Hello Beautiful People! Today, I want to talk about two things I call guilty pleasures. Honestly, I have several (like Reese’s eggs which are on sale right now because Easter is over.) But my focus today will be #MEALPLANNING and #FOODPREPPING. I call each of these a guilty pleasure. Don’t roll your eyes! If you are looking for a chance to gain more time for self-care or for the family during the week, read on….
As a small business owner I have a pretty demanding schedule. Any extra time I can pinch during the week is GOLD. I know I have mentioned my affinity for meal-planning and food prepping in a previous post. But, I cannot express enough how much it helps me throughout my week! I not only prep my lunches and dinners, but also my snacks. It may take a little pre-meal planning, grocery shopping, and some prep time on Sunday, but the benefits far outweigh the time spent!
My lunches tend to look like a salad with grilled or oven-baked chicken (pictured above). Sometimes, I will throw the chicken into a low carb wrap with some honey dijon mustard and lettuce. I think that is just tasty!
My snacks can range from yogurt, homemade granola bars (pictured above), carrots and hummus, and fruit “bowls” (pictured above).
Dinners usually consist of some type of brown rice base, meat and veggies. We mix it up by using different spices and low-sodium stir fry sauce (usually gluten free). They are filling and generally healthy meals. Sometimes, we make naked chicken fajitas (pictured above), and add a tostada on the side for a little crunch. Or, we might use the slow cooker to make something quick and easy, like three-ingredient slow cooker chicken and salsa! This is one of the go-to recipes in our house because it is so versatile. Sometimes, if we are feeling a little feisty, we will even and add black beans, frozen corn and hot sauce to the crock pot!
My dinner ideas often come from Skinnytaste or Gimmesomeoven or Fitslowcookerqueen. They have A TON of great recipes and you can find many choices based on your dietary needs!
Six “guilty pleasures” of food prep
- Allows for more ME time in the evenings since dinner just needs to be heated up
- Lunches and snacks are already pre-planned so I can just grab and go
- Allows more time during the week with the family
- Healthier food choices – I’m about 99% less likely to stop and pick up fast food.
- Helps keep me organized and on track with my fitness goals
- My husband and I often prep together. This keeps us connected and enjoying something we both like.
I have suggested food prepping to many of my clients who also share a demanding schedule. They tell me the hardest part is making the commitment to do it. But once they plan, practice and get in the groove, it really is easy! And it DOES free up time for other things during the week, which I know we can ALL use!
What we put into our body has a direct impact on how we feel. Great strategies include making healthier food choices, utilizing food prepping, and having more time for ourselves and our family. These strategies can make a world of difference by improving the quality of our lives!