Here we go!!! This is the first day of the 5-Day Food Prep Challenge... Or... maybe it's not really a challenge, but, rather an invitation to try something that may just work for you.
Food prep is merely preparing some of your meals ahead of time. There are plenty of people/athletes who actually prep ALL of their meals in advance!
You can start Day 1 whenever you want, and simply do your thing at your own time, or, we can do this together as a community on the Bodyholic Insider.
May 27, Day 1. All I want you to do is make sure you have the containers you need.That is your ONLY task. It can be jars, tupperwear... whatever. Make sure it fits your needs in terms of what you are thinking breakfast might be, what lunch may be, or dinner... think of which one of the meals you'd like to prep. Think of how many days you want to prep in advance... Oh... and please please make sure the containers are BPA free and freezer/microwave/dishwasher friendly.
May 28, Day 2. The reason we started in the middle of the week is because the die hard meal preppers usually prep on Sunday and Wednesday. So, today (Thursday) is about you figuring out when your first prep day will be. Perhaps, Saturday is better for you... or Friday... Whatever works. I need you to make sure you have the ingredients you are interested in before we move on.
May 29, Day 3. Today is a practice prep day, like most Fridays, am I right? I want you to pick the meal you plan to prep (Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner) because I only want you to start small and go make it and store it. It can be dinner for tonight/tomorrow, tomorrow's breakfast... go with your heart's desire :)
May 30, Day 4. Now that you have had some practice, make sure you are ready to prep. You may have picked today as your designated day, it may be tomorrow... The idea of yesterday's practice was to see what recipe comes easiest to you - that's the one I want you to prep. So - let's do this! Prep ONLY 3 meals in advance.
May 31, Day 5. You are now an MPP (Meal Prep Pro - hey! it's a real title if we make it real, k?!) No, in all seriousness, you are definitle NOT an MPP... yet... but you are getting there. If you think that this may be a good way for you to stay healthy and on track towards your health and fitness goals - then step it up and I am here for any support you may need. If not, no worries! It's not for everyone. You might want to officially designate your meal prep day, or days. You might want to add meals... go ahead and play around with it.
I suggest the following, I am not an RD and you should absolutely consult with your physician if you have any health issues, doubts, questions... etc. I am only your trainer and this is only advice (for the sake of a million reasons, we are going to count potatoes as a grain):
Breakfast
Approx. 1/2 cup of dry grain i.e oatmeal/rice/sweet potato etc...
A fruit
A protein which can be yogurt/cup of milk/slightly less than a handful of nuts/combinations/2 eggs/a heaping tbsp of nut butter
Lunch
Approx. 3/4 cup-1 cup of cooked grain i.e rice/sweet potato/potato/buckwheat/quinoa etc...
Load up on veggies... 3 cups if you want to measure... if you want to get serious, then 6-10 oz.
A fruit
A protein which can be 4-6 oz (depending on your level of activity and girl vs. guy), or just think of it being about the size of a deck of cards of: chicken/tofu/hummus/chickpeas/beans/meat
A fat which can be some avocado/nuts/olive oil...
Dinner
Approx. 3/4 cup-1 cup of cooked grain i.e rice/sweet potato/potato/buckwheat/quinoa etc...
Super load up on veggies... 4-5 cups if you want to measure... if you want to get serious, then 10-14 oz.
A protein which can be 4-6 oz (depending on your level of activity and girl vs. guy), or just think of it being about the size of a deck of cards of: chicken/tofu/hummus/chickpeas/beans/meat
A fat which can be some nuts/olive oil/coconut oil...
Cannot wait to hear your updates!!
xoxo, Di