Meal Prep 101

Meal prepping is so important and it is just one of those things that helps get you closer to achieving your health + fitness goals!! Remember that 80% of weight loss is based on nutrition, while 20% has to do with exercise. I do want to say that weight loss and looking good isn't everything though- FEELING your best is the #1 most important thing. Eating right benefits not only your physique, but also your hair, your skin, your mind clarity/memory, your mood, and your energy levels.

Before we get into the nitty gritty here's a little inspo to get you excited about meal preppin'/eating right:

Here's a little explanation on what I do to meal prep: I first go grocery shopping and do my prepping on the same day (Monday), then cook my meals for the night of and the next four to five days. I typically make several protein pancakes, measure out and put yogurt into small containers, bake chicken and mixed veggies in the oven, put mixed nuts in baggies, make Monday night's dinner, and soup for the week. Below you can find much more detail on my prepping routine, meals, and recipes.

FYI, I have a whole Fitness & Health tab on my Amazon Storefront with all kinds of good recommendations that you may be interested in to help your meal prep process :) link here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/nataliefastrupie . There's things like meal prep containers that are dishwasher and microwave safe!! I also use this amazing veggie chopper that my bestie Betty gifted me for Christmas and let me just say, both James and I are obsessed with it, my eyes finally don't burn and water when I'm chopping onions lol #MealPrepGoals !! A similar chopper is linked in my storefront as well.

Without further a-do, here are ideas for food/snacks to prep that are easy & yummy & on the go:

1. Breakfast: I make 4-5 protein pancakes for the week and throw them in a container to store in the refrigerator. They are so yummy and easy to prepare in the mornings- just throw a pancake in the toaster & make sure to add fruit on top and an optional drizzle of pure maple syrup, chocolate chips, or almond butter. My favorite combination lately has been dark chocolate chips in the batter with coconut flakes and strawberries on top! Here's a link to my easy and quick protein pancake.

2. Mid-morning snack: Yogurt + Fruit + Honey + Granola or Crushed Almonds. I put 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk yogurt into little containers and drizzle honey on top and store them in the fridge. (If you'd like to, you can just buy the smaller on the go packs instead of a big tub to make it even easier on yourself.) I also crush up a bunch of almonds and store them in a baggie and add them on top of my yogurt with sliced apples too. If you are taking this meal with you to school or work, bring a whole apple and eat that along with some yogurt :) Another great option for a mid-morning snack would be two rice cakes (brown rice, lightly salted) with peanut butter on top, put it into a baggie and there's a prepared snack that is easy to take on the go!

3. Lunch: Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast + Green Veggie + Sweet Potatoes

I start off by making my FAVORITE oven roasted broccoli recipe that I got from @that.healthy.blonde on Instagram: you just put the broccoli (fresh or frozen) on a cooking sheet, spray the broccoli with non-stick spray, sprinkle with pink salt, and bake at 400F for 12 minutes. While the broccoli is in the oven, I start preparing the chicken and other veggies. I cook 3-4 chicken breasts with olive oil, lemon juice, spices like Italian seasoning, a garlic herb spice mix and pepper for about 30 minutes at 425F. (I don't usually measure out my spices, lemon juice, and oil but if you would like a more structured recipe, there's a good one here). I will bake some sweet potatoes and asparagus on a baking sheet at 425F for 30 minutes, flipping once in between (if you have room in your oven, cook at the same time as your chicken to save yourself some time). I add spices like: salt + pepper + chili powder + garlic powder (but I don't put garlic powder on the sweet potatoes). After everything is done, I cut the chicken breasts in half since I typically can only eat about 1/2 a chicken breast for lunch and add everything together in containers. I also add an orange or cutie on the side to eat after as something sweet.

4. Afternoon Snack: This is as easy as easy can be - I add 1/4 cup of mixed nuts into a baggie and add a sprinkle or two of cinnamon. My favorite combination I do is 1/8 cup cashews + 1/8 cup almonds with the cinnamon. Other great ideas for afternoon snacks are my favorite Tone It Up protein bars, hummus + veggies, chia seed pudding, or a simple protein smoothie (without fruit) because you do not want to put a lot of sugar in your body past about 3pm every day since it'll spike your blood sugar. My simple afternoon smoothies will include, unsweetened almond milk, ice, cinnamon, and a scoop of protein powder.

5. Dinner: Stuffed Peppers & use leftover stuffing to make a soup for dinner for the next couple of days. Ingredients I use in my stuffed peppers are diced onion, minced garlic, quinoa, lean ground turkey, canned corn, black beans, chopped jalapeno. I cook it all on a pan with some olive oil and spices like cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt + pepper. I use our amazing veggie chopper to quickly get my veggies chopped and ready, so I throw in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno at the same time and its so fast and amazing!! I then stuff 3 bell peppers with the stuffing and bake for 50 mins in the oven, sprinkle dairy-free/vegan cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes. Three stuffed bell peppers are good for two people: one and a half each person is good for dinner, believe me, these are very filling. And then for the soup, I use the rest of the stuffing and throw it in a big pot and just add chicken broth and more spices + a can of diced tomatoes and you are good to go! Although these stuffed peppers are amazzinngg, I often don't have enough time during the week to make them so I usually just opt to have soup for dinner throughout the week and prepare a big pot on Monday.

Yay, you made it to the end!! Let me know what looks good and what you want to try!! Please tag me on Instagram so I can see if you make any of these things for meal prep :))))

Adoringly Yours,

Natalie *Quinn*