By: Xcel Performance
When people hear the phrase “meal prep” they think of plain chicken, broccoli, and brown rice, the Arnold Schwarzenegger foundation of nutrition. While these items can be put into meal preps that doesn’t mean that bland food is all you have to eat. Whether you cook it yourself or have your own chef, meal preps make keeping your nutrition on track that much easier. Today we are going to look at 5 different ways to make your meal preps easier and more delicious than ever.
- Buy Rotisserie Chicken
We all know that chicken and other white meats are a great source of protein while having little fats and carbs. By going to your local supermarket you can buy either lightly seasoned or regular rotisserie chickens for less than 10 dollars! Along with that you now saved yourself 40+ minutes of cooking, and all you have to do is distribute the chicken into however many meals you need - Buy from a catering service!
This tip may cost a few extra dollars and will take research to find the right caterer, but many serve just as much healthy food as they do unhealthy. By ordering from a catering service you are investing in a long-term prep. Typically catered food comes in large tin containers. You can simply distribute their weekly meals, and then safely freeze any leftovers for later meals. - Take one day to cook.
Cooking your own meal preps may take more time, but it gives you more creative control on what you are eating, how it is seasoned, and your particular taste of the week. Trying to make your meals day to day can be taxing and hard to fit into a busy schedule. So, take one day of the week (commit 2-3 hours) to cook! You can put on a movie and dice veggies or listen to a podcast as you sauté veggies. Either way, find a way to make it not a chore but a special form of time where you are investing in yourself. - Cook/Buy in bulk
If you are trying to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible, making one-dish meals is a great way to save time and effort. Whether its crockpot chili or a one pan casserole, single dish meals are a great way to keep things simple.
(Here is one of my personal favorites: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/one-pan-healthy-sausage-and-veggies/) - Breakfast for dinner
Whether you aren’t a morning person or you partake in diets such as intermittent fasting, you may not get to eat breakfast all that often, but you can have it as a meal prep for your lunch or dinner! Whether it is an egg casserole or homemade protein pancakes, a healthy, hearty breakfast is always a valid option when it comes to meal prep.
Hopefully, these tips will make the weekly grind just a little bit easier for you and your fitness goals! Remember it isn’t about suffering through a diet or eating raw broccoli in order to meet your goals, it’s about being consistent and finding what you can sustain. If you are looking for more specific nutrition or physical consultation please contact us here at Xcel Performance!