Living With Intention: Meal Prepping Ahead of Time

Greetings! Welcome to my new installment of Wednesday Lifestyle blog posts. I thought it may be helpful to my readers for me to share some things I have learned along the way on this journey we all call Life. Weekly posts every Wednesday,  starting today.

For those that know me, you know how much I value time. I truly value moments. All of the moments that connect together to create our days, weeks, months, etc. Moments are incredibly important. Once they are spent, they are gone. Invested in whatever you have chosen to spend them on. Time is fleeting, it can be very quick, and it is important that we all spend our moments wisely.

With that being said, I am incredibly busy! My weeks are borderline insanity with heavy patient loads and complicated people with various problems to solve. I am usually at my clinic at 7am and don’t get to go home until 7pm. It is the last thing I want to think about in the morning is making three meals for me to bring along with me to my job. The only thing I think about in the morning is COFFEE!!

So I started “meal prepping”, and have perfected it to get the whole thing done in 2-3 hours on my last day off before I start my workweek again. It has freed up so much time, I eat better and more healthy, and it actually has saved me money.

Are you ready to learn? Good! Here we go!

The first thing you need to do is pick out some recipes, that are cost effective, easy and/or quick to make, and that will last a few days in your fridge. I find the website “skinny taste.com” very helpful. I usually choose at least one new thing per week, and have a few “go to’s” that I love and that meet the requirements I am looking for. I make a grocery list, and buy exactly what’s on the list.

You will need storage containers. I don’t use anything special. You can get great containers on Amazon, and some you can freeze which is very helpful. Here is an example:

You will need to get organized, chop all that needs to be chopped, boil what needs to be boiled etc, and then start creating and storing your meals.

PASTA SALAD

This is definitely one of my go to’s. To make it you will need:

Pasta – any kind, I like Mini Penne, it cooks well, and lasts nicely in the fridge.

You can add anything you like. I usually use cherry tomatoes, black olives, grated cheese, a little feta cheese and sometimes a protein like chicken or pepperoni or whatever you heart desires. You can add salad dressing on the day you will be eating it, Makes for a really nice lunch. Each serving about 3/4 cup. Approx 350 calories.

TURKEY CHILI

Another favorite. You will need one pound of ground turkey or ground beef, whatever your preference, and the rest of the ingredients are pictured here:

Brown the ground meat of your choice, mix it and the above ingredients in either a crock pot or slow cooker (4 hours on low) or a big dutch oven or pot on the stove (low 4 hours on slow simmer) Each serving is about one cup, plenty of protein! And again, about 350 calories per serving.

PORK LOIN

You can find these on sale, and when you do, pick one up! 45 minutes in the oven with some veggies drizzled with a little Olive oil and Wha La! You have delicious ready make and healthy dinner!

Use the rest of the loin and chop up in small cubes, add a couple small tortillas and cheese and you have some delicious street tacos! (Pictured later)

GARBAGE SALAD

This is a great way of using everything in your fridge or cupboard that you are not really sure what you will do with. Lettuce of your choice in the center, and then about 2-3Tbsp of whatever you like surrounding the lettuce. I usually use chickpeas, corn, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and some kind of a protein. YUM!!

PROTEIN PACKS

A quick go to for those busy days you just need something extra. Hard boiled eggs peanut butter crackers, single serving cheese, and I love Craisins! This is an excellent quick and healthy snack that boosts your energy and helps you feel full on those busy run around like crazy days!

THE END RESULT

I mix a variety of fruits I find on sale and take them for breakfast along with a yogurt. I have my turkey chili, my pasta salad,  bunless cheeseburgers (super easy) protein packs, street tacos, and a garbage salad or two.

This really is a time saver. It’s easy and what a treat to come home after a very long day and have so many choices to heat up and make for dinner! All of the above is plenty for two people, you can accommodate and tweak a little to meal prep for families.

I hope you found this helpful, and even more so, I hope you try this out for yourself. You will personalize it to your own lifestyle and needs, but I can promise you this, you will LOVE the time it frees up for you!

I would love to hear your ideas, recipes, and thoughts on the information I have shared with you. Please leave a comment, it is very appreciated! Subscribe to my site if you would like to share in my Wednesday Lifestyle posts, they are sure to either be interesting, informative and entertaining!

Until next time…….as always……..be kind.

Polley93