Meals are among one of the many things that can be easily outsourced. So tempting right? But always keep in mind that nothing beats a home cooked meal (balanced with real food of course). Prepare your meals from scratch. You will gain a new appreciation for clean and nutritious ingredients, value storage containers for far more than they are worth, and embrace the concept of leftovers (yes, “leftovers”).

I know what you are thinking, easier said than done. And, yes, you are exactly right. This is going to take a little extra time and effort, but we’ll share a few of our strategies to make the meal prep process a bit easier to welcome and ahere too. We don’t want to spend all of our time in the kitchen either.

Plan. Pick a day -we reserve Saturday mornings- and plan out your meals for the week. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snacktime(s) too. From here, it’s grocery list creation (this becomes a work of art and easier as the weeks go on). Then, the grocery shopping. A daunting task, but easier when you have a game plan. Pick your resources carefully, but make sure that once your grocery list is created, you have a plan of execution. You can find us at the Farmers Market, Whole Foods and/or BJs – it’s what works for you and your weekly needs.

Prep. Ingredients secured. Now it’s time to cook, chop, bag. What does this mean? Chop up your vegetables for the week. Cook your meat (if you eat meat!). And, cook in bulk. Bag your snacks. Bake or create your essential go-to’s. You can even go as far as creating your personal meals in a container (hello healthy TVdinner). You can prep all meals, just dinner or snacks, or a combination. When are you the busiest? When are you most likely to outsource your food or reach for that easy food fix? These questions may help direct you to the meals you want readily at hand or readily available to put on the finishing touches.

Don’t leave your eating to chance. You are far too busy, work too hard, have too many fitness goals to let nutrition slide. Meal planning and preparation doesn’t have to be a daunting task or another thing to add to the “it might drive me crazy” to do list. Start slow, we didn’t have it all under control and in order the first time around either. It’s trial and error, practice makes (close to) perfect. So, sit tight, and watch for additional enlightened food wisdom (is there a better description??) in posts better suited for another time. [Think: menu planning, breaking down a healthy meal, snacktime favorites – endless here]

Keep it simple. Make a plan, or rough one at best, and enjoy the meals you create.