Meal Prep: Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

                 We’ve all heard the adage, “You can’t out-run your diet”.  Food is a major aspect of our daily lives.  It is also a huge contributor to our physical and mental health.  How many of us have eaten too much and become lethargic? Or not eaten enough and gotten cranky.  The fact is, what we eat has a much bigger impact on us than most of us are willing to admit, or consciously think about.

                 So how do we stop that cycle of not eating enough -> eating too much? Or try to eat ‘better’ -> eating what is convenient.  Most of us have tried different diets, or exercise regimes to ‘get healthy’.  The easiest method is to control what we're eating.  But that's easier said than done.  We're busy with work, families, social events, holidays..... the list goes on.  Many of us don't have time to cook every meal every day. 

So how do we avoid taking the easy route and getting fast food or whatever is convenient in the work cafeteria? 

We PLAN.

Having a plan and sticking to it, is the best way to ensure you're eating well, and don’t fall into those easy fixes\bad habits.

One great way to do this is through Meal Prep.  There are several different ways to go about this, and we may go into some of them later, but for now let's stick to one of the simplest methods.  Just cook a meal ahead of time.

Pick 1 meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner), and make all of your meals for the week.  Don’t try to prep all your food for a week.  Trust me, that is jumping into the deep end… with sharks… and a necklace made of meat.  Start with 1 meal; breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

Normally this means making 5-6 servings per person.  If you are only cooking for yourself, this is easy.  Most recipes already make 4 servings.  Just bump up the amounts, pick a time, and cook that meal.  Then portion it out and put it in the fridge!  That’s it.  Spend 1-2 hours, and you have a meal cooked up all week!  If you’re cooking for your family, it can help to start with something that already makes a lot.  Think stews\soups, or making a roast.  This can then be divided up, add in a side, and you’re all set!

Once everything is portioned, just grab a container from the fridge\freezer, heat it up, and you have good, healthy, pre-portioned meal!

Even improving ONE meal a day can help you feel better for the rest of the day, and help you on the path to being stronger and healthier.

Remember LET'S MAKE BETTER DECISIONS.