My husband and I normally do our weekly meal prepping on Sunday afternoon. We throw some seasoned chicken breasts and thighs on the grill, steam up a big batch of broccoli (or your favorite veggie) and cook up a pot of rice that will make enough meals to get both of us through the week ahead.
We each eat about 5 meals a day. Working full time outside the home means packing 3-4 of those meals to take with us. Breakfast is sometimes on the road (depending on how late I’m running), but is normally prepared fresh each morning and consumed at home. Dinner is usually always at home, but sometimes it can be a packed meal as well, again, depending on my schedule.
I make good use of my Instant Pot to cook my rice. I’ll be honest, I love white Jasmine rice so much more than brown rice. I have a very sensitive stomach and brown rice and pinto beans can really turn against me. This is unfortunate in an office environment as you can imagine. This week, I’m actually going to try soaking the rice and beans in an apple cider vinegar solution to break down the phytic acid and hopefully make them easier to digest. I’ll let you know how that goes.
We have a food scale (super important!) and weigh our meat. I get about 4oz of chicken breast and my husband eats 6-8 oz per meal. Most of the chicken we measure and pack in baggies and either store in the refrigerator or freezer. We also eat red meat occasionally and will grill hamburgers or flank steaks. Those are also measured out and put away to grab and go as needed.
I eat about 1/2 cup rice which is the equivalent of about 110 grams. I don’t usually measure the veggies as they are steamed and minimal in their macro nutrients. I like to throw everything in together like a rice bowl—chicken, rice and vegetables. I also add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the meal for healthy fat. The olive oil makes it more like a stir-fry and it is so delicious!
We purchased glass snap-lock containers so they heat well in the microwave. You can make up as many of these as you want to get you through the week, or you can have all the food cooked and meat measured out and put it all together the night before.
Sometimes I’ll cook fresh fish for dinner, using our rice or beans for the carb. Personally, the last thing I want to do after coming home from work is to cook a meal from scratch and then clean everything up afterwards. That’s part of the beauty of having the rice and beans cooked ahead of time.
We pack baggies of a serving of almonds so we can grab them easily. We keep fresh fruit on hand to toss in the lunchbox. We try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. I mix and match a lean protein with a healthy fat and a carb for all my meals. Another option might be a chicken tortilla wrap with avocado. Love what you eat, but make sure you are making healthy choices and measuring out a serving size.
I have a recipe for some delicious egg white muffins I’ll share with you. The recipe makes 12 muffins and 2 are a serving size. These are a fantastic meal to put in a baggie and take on the road along with some Ezekiel bread and a fruit.
We base our meals on macro-nutrients—protein, carbohydrates & fat. We try to keep our calories within a certain range depending on how active we are that day. You do what works for you. I recommend finding out your true metabolic rate so you know whether you are eating enough or too much.
As you can see, we keep things super simple. Food/meal prepping is a great way to keep you on track and from making really bad decisions when you are hungry and nothing is readily available. However, you have to be committed to putting in the time to do it. I know I gripe all the time that my Sunday afternoon is taken up with cooking and washing dishes, but when I’m running out the door at 6am the next morning and getting home at 5pm that night, I am so thankful we did it and I don’t have to add any more chores to my list for the day. It’s so worth it!
Egg White Muffins
1-16 oz package of lean turkey sausage (we like Jennie-O’s lean turkey sausage)
600g Liquid egg whites
Non stick cooking spray
Optional: raw bell pepper and spinach
Preheat oven to 385 degrees. Spray muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook the turkey sausage in a skillet over medium heat and drain. Divide the sausage into 12 muffin cups.
Pour liquid egg whites on top of sausage about 3/4 full (about 50g per muffin)
Bake at 385 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If you like them a little more done, rotate the pan and cook an additional 5 or so minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Use a knife to scrape the edges so they don’t stick as they cool.
You can also add some raw chopped bell pepper or spinach leaves to each muffin cup before adding the egg whites. Enjoy!
Nutrients for 2 muffins:
Calories: 191
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 0g
Protein: 26g