weekly meal prep

Weekly meal prep started to happen on my quest to live a healthier lifestyle. What is weekly meal prep? Well, it’s part of my Sunday morning in the kitchen making sure I have healthy stuff to eat for the coming week. I’m not organized enough or have enough energy to make amazing food for lunch and dinner every night during the week. Between commuting, work, running errands, working out and all the other day to day stuff, well, let’s just say I don’t have a lot of time to be making food for lunch much less wasting time thinking about what I’m going to make.  I try to make some staples on Sunday that we can reach for during the week and then it only takes about five minutes to prep each meal. I know it’s not the most exciting way to spend a couple of hours on Sunday morning but it’s totally worth it when I get to eat decent food while I’m at work or when I come home starving from the gym. I know it can sound a little repetitive but during the week I’m too busy to even notice and it’s really about getting nourishing food that gives me the fuel I need to get things done without feeling like I’ve been run over by a semi truck at the end of each day. I wish I was superwoman and say that everyday was easy breezy and that it doesn’t take any effort but that’s BS and I’m thinking it’s probably the same for a lot of you reading this.

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Today I made roasted veggies, brown rice, and chicken breasts. I used my grilled veggie recipe except I made it in the oven cause M wasn’t around with his grill master skills. I’m still a total chicken when it comes to barbecuing and it’s totally M’s domain (I know, I know, how totally sexist and stereotypical of me). I’m hoping to overcome this ridiculously stupid fear some day. I just keep thinking I’m going to burn my face off, it’s the gas component that freaks me out. What if I don’t light it right and I blow up the house??? You just got a glimpse into my thought process, scary for you, I know.

_DSC0850You can be totally lazy (I don’t judge) and just put of bit of each staple into a tupperware and go or you can also switch it up by using different add-ins, which makes everything tastier and way less boring.

Here are some examples of what you can do for different meal options with these staples:

Brown rice salad (cold):  Brown rice + chicken + add-ins of feta cheese, diced tomatoes, grated carrots, olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing

Veggie and chicken wrap (warm): Roasted veggies + chicken + add-ins of a whole wheat tortilla, grated/sliced cheese, and your favourite salsa

Garbanzo and tuna salad (cold): Roasted veggies + add-ins of some chickpeas, a can of water-packed tuna fish, feta cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing

Chipotle style bowl (hot): Brown rice + veggies + chicken + add-ins of diced avocado, favourite salsa, thinly sliced lettuce, and some cheese

Sort of stir-fry (hot): Brown rice + veggies + chicken + add-ins of Soy sauce and sesame seeds 

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Once you get this routine down, you’ll be doing it regularly cause it really is a lifesaver. This is how I organized myself this morning:

  1. Put the rice on.
  2. Prepped and roasted the chicken breasts; while the rice was cooking I got the chicken going.
  3. Prepped and roasted the veggies; while the chicken was in the oven I prepped the veggies. The veggies are what took the longest to cook but once you put them in the oven there’s nothing else to do so it’s really easy. 

Note: I had about 35 minutes of prep time and about two hours total including the cooking time.   I used the time the veggies were roasting to tidy up the kitchen so it really only takes about two hours of my day to get all this done.

If you want to keep this in the healthier zone than remember to use low-sodium and low-fat options for the add-ins.

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Please, please, please, please tell me how you save time in the kitchen or anywhere else in your day-to-day cause I need all the help I can get! I’d also love to hear if you tried out this weekly meal prep and what recipes you used.

Have a great week!

2 Comments

  1. Cristina says:

    I love grilled veggies and balsamic vinegar, it always saves the day, a bit like parmesan.
    I do weekly breakfast planning. I boil quinoa for part of the week and then store it in the fridge. I add whatever I feel like in the morning, almond milk, berries, nuts, a wee of maple syrup when I am craving sugar, a banana, a peach.. anything really goes and its delicious. If I’m in the mood for salt, I like avocado and feta mash with parsley which you can also prepare in advance and then spread on a toast or a fancy cracker, that’s one of my favorites. I am still trying to get the hang of lunches, but grilled salmon with veggies or mixed in a cold salad with rice etc also works for me. Have a deliciously week!

    • Carla says:

      Your breakfast prep is a great idea especially once the cooler weather arrives and you want something with a bit more sustenance. I make a baked oatmeal with fruit in the winter but I’ll definitely have to try your quinoa idea.

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