A little Insight to my Meal Prep and Eating for the Week
Meal planning and prepping, some find this task to be very daunting, especially if you don't enjoy planning, grocery shopping, or cooking. Honestly though if I am not prepared for the week ahead I would be a complete mess and fall apart. It's really important to plan ahead even more so if you have a crazy work schedule (me!!!) and are trying to eat real, whole food! Food fuels us and gives us the energy we need to get through the day. I thought I would share with you all some of the meals I like to prep for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, snacks, and some meal prep tips!
I recently just started working out at a cross fit gym, Cross Fit Spero, if you live in Oak Park or that area you should definitely go and check them out, but I'll have another post all about that in the future. Anyways, now that I am starting a new form of physical activity, I have been focusing on consuming more healthy fats and veggies in all of my meals. Im also trying to adapt my body to try and primarily burn fat for fuel (ketosis another post) and less glucose. Eating healthy fats helps to provide a stable form of energy that also burns slower. Converting fats and ketones into our energy source is also more efficient then glucose, which comes from carbs.
My day begins at 4:30 in the morning because I choose to do a 5:30 A.M. cross fit class before I start my work day. I love this because it gives me a ton of energy and I'm ready to begin my 6 hour day of teaching grade school to middle school children, who are balls of energy and non-stop on the go! First thing I do when I wake up is have a glass of room temperature water with a sprinkle of unrefined sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon. The sea salt contains many minerals and electrolytes that help your cells and body to better absorb the water. Lemon juice just adds a little flavor and also boosts digestion. Think about it you, have been sleeping for at least 7 hours ( I try to shoot for 8) so your body is dehydrated and although we tend to want to have that cup of coffee first it's important to hydrate ourselves with water! I don't like to eat a huge meal before I work out, but I definitely need to get something little into my belly. Here are a few things that I like to have: A slice of Ezekiel toast (yes this has gluten, but its low glycemic and also made from 100% whole sprouted grains, which actually provide nutrients and is more easy on the digestive system. I don't eat this every morning and my stomach can also tolerate it!) with some coconut manna (coconut butter, I like the brand Nutiva), and sliced strawberries on top! Another option is eating half a Lara Bar or RXBar with a scoop of all natural raw peanut butter, sunflower butter, or other nut/seed butter you like and half a banana. These pre-workout breakfast options give my body enough fuel to get me through my hour workout .
Woo! After that workout now I'm hungry and ready for a yummy breakfast full of healthy fats. Most days I eat hard boiled eggs, sliced avocado, mixed greens (arugula and kale) with some drizzled olive oil, and a Gilbert's Craft Sausage, chicken bratwurst. Sometimes I'll add some roasted veggies, like broccoli or sweet potato, or plantains fried in ghee (clarified grass-fed butter, the brand I use is Fourth and Heart). These breakfast combos fill me up until lunch and are easy to prep ahead of time. The sausages are already pre-cooked so all you're doing is heating them up. I also just boil half a dozen to a dozen eggs Sunday night so they are ready for the week. Then I just add these to my to-go containers along with whatever greens and veggies I have on hand (I typically like to roast off a sheet tray of veggies on Sunday and then add them to my breakfast, toss them in salads for lunch, and add them to my dinners).
(Gilbert's chicken sausage, soft boiled egg, sliced avocado, arugula and drizzled olive oil)
(Beet salad, soft boiled egg, sausage, fried plantains)
For lunch, I've lucked out this summer because I work at a kids homesteading and cooking camp. We prepare all the meals from scratch with the kids and typically eat vegan meals with veggies from our garden and very minimal sugar. I do like to bring a smoothie with me though just in case, because sometimes there are meals that I won't eat. My favorite smoothie currently is my Beet and Avocado smoothie. Salads are also a great option as well. A good go-to salad is my Massaged Kale and Sweet Potato salad.
(Taco Salad)
As I mentioned before I like cooking off 1 lb of grass-fed beef. Sometimes I'll season half for tacos using that meat for various dishes (taco salads and stuffed peppers) and then I'll leave the other half plain. I do this for two reasons: 1.) I sometimes just like to add plain ground beef to my salads 2.) I have also been loving making cauliflower rice stir fry for dinner or even a lunch option! I do have a beef and cauliflower rice veggie stir fry recipe posted, but this meal is a quicker version. Cauliflower rice comes frozen, you can purchase it from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. First start off by sautéing some diced carrots, onions, and garlic (honestly any veggies you really like) in some ghee (Fourth and Heart). I then add some diced bell peppers, zucchini, frozen broccoli florets, and frozen spring peas ( I like buying broccoli frozen because I use it a lot! It's my favorite veggie). Let that cook for about 2-3 minutes and then add in a whole bag of the riced cauliflower. At this point I add about 2 tbs of veggie broth or water, 1 tbs of Liquid Aminos , (soy sauce substitute, Trader Joe's) and shredded cabbage. Cover with a lid and let cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the cauliflower rice is heated through about 10-12 minutes. This makes me about 3-4 meals throughout the week. I add some of the plain ground beef or you can even add ground turkey or shredded chicken breast!
(Cauliflower rice stir fry)
Im going to share with you all one last quick and easy idea for meal prep/dishes. Oven roasted chicken thighs are perfect to cook off ahead of time and eat with some roasted veg, the cauliflower rice, or on top of salads. I like to season the chicken thighs with black pepper and cook them off in a cast iron skillet with some ghee (Fourth and Heart). Once the thighs are crispy on both sides about 2-3 min a side I brush them with some hot sauce or BBQ sauce (I have a recipe I'll post later) and bake them in a 350 degree oven for 15-25 minutes or until the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
(Buffalo chicken thighs , 1/2 mashed sweet potato, oven roasted broccoli, and sliced avocado)
Some food items that I always like to have on hand for snacks and meals for the week:
RXBars
Lara Bars
All-natural raw, nut or seed butters
Ezekiel Bread
Coconut Manna
Bananas
Green apples
Avocados
Farm fresh eggs
Beets
Arugula
Spinach
Lacinato kale
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Frozen riced cauliflower
Really any veggies that can be roasted (peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, zucchini)
Grass-fed ground beef
Organic chicken thighs
* This is just a list of some staples that can make meal prep and shopping easy!
Some other tips for meal prep throughout the week:
Wash and cut your veggies as soon as you bring them home from the store.
Cook off your ground meats and chicken thighs ahead of time so they can be used for multiple meals throughout the week.
Boil 6- a dozen eggs to have for breakfast or to add to salads.
Roast a huge sheet pan of veggies to add to any of your meals or salads.
Leave some cut up veggies raw for salads and snacking.
I sometimes don't even like always planning out recipes for the whole week, but I know if I have some of these food items on hand (for me really veggies, greens, and meats) I can always come up with some type of meal that consists of real, whole food, that is nutrient dense and will fuel me throughout the day! I hope this post was if anything a little helpful and gives you some tips or quick and easy meal ideas for your work week. I'll be posting a few recipes throughout the week with more detail. If there are any questions or confusions I am always happy to answer them and help!