Here's the honest truth: any nutrition plan, food plan, or 'diet' that actually works is going to require some sort of meal prep. There is no way around it. Unless you can swing having a personal chef to prep your meals, you’re in the trenches with the rest of us who do some or all of the following: work, clean, run errands, workout, take care of kids (plus a partner!) as well as having to figure out how and when to squeeze in meal prepping.
Here are 5 super easy and efficient ways to meal prep and set yourself up for healthy meals and keep your fit-mom bod!
#1 Make a crockpot recipe every Sunday night. This is SO easy and makes a ton of food. My go to is a veggie overloaded pot roast (recipe in my nutritional plan 'The Bible Diet') but you can do any clean recipe. Use broths/water & herbs/spices instead of oils or sauces. This can easily cover all of your lunches for the week or one dinner for the whole fam and some leftovers for your lunch the next day. Always cook more than you need when making healthy meals. Give yourself some options for upcoming lunches or even dinners. Slow cookers are great because you can cook it overnight. Prep time is usually 15 minutes or less then you set it before you go to bed and forget it! It will be ready to serve (and/or store in the fridge) when you wake up.
#2 Buy your snacks in bulk. Perfect Protein bars or other bars that aren't loaded with carbs and sugar are awesome options on the go. Use Amazon, iHerb or Costco and get these in bulk to save some coins. Have them ready to grab and go for a mid-morning or afternoon snack.
#3 Shake & serve your breakfast! Protein shakes aren't for everyone but if you're into them they make for a super easy breakfast on the go. Pick a clean protein powder of course, (I prefer MRM or Vega-vanilla is my fav flavor of both!). I literally do this every morning and my breakfast is done in 30 seconds. Don’t ever skip breakfast. This option literally takes 30 seconds to make so there is NO excuse.
#4 Be a grill master. Throw it all on the grill with some to spare! Cooking for the fam? Throw the family meal on the grill plus extra for your lunch for the next few days. Add salmon with the chicken you’re grilling for dinner, throw those sweet potatoes and veggies on there too! You’re already turning the grill on and using it, so load that baby up with lots of extras to make sure that YOU can stay on track with your meals the next day or two to come. It’s quick and the clean up is easy! Store your leftovers in a tupperware and throw it in the fridge. Boom there is another few meals for the week.
#5 Think ahead. The theme here is just to take a minute and think ahead. Literally that's all it is. Take a few minutes (because YOU deserve them!) to think about how you can maximize the time you are already spending making meals for the family. If your husband is the cook then this is easy for him to get on board with, too. Take a few minutes and map it out, start adding your healthy snacks to his grocery list, don’t just grab the kids snacks because that’s all that's there.
Lastly, here is a skill video from Buzzfeed that shows just how do-able meal prep can be if you're smart and efficient. I hope some of you try this- bc it's awesome and so easy!!
For more inforamtion on my nutrition or training plans please check out the 'shop' tab (above!) or email me at nancyandersonfit@gmail.com
Xo
Nancy