As I lay down to sleep tonight, I can't help but feel totally accomplished and ready for my week. If you read my earlier post, you may recall that we were running late for church. I feel like "running late" is an every day occurrence around here! That's why it is SO vital for me to plan out our meals and snacks in advance, and then prep it all so we are ready to just "grab n go" the rest of the week!
I am a fantastic planner. Really, I am. But I am an extremely poor executer (is that even a word? Lets just pretend it is...). Life gets busy, my priorities fluctuate throughout the day, and life sometimes just happens. Pre-prepping my food for my plan is that step in-between planning and executing that plan which paves the road to success for me.
So, lets talk about how to plan. First of all, take a step back, take a deep breath, and don't get carried away. Please, don't visit Pinterest to help you with your planning, because if your anything like me, that will send you into this spiraling need to compete with over the top ideas, setting your expectations beyond what you can reasonably accommodate in your allotted time. This is a major mistake I used to make- feeling the need to constantly try new recipes, and then I would come up with the excuse of- "I don't have time to cook". New recipes are fun to try, don't get me wrong, but when I am chasing after my toddler, simplicity aides in my sanity. Start with healthy recipes that you are familiar with, and if you truly don't know of any recipes, google will soon become your BFF (until I update my recipe list, that is).
Sit down with a piece of paper and plan out ALL meals and snacks. If weight loss is your goal, aim to have no more than 2 fruit servings (1 cup=1 serving), and no more than 2 complex carbohydrate servings (1/2 cup= 1 serving) with at least 3 vegetable servings ( 1 cup= 1 serving..sans peas, corn and potatoes- those bad boys count as carbs), and at least 4 protein servings a day (3 oz= 1 serving- aim for lean cuts and try to add fish on the menu twice a week). Try to incorporate one protein serving each time you eat. I know it can feel overwhelming at first, but it does get easier over time, and you can always message me for individual help and I will gladly assist!
Again, keep it simple. If you need to start by eating the same thing day after day for the first week just so you can wrap your head around the planning process, then do that! I honestly eat the same thing for breakfast, snacks, and lunch day in and day out. I rarely change it up, and I'll go over exactly what that is in a minute. And no, I don't get "bored" with repeating my meal plan because i know that i am properly fuelig my body. I am not eating for entertainment, and let me tell you, if I were- I would be in big trouble. Bottom line- if it works for you, then don't feel like you have to constantly be changing things.
So here is my plan for this week:
Breakfast- chocolate shakeology blended with ice, 1 cup strawberries
Snack- 12 raw unsalted almonds and an apple
Lunch- mason jar chicken salad with kale and 1/2 cup corn
Snack- carrot sticks (1 cup), 1 unsweetened fage Greek yogurt cup
Dinner- varies (see below), with 1 protein serving, 1 carbohydrate serving, and 1 vegetable serving.
Here's my husbands plan:
Breakfast- apple cinnamon overnight oats, a Greek yogurt, and banana
Snack- 2 hard boiled eggs, a cup of carrots
Lunch- 4 oz asked chicken and 2 cups mixed veggies, 1 cup blueberries
Snack- protein bar, 12 almonds, an apple
Dinner (see below), with 2 protein servings, 2 carbohydrate servings and 3 vegetable servings.
Here's our dinner cycle menu:
Sunday- crockpot southwest chicken tacos with mixed salad
Monday- meatloaf, mashed cauliflower, and quinoa salad
Tuesday- grilled tilapia fish tacos with cole slaw
Wednesday- mesquite marinated grilled chicken, quinoa salad and cole slaw
Thursday- baked applewood salmon with mashed cauliflower and quinoa salad
Friday- date night!
Saturday- chili with mashed cauliflower
I use the 21 day fix portions to ensure everyone in the family is getting just enough of each food group. Have I mentioned how much I love the 21 day fix portion control plan? If not, I LOVE it. It's brilliant and a dietitians dream come true as far as diets go, and I personally use it DAILY. Ill post more details on why I love this plan and a full review another day. Also, I should mention, that one of the many reasons I drink shakeology daily is how stinking convenient it is, and one less meal to worry about. Any moms with toddlers out there can relate when I say that sitting down for a meal sometimes just can't happen... But with shakeology, I can make sure I am still fueling my body properly...again, another excuse buster.
Once you have your plan, sit down with your recipes and make a complete shopping list. When you go get your groceries, stick to the list. Do not, I repeat, do not, just willy nilly down the isles, tossing what looks "healthy" in your cart. Please, be prepared. Stick to your plan and follow your list. You will be amazed at how much you can save on your grocery budget by eating the correct portions and sticking to your plan. I do plan on writing about budgeting as well to completely eliminate tight budgets as an excuse to eat off the deep end, but until then, you can always message me and I will gladly help.
Now, lets review how I personally do my Sunday prep. I took pictures today as I went along so you can see first hand what goes into my "plan and prep" Sundays.
Today's prep list included:
Making the mashed cauliflower
Cooking the quinoa salad
Prepping and assembling the cole slaw
Making overnight oats
Assembling mason jar salads
Portioning out almonds
Portioning out carrot sticks
Hard boiling (I personally bake them) and portioning out the eggs
Portioning out my husbands lunches
And getting it all lined up and ready to go come Monday!
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