How Do I Meal Prep for Success?

By Lydia Wallie, Nutrition Director

How do I meal prep for success?

1. Know your goal. Once you know where you’re headed, you can create the plan to get there.

2. Know your WHY. It can be difficult to stay on track with a lifestyle change if the reason for pursuing this new lifestyle of healthy living isn’t clear. Do you need help determining your why, changing habits, and staying accountable? Schedule a Nutrition Session with our Nutrition Specialist.

3. Plan backwards from your goal. If your goal is to lose 12 pounds in 3 months, that’s 4 pounds per month and 1 pound per week. Ask yourself what changes need to happen in your daily and weekly meals/beverages in order to make this goal a reality.

4. Determine your eating and prep schedule. How many meals per day will you be eating? How much time do you have to prepare food? How many meals will you prepare or order elsewhere (for example: Local Health Market, Whole Foods, Zedric’s, or SunBasket)?

5. Sit down at the beginning of the week to:

   • Find recipes (click here for a Pinterest board with recipe ideas).

   • Plan out your meals for the week (click here to print a meal planning sheet).

   • Create a grocery list and go shopping.

   • Prepare food for the next 3-4 days, or the whole week depending on your preference.

6. Preparing food is probably the most time-consuming aspect of meal planning, besides planning. So here are a few strategies:

   • Use a slow cooker.

   • Simplify your recipes so there aren’t a million ingredients.

   • Buy frozen organic fruits and vegetables since these can be better quality options than fresh in the store AND they’re already cut up!

   • If you’re overwhelmed, think simple. PROTEIN sources: fish, poultry, eggs, or beef. FAT sources: avocados, olives, and the butter/oils you use to cook. CARB sources: fruits and root vegetables. FIBER sources: fruits, vegetables, and tubers.

   • Choose 1 ingredient from EACH category above to build a meal. Here are a few examples:

     • Breakfast: 3 eggs cooked in 1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil paired with roasted sweet potatoes.

     • Lunch: sliced turkey breast on a bed of lettuce topped with homemade dressing and sliced strawberries.

     • Dinner: grass fed burger with Paleo mayo on top of a bed of lettuce paired with broccoli sauteed in butter and garlic.

7. Plan your snacks. When it’s late and we’re starving we can make some of the poorest choices (have you heard of decision fatigue?!). Put your snack on your meal plan and grocery list. Here are some healthy snack ideas:

   • Apples and almond butter

   • Turkey breast and avocado

   • Create your own trail mix: dried goji berries, other dried fruits with no added sugar/oil, sunflower seeds, sprouted pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, and almonds

   • Artisana Coconut Butter Packets

   • Skout Backcountry Bar: Dark Chocolate & Pink Salt, Dark Chocolate Cherry, Coconut Almond

   • Kion Bars

   • Baresnacks.com: sweet potato or other (check the label to make sure there’s no added sugar or canola oil)

   • Paleovalley beefsticks

   • Chia seeds (add to water to create a gel you can drink)

   • Epic Provisions: Beef Habanero Cherry (HEB, WholeFoods)