need to DREAD this process anymore!!!
Remember: Work smarter, not harder. I no longer prep EVERY SINGLE MEAL. Instead, I prep ONLY the time consuming items. I am done usually in an hour (at the most depending on what I am prepping it might be 2). This time spent on the weekend saves me HOURS during the week!!!
I will simply list the items and steps I take during meal prep.
- Wash all fruits & veggies. I wash mine in the sink, cold water and a cup of white vinegar. I used to simply give them a quick rinse under the running faucet until I got some kind of bacteria something or other in my stomach and the only thing they could think caused it was not washing my produce properly. Ever since I've started washing it this way I am ALWAYS surprised at the bugs (yes bugs) and dirt I find in the sink when I'm done!!!
- If you are making tacos or spaghetti or any dish that requires browned ground beef or ground turkey. BROWN your meat during meal prep. Throw it on the stove and let it start browning while you are prepping. I typically brown 4 pounds of 93% lean ground beef on weeks that we are having those items. I brown it, drain it and separate it if needed for 2 different meals and put it in the fridge. I do not make the tacos or spaghetti meat at that time. On spaghetti night, I simply throw the meat on the stove, add the sauce and let it simmer while I boil the brown noodles (10 minutes) and throw some bread in the oven for the boys. Spaghetti night is ready is 10 MINUTES!!!
- Another meat I make on meal prep day - GRILLED CHICKEN. I marinate and grill chicken nearly EVERY SINGLE WEEK. My marinade is usually the same each week, I trim my chicken breasts and slice them in half so they are not thick and this makes the chicken go farther. I place them in a gallon ziploc bag with fajita seasoning and about 1/3 cup of coconut sugar. I LOVE this flavor on my chicken. Sometimes I will want something else and will make BBQ chicken or some other marinade. *Why do I make chicken EVERY WEEK? I can do so much with it. I can put it over a salad, make it into a wrap or sandwich or get even more creative and make chicken enchiladas. I say all the time healthy eating does not have to be boring....don't make it boring YOU have control over that.
- On weeks that I am having a dish with rice, I make a big pot of brown rice on prep day and throw it in the fridge. Brown rice tends to take longer to cook (even the instant pot it takes 23 minutes) so I make my rice on prep day and have it in the fridge ready to go.
- Cut up ALL VEGGIES needed for the week. Onions, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, sweet potatoes....whatever veggies you will be using that week...cut them up and place them in separate containers ready to grab. *Did you know you can now purchase cut up veggies in the frozen section at the grocery store. If you really want to save time....buy a few bags of pre-cut frozen veggies and you can skip this step all together!!!
- Roasting veggies: If you plan to have roasted vegetables during the week, I tend to have them early in the week. These are GREAT to prep on meal prep day but have found they are good in the fridge for about 3 days then I personally don't like them after the 3rd day sitting in the fridge.
- Boil Eggs: If you plan to have boiled eggs with your salad or tuna or avocado spread, boil your eggs on meal prep day. Place them in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Homemade corn chips or taco shells are prepped on prep day as well. If I plan nachos or tacos that week, I will make SEVERAL homemade corn chips and taco/tostado shells. I usually make enough to last a few weeks. When you make homemade chips or tostado shells, place them in a gallon ziploc bag, sprinkle a little salt on them in the bag and they will keep for a few weeks. I never make just one serving - always make enough for a few meals.
- Egg muffins. Many people prep those famous egg muffins on meal prep day. If you do not know what these are google them. They are definitely easy to make and great to take on the go for breakfast. Another easy breakfast item to meal prep and they FREEZE great - breakfast burritos. My boys LOVE these and they take 2 minutes in the microwave to heat up from the freezer. Click HERE for Healthy Breakfast Burritos I personally have my go-to breakfast which is my nutrient shake (takes 2 minutes to make) so I tend to stay away from prepping any breakfast meals during meal prep day. If you need a quick on the go healthy breakfast message me and I'll share with you my nutrient shake that is PACKED with superfoods!! I drink this everyday as it is truly the healthiest meal of my day!
- I throw together a LARGE salad every week. It is GREAT for days that you are in a hurry or simply don't want to cook. Add a protein or a few boiled eggs to it and you have a meal! I make it on meal prep day and depending on how much the family eats, I will sometimes throw together another BIG salad mid week.
- I make all soups and chili's on meal prep day. These types of meals usually taste BETTER when they have sat in the fridge. Soups and chilis also go a long way for our family. During the colder months you will find me making a big pot of something every single week. I will add a cornbread or something to the meal for my boys.
That's pretty much it! I do ANYTHING that takes time during the week....I will do those things on meal prep day. When the day comes to make that dish, I simply throw it all together - it usually takes me 10 minutes after work to complete my spaghetti or taco dinner. If we are having burgers, no time at all - heat up the grilled patties we made on prep day and everyone puts their toppings on their burger.
Do not overthink this process. At first it is awkward and you will find yourself wandering around your kitchen thinking what to do next but after just a couple of weeks you will find what works for you and really start to enjoy the benefits during the week of taking time to prep these things!!!
EXTRA MISCELLANEOUS TIPS:
Chili & Soups: ALWAYS double or triple the recipe. You can freeze this in single serving sizes and grab on weeks that get super busy or someone is extra hungry!!!
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| Homemade taco seasoning |
SAVE your weekly meal plans to use over again another week. I now have several written down on paper that I can pull out when I am stumped on what to have that week. You will accumulate these as you do this each week.
Tired of the same meals over and over again? When I first started meal planning, I made a decision to try a BRAND NEW recipe each week. JUST ONE! If my family liked it, I kept the recipe, if they didn't the recipe went in the trash never to be made again!!! This was the best way I found to expand my HEALTHY RECIPE collection.
Where to find new recipes? Simple.... google or pinterest!!! Simply type in HEALTHY MEALS or get more specific...if you make lasagna and it is a family favorite, type in healthy lasagna. I also have access to hundreds of healthy recipes online through my online library of workouts. They provide me with a complete healthy recipe cookbook, right there online. When I get tired of the same meals over and over....I simply go online to my library and I have yet to try a recipe from that cookbook that my family doesn't love!!!
Homemade Seasonings - I LOVE this homemade taco seasoning. I always mix several baggies of it to have READY TO GO and it will last me several weeks. I do not have to prep this weekly since I have them baggies made and ready to use in advance.
Click Here for Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
When you have ONE serving of a meal left and no one wants to eat it...FREEZE IT! It will come in handy for one of your lunches down the road.
Don't forget the obvious. Don't forget that meals can sometimes be as simple as a sandwhich, wrap or salad with a few healthy sides. We don't always have to have an elaborate dinner and my family knows not to always expect one as well!
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions along the way. Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram or simply contact me the old fashioned way...email. I post my meals regularly on my Insta Stories...follow me there for healthy meal ideas!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamialford/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamialfordfit/
Email: jamisfitnessjourney@gmail.com
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