Beginner's Guide to Meal Prep from a... Beginner

WARNING: If you hate food pictures, leave now!! ;)

A while ago, I posted a picture of our meal prep we completed for the week.  Since then, I have been receiving several messages asking about our method.  Just like the title states "beginner", remember that I am a beginner myself and I do not have all the answers.  This is just what I have learned in the last few months.

I will admit, these are not all my ideas.  I pulled them from several places and made it my own.  I would also like to add that I am in no way a health guru; so for all you nutritionalists, don't critique my meals ha!

Shoutout to my girl Ali for topic suggestions for this post. :)

Where it started

Within the last 5 months, we started shopping at Costco more often and it has come to be our main grocery store now.  Of course, Costco's portions are family size and way too much for Riley and I to eat and store.  To keep shopping and saving at Costco, I had the idea to start meal prepping.  I have always wanted to do it to maintain a healthier diet, but never really looked into it.  So, I did a little research and started to form my own method.

Shopping List

This will change week to week depending on the recipes and what you have left over.  But this is the jist of ours that interchanges each week:

Chicken
Ground turkey
Sirloin Steak
Tuna
Tilapia
Chicken Sausage

Broccoli
Red/yellow/orange/green peppers
Green beans
Green lettuce and/or spinach
Cherry tomatoes
Red onions
Asparagus
Sweet potatoes

Pineapple
Strawberries
Blueberries
Apples
Bananas

Vanilla greek yogurt
Granola
Brown rice
Quinoa
Oatmeal (there is gluten-free oatmeal for all you celiacs!!)
Milk
Eggs
Egg Whites

Storage

All the following items can be found at Walmart.

For complete meals, I use a 3-compartment food storage container similar to this:

I really like using the 1/2 pint canning jars for my fruit.  Not only do they stack well, but compared to plastic containers, they keep the sliced fruit fresh throughout the week.

I have used a few salad containers in the past, but I must say that the Cool Gear EZ Freeze Collapsible Salad Container.  Not only will it collapse to save more space during storage, but the dressing container does not leak!  

For yogurt, I use the Rubbermaid TakeAlongs small deep square container:

I'm not a fan of reheating in the microwave; therefore, I store soups/pastas/liquids in glass containers for use in the toaster oven.  

Meals

Breakfast

Egg white muffins + veggies
Oatmeal in milk + honey + berries

Snack

Greek yogurt + pineapple +strawberries + blueberries + granola

Lunch

Prepped meal (Meat + Vegetables + Carb)

Balsamic Chicken + Broccoli + Sweet Potatoes

Chicken Sausage + Sweet Potatoes + Asparagus

Brown Rice + Balsamic Chicken + Broccoli

Broccoli Tomato Feta Quinoa + Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Turkey Burger Goulash

Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad Wraps

Snack

Cashews/Nuts
Toasted/Unsweetened coconut chips
Salad with desired toppings
Energy bites (great way to curb sweet/candy cravings!)

Dinner (NO carbs after 6 pm)

Prepped meal (Meat + Veggies)
If it gets too late, we substitute for the Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake (Berry).  I like it in milk, but to keep it completely Vegan, they Vega recommends mixing it with water.  I am not a fan of juicing/shakes, but I don't mind doing it a few times a week at night.

Benefits

Health

Over the last year, Riley and I have tried to be more health conscious as far as going to the gym, etc.  However, we have not been seeing the results we were wanting.  Between our busy schedules, it is difficult to make healthy meals every day.  Now, I realize that the key to eating healthy is being prepared.  Over the past couple months, we have been able to accomplish the following:

• Cut out fast food
• Eliminate unnecessary sugars (snacking)
• More energy 
• Weight loss (Riley is down 16 pounds and 2 belt sizes!)
• Healthy bodies- no sickness!  
• For all you celiacs (like me) and people with other food allergies, this will help prepare meals to coincide with diet restrictions :)

Money

We have cut our weekly spending to about $50-$100 each week for food prep.  It tends to be on the higher end of the spectrum when we are purchasing meat, but Costco's portions last about 2-3 weeks.

• One-stop grocery store trip
• No fast food
• Little, if any, leftover/wasted produce

Time

We usually set aside about 3 hours every Sunday for food prep.  It starts to feel like a chore, but it is rewarding to always have a nutritious meal ready to go.  Meal prep allows us to have more free time throughout the week.  Instead of using our mornings/evening to cook or prepare lunches, we have more time with each other, to workout, and for Riley to study.

Tips

• Divide and store everything!  I notice that if I don't prepare everything, I either forget or get too lazy to eat/prepare when the times comes.  For example:
• Vitamins
• Bagged cashews, granola, oatmeal, etc.
• No carbs after 6 pm!  Prepare meals accordingly.
• The key to staying motivated and consistent to do meal prep is VARIETY!  There is not way I would be interested in eating chicken, broccoli, and rice all day every day.  You have to switch it up.  I try to have two separate meals prepared each week and alternate/find new recipes every week.
• The healthier the meals = the healthier you.
• Don't discouraged if you have an off week.  This week, for example, we had a couple birthdays/bbqs along with having family in town.  We weren't able to follow our plan exactly, but today we picked up where we left off and prepared for a new week!
• As you go on, you will learn tricks of your own and better understand portion requirements and how much you should buy depending on the size of your family and the recipes you prefer.
• Research different ideas and then find the method that suits you best!

If there are any questions or recipe inquireies, please let me know.  

Happy planning! :)