Something I’ve started doing recently is meal prepping. For those of you that don’t do it, I’m going to explain all the benefits I’ve noticed since meal prepping. I’ll also give you a little idea of what meal prepping looks like for me.
For one, meal prepping helps me to make healthier food choices throughout the week. If I already have a healthy prepared lunch in the fridge I am less likely to grab fast food or snack foods instead of a meal. It is a huge timesaver as well. It may take some time on Sunday when I prep all the food but throughout the week when I am busiest it makes it so easy to grab my already prepared lunch. It also is more cost effective than eating out for lunch. My grocery bill is larger when I buy all the extra food but when you compare it to the cost of eating out, it is still cheaper.
I tend to eat lunch either right before my workout or right after. Since I’m eating so close to my workout I want to make sure I am properly fueling my body to either workout or recover from my workout. I can definitely tell a difference in how I feel during my workouts based off of what I’m feeding my body.
A typical meal prep for me consists of a lean protein, a carb, and fiber. Lately I have been grilling chicken tenders, and cooking quinoa and broccoli to go with it. I marinate my chicken tenders in olive oil and low sodium Dale’s seasoning for a couple of hours. I simply coat my broccoli in olive oil and place in oven to roast at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes. When preparing the quinoa, you need to make sure to rinse it thoroughly before cooking as it has a coating called saponin, which has a bitter taste and can cause some abdominal discomfort. I make sure to wash my quinoa in a fine mesh strainer for several minutes to try to remove as much of the saponin as possible. I simply cook it on the stove top and flavor it with some black pepper and olive oil once it has finished cooking.
It may take some time to prepare my meals but I’m so thankful that I have something quick to grab when its lunch time. I don’t have to waste time cooking something when I’m already hungry or grab something unhealthy. Clean up is also easier throughout the week since I’m not having to cook my lunch each day. What types of foods do you fix in your meal preps?
