Prepping for the Week

I don't know about you but the week gets so crazy busy at times it seems like a blur! One of my new year's resolutions is to eat healthier and I found the easiest way to break this resolution is to not meal prep. If you think that you're going to have time every night to pack your lunch the night before, think again. Some days you're just so tired or if you're like me, forget to do so. Sure you might remember if you keep an organized schedule but will it be well portioned and a well balanced meal?

It all comes down to our choices that we make. When we have a long hard day it's so tempting to go through the drive thru of our favorite fast food restaurant and scarf down more calories than you can walk off in a day. Trust me, I've had more "cheat" days that I was allotted. I found that it's so much easier to eat healthier when all your small choices lead to that one goal. Like in the grocery store, prevent yourself from getting snacks and picking up things that you know that you cannot put down. Find alternatives and research what would work best for your personal goals (losing weight, health, etc.). I found almonds are extremely beneficial health wise and are easy snacks because you only need to eat a handful a day. So I bought a bag of unsalted almonds and keep them in my work desk to snack on whenever I'm hungry.

Frozen meal chicken biryani with my added vegetables

Other choices that are beneficial to make correctly is the way you make your food. I think cooking is the only guaranteed way to actually see what you're eating and putting into your body. You control the seasoning (i.e. salt intake) and the way it's cooked (i.e. with oils that can withstand high heat like avocado oil). However I do know how busy life gets so for during the week if I don't have the time to cook, I buy organic frozen meals that are portioned controlled. It helps to know that you'll always have that back up in the freezer. My personal favorites are from Trader Joe's or Amy's. When you do go out to eat, the same choices on what you choose off the menu is important as well. Some restaurants have portioned controlled meals in their menus but honestly most restaurants always give too much. I try to eat about 1/2 or 2/3 of the meal and take the rest to go. It's the perfect portion for a lunch the next day!

Lo mien with skirt steak and broccolini

However to help achieve all these goals (lose some weight and to eat healthier), I spent the last year experimenting with meal prepping and it has been a huge success. I learned at times to actually know how many calories are in some meals that are richer and to place less portions in the containers then. Also learned which recipes still taste great by the end of the week. Here are some of my tips on meal prepping:

Spaghetti with meat sauce with beans

1. The hardest part of meal prepping is that you're eating the same meal everyday for the whole week. Try picking a dish that is flavorful and unique so that it doesn't mirror your other meals throughout the day. 
2. Make sure you always make it a routine thing. For me, I would always go grocery shopping and cook the meals on Sunday. The day before makes it easier for me (I'm such a procrastinator) but also it makes the food the freshest. This is key for meal prepping.
3. Try investing in good containers. Most plastic containers contain BPAs and other harmful chemicals. Even if the label says it doesn't, placing hot food in the containers can possibly cause reactions or the containers to melt. I always use glass containers. They're a little heavy but to me it's worth it. 
4. Have fun finding new recipes! For me it was so easy to stick with what I know how to cook probably out of sheer laziness. But it was totally worth it spending about five minutes every week researching and finding a new recipe you want to try. Makes the eating the same food straight less mundane. 
5. Try to keep the meals portioned and well balanced. I find it hard sometimes to not put too much carbs in my meals. But it's easier to think just put half carbs and then half vegetables. I also try to put just a few ounces of some kind of meat as protein. 

I hope these tips are helpful and gets your idea juices flowing! I don't know what it is about the new year but it gives me the extra ounce of motivation to complete my goals. Good luck and happy prepping!