Showing posts with label To-Go. Show all posts
Showing posts with label To-Go. Show all posts

Meal Prep ~

Meal Prep is probably the single most important thing to having success with fitness. This is the only way to stop over eating or binge eating after hard a workout. It happens every time, and you know it, it happens to the best of us when we aren't prepared.... Imagine... You eat 2 hours prior maybe more, maybe less and your pressed for time BUT you made gym time... You kick your self in the butt, drain all your energy with weights and cardio and all you can think about is eating. You didn't bring a snack, no protein and now you have errands, have work, school, etc... and you're not going home for food. IT happens, you go to closest place to grab food or you don't eat at all. By the time you get home or to the place your gonna eat at and you pretty much eat anything any everything you can get your hands on.
The hope here is that your PANTRY or your REFRIGERATOR are properly maintained with healthy products... Because the truth is that any normal person will want to eat the quickest, yummies insight especially when they're starving!

I am guilty to this type of failure luckily my cheats are rice cakes and peanut butter, dark chocolate, or a protein bar or protein dessert I've created. Only because I maintain my pantry and meal prep. ...
You can see my pantry for tips.

So now that I have hopefully convinced you that meal prep is singly the most important thing!

Here is what I do on Sundays and sometimes during the week as need as well. I meal prep for both my husband and I so we make it through a lot of food. 

Meal prep consists of:

1. Dozen Eggs
2. Chicken/Meatballs
3. Veggies (Broccoli, Bell Peppers etc...)
4. Oatmeal
5. Beans
6. Protein Bars
7. Protein Muffins

 

ONE:

Boil a dozen of eggs. Easy Right! My husband and I go through a dozen in 3 days, 2 eggs per day per person.
You do your math for your house. Eggs are great, you can never boil too much!

TWO:

Bake at least 1 chicken breast per person per day. This is considering they are for lunch/snacks. I eat oatmeal for breakfast and make dinner every night so this is truly for Snack 1, 2, 3 & Lunch. I season my chicken with anything I feel like that day... Here are some of the spice blends I've used and like...

Bake chicken in a dish at 350 F for 40 minutes.

Once its done, slice and portion out accordingly.
You can freeze some, depending on how much you make. I don't like to have cooked food sitting in my fridge more than 5 days.

For meatballs follow the Turkey Meatloaf recipe but form them into balls (makes about 12) and bake for 30 mins.

I LOVE these because they are quick, easy and super tasty! I love to dip them in mustard! YUMMY!!


You can freeze some of these too or throw them all in the refrigerator. If you freeze these I recommend freezing them individually on a pan
in the freezer before throwing them in a bag and freezing. This helps them to not stick together. 
 





Three:

Chop fresh veggies! Broccoli, Bell Peppers, Cucumber, Asparagus or whatever else you like. These are great snack options and great to dip in Hummus! Having veggies chopped on hand are great because you can reach for a bell pepper vs. a chip or cookie. I eat more than 1 cup of veggies per day but these are for on the go or sitting around snacks.
I don't chop more than 4 days worth, Apx 2 c per day per person. Veggies aren't the best once they start getting old so think and plan smart. I would hate to eat stale yucky veggies!



 

 

Four:

I always have my protein oatmeal prepped in the cabinet but for mornings on the go I really like to have quick easy stuff ready. It helps you to eat right.

For fast on the go oatmeal I use Ball Glass jars. And fill them with 1/4c Oats, 1/8c oat bran, 1/8c Vanilla Whey, 1 tsp Flax, dash of Cinnamon  and cover with 1/4 c  Almond milk and 1/4 c water. Shake and pop into the refrigerator. On the go grab one and eat cold or pop it in the microwave to eat on the go! Smart YA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five:

For the LOVE of BEANS! And boy do I love BEANS! I eat a ton on Black Beans and although canned ones are pretty cheap, when you eat as many as me... they aren't that cheap anymore!

So I buy bagged dried ones now. Either cook them on the stove or in a crockpot (EASIER!) The beans pretty much double in size so 1-20oz bag for $2 becomes 5 cups of Beans! Mama Mia! Follow the cooking directions on the bag. for the crockpot I cover them in water (2x the amount of beans)  Cook them on low for 8 hours and wala! Season them if you want. I don't, purest me!



















Six & Seven:

I also like to make some Protein Bars and a batch of Protein Muffins for the week. These are also good little snack if you need a dessert or something on the go other than food that will spoil in the car.


Meal Prep takes a couple hours but in the long run it TOTALLY WORTH THE TIME!!!


GOOD LUCK & PLAN AHEAD!!





Microwave Protein Oatmeal Cookies



I had an epiphany... I'm on a work trip, again, and I've been dying for a cookie... not just any cookie, a HEALTHY cookie! So BAM! it came to me! Make one in your microwave! OK... So I grabbed a banana and looked at my items that I usually pack on a trip and mixed away...
I made two versions, OF COURSE cause I had to try lit a second time to make sure I did a good Job.

PB Chocolate Chip
Ingredients:

1/2 Banana
1.5 Scoop prepared Protein Oatmeal
1 TBSP Peanut Butter
1 TBSP Dark Chocolate pieces
Dash of Cinnamon

Chocolate Oatmeal

Ingredients: 

1/2 Banana
1.5 Scoop prepared Protein Oatmeal
.5 scoop Chocolate Protein PowderDash of Cinnamon


Step 1:
Mash the banana thoroughly on a Tupperware cover/in a bowl or in your ceramic travel bowl
- I used the lid from a microwaveable to go container and it worked just fine
If you're at home looking for a single serving snack use a real plate ~of course.

Step 2:
  Mix in all dry ingredients and form into the shape of a cookie

Step 3:
Bake in your microwave on high for 2.5 minutes.

let it cool and ENJOY!!!

 



 




Healthy on the GO

I have a job that requires me to travel A LOT. And yes I have to reschedule all my clients. I find them substitute trainers if they want them, for however long I'm gone, then I get back and have to regroup. Nevertheless, I make my hectic life work all while staying in shape and eating healthy.
I'm gonna show you how I eat healthy on the go. This will hopefully help you make smarter decisions verses turning to fast food for fast meals. All you need is a couple essential tools and a little prep time.
While on the go, I usually live from a mini fridge and microwave in a small hotel room, and this works great. I plan out how many meals I need, minus breakfast. So for 5 days I need about 10 meal options (lunch and dinner) and I ALWAYS have things for snacks.

For my Travel Bag .

1 can opener
1 travel knife
1 large microwaveable bowl
fork & spoon
Protein shaker cup
2-3 zip-lock (snack/sandwich) bags
2 plastic containers 
reusable grocery bag
Small insulated food bag
A kitchen sponge (optional) 

 

 

My Prep Food . . .

4 Chicken Breast
Oatmeal
Protein Powder
Peanut Butter
Cocoa Powder



Purchased on Location . . .

Mini cans of Tuna
Quaker Rice Cakes
Raw Spinach
Unsweetened Almond/Coconut Milk
Black beans
Fresh Bell Peppers
Avacado
Frozen Green Beans
Frozen Broccoli
Nuts
Egg Whites 
Fresh Fruit (1-3)
Hummus*
Gluten free wrap*
Salsa*

* I usually don't buy these immediately but I find myself going back to the store for them so I can have a few more meal options. 

 

 

Meal Options . . .

Breakfast:
Microwave Omelet

Lunch/Dinner: 
Chicken and Broccoli/Green Beans
Chicken Spinach, Avocado, Black Bean Salad (Southwestern)
Chicken Black Beans, Salsa* & Avocado
Tuna Avocado Salad
Chicken Hummus*, Avocado, Spinach wrap*
Tuna Avocado, Spinach Wrap*

Snacks:
Rice Cake and Peanut Butter
Hummus and raw Veggies
Protein Mocha
Microwave  Protein Cake
Nuts (1/4 c)
Fruit


How I Prep . . .

Step 1: I usually bake 2 types of chicken. 2 breasts of Mediterranean and 2 breasts of Southwest.
Baking takes approximately 45 mins, so while chicken is baking I prepare the rest.

Step 2: I fill to go zip-lock bags or plastic containers (I've used both in the past), with my 1. Protein Oatmeal and 2. Protein. Here I make sure I have 1 serving a day of oatmeal and 2 servings a day of Protein.

Step 3:  Take about 4 TBSP of Cocoa Powder and about 4 TBSP of Peanut Butter in separate mini containers. -Trust me! You'll want these!

Step 4: Make sure you gather your utensils... fork, spoon, knife, can opener, 2-3 zip-locks and 2 plastic containers & SOMETIMES maybe even a wine bottle opener... (hehehe) Don't forget your Protein, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter and Cocoa! Place all these items in a large reusable bag.


Step 5: When the chicken is done chop into cubes or strips and fill 4 sandwich or 8 snack zip-lock bags. If you fill sandwich bags, each bag gets 2 serving of chicken. 2 bags for 1 flavor, 2 bags for the other flavor. When you get to your destination 2 zip-locks go directly into the freezer. . OR . . If you choose to fill 8 zip-lock snack bags, each bag gets 1 serving of chicken. When you get to your hotel 6 zip-locks go into the freezer. All your prepped chicken goes into your small insulated food bag and into your fridge.

I use the reusable containers to pack food on the go while I'm out of the hotel room.
As I continue posting for healthy on the go Ill add on links to my on the go meal creations and how to make them super tasty! I hope these are good starter tips for you to use!