Ok! So now you have decided, ENOUGH, I am GOING to change my lifestyle. And I want to start meal prepping!
The pre-step to meal prep is to have a meal plan- either one that you make or one that yours truly (hint hint-me) makes for you! If you are interested in a customized meal plan for me, check out http://www.sarahbowmar.com/product/online-coaching-programs/
Pre-Step: Have A Meal Plan
Step 1: Invest in HIGH QUALITY containers. I recommend BPA free ones that way you can put them in the microwave and dishwasher. I also recommend containers that are the same size to make them easier to stack. I have used ISO containers and ISO bags for over 2 years and I would recommend them to anyone! If you need containers or bags, you can order on isolatorfitness.com and use "sarah" for 10% off
Step 2: Write down what you NEED at the store so that you aren't walking around aimlessly and get too much of one thing and not enough of another. I recommend prepping for 3-4 days at a time so plan everything that you need by tallying everything up that you need from your plan!
Step 2.5: Make sure you have a food scale- it's hard to measure meat without a scale, especially if it calls for 4oz!
Step 3: Make sure you have low sodium and calorie free spices on hand. You will be preparing a lot of meat at once so you want to make sure things aren't bland.
Step 4: Time to actually cook your food! I recommend doing ALL of your meat either in the oven or on the grill. Make sure you are cooking according to your meal plan, so if it calls for no oil, then DO NOT USE OIL! Meat on the grill, to me, is the tastiest!
Step 4.5: Cooking veggies. If you are cooking your veggies and not eating them raw, cook all of the veggies on the stovetop at once while your meat is cooking. Get your water boiling before you get the meat on the grill so that meat and veggies can be cooking at the same time! If you are eating veggies raw, it's pretty easy to measure those!
Step 5: Cooking carbs- rice and quiona should be cooked last in my opinion and is needs to be more watched and monitored than veggies on the stove top.
Step 6: Clear your kitchen room table and line all of your containers up next to one another. Measure your meat with your food scale in each container- make sure you zero the scale out to compensate for the weight of the container and measure your meat first. Then measure your veggies and carbs (typically with a measuring cup).
Some notes:
Some items CAN'T be meal prepped- for example, scrambled eggs to me shouldn't be prepped- you should make them fresh or eat your egg whites boiled or drink them.
Unless otherwise noted, you should measure food COOKED (measure what you are actually eating)- again, if something calls for otherwise then do that!
Prepping seems overwhelming at first- but if you dedicated 2-3 hours on a sunday night to practice, you actually will begin to enjoy it! It will save you a ton of time throughout the week and eliminates any excuses to not grab what you have already prepped!
Happy prepping!
