More on Meal Prep

MORE ON MEAL PREP

This is obviously my first time with blogging and its very interesting. Especially since I can get live stats on view, comments, etc. Really fascinating!

So my post with the highest hit count was on Meal Prep! Apparently you all are all about the food too!

I will be posting some of my favorite recipes because although I prep for the week I also like to cook actual meals, mostly for dinner when my family is home, but occasionally my son and I do breakfast together since he is in college now.

Just a few more hints and tricks on meal prep:

ACCESSIBILITY IS KEY!

Even when I'm not in a hurry to get somewhere I'm a busy person. Interruptions in my schedule drive me crazy! And I love consistency. I mentioned before that I even take things out of the boxes (as long as they are individually wrapped).

Canned foods are not a regular on any day; however there are some foods that are just going to be canned.

Tuna

Olives

Water Chesnuts

Garbanzo Beans

Pinto Beans 

Navy Beans

Black Beans

Tomato Sauce

Artichokes

These items are canned to be consumable, they usually don't keep well fresh for any period of time. 

What I do is look at my week and plan a few basics. I'm obviously going to have at least 2 servings of salad, a few wraps and some snacks. 

I open one can of each item (just one type of beans) and put in a small CLEAR container and keep it in the fridge.

(Don't forget to rinse first to remove salt)

Again, ACCESSIBLE, OPEN THE CAN!

I am more likely to eat something that is already out of the can!!!!

Sounds silly I know but that is the truth.

Think about how you eat and snack - do we take the time to carefully open a bag or do we rip it open? Eat first and then think about it later??

DO THE THINKING ON THE FRONT END!

FREEZING & FROZEN FOODS

Frozen foods are good options to canned. Frozen foods usually, but not always have lower sodium content. Sodium is added to canned foods as a preservative.

Things I keep in my freezer:

Chicken

Lean Beef Cuts

Ground Meats

Shrimp

Spinach

Corn

Carrots

Onions

Celery

Squash

Bell Pepper (all colors)

With the vegetables I always also have some fresh on hand, but if I buy at Costco I will prep 1/2 for the fridge and 1/2 for the freezer just using ziploc bags.

This is really helpful on the ONIONS....

I EAT ALOT OF ONIONS!

They are high in Vitamin C and I saute and roast them with meats and vegetables.

I also keep celery and zucchini cut up several different ways:

diced

sliced in rounds

long dipping/snacking slices

spirals

Set aside some time TODAY to prep and plan for a successful week of eating healthy!

3.1runmom