Death and Taxes... and Meal Prep

Although there’s some disagreement about its origin, the following quotation holds true regardless of where you heard it:

“Nothing is certain but death and taxes.”

For taxes, just hire a good accountant.For death, I recommend putting it off as long as possible. And if you like this strategy, there is one more certainty that should be added to the list…

Meal Prep

I firmly believe that meal prep plays an integral role in living a healthy lifestyle. It’s simple, the benefits are numerous, and the drawbacks are minimal. So let’s jump in…WHY MEAL PREPMeal prepping ensures that you have healthy and delicious food options available when you need them. You save time and money while moving closer to your health and fitness goals. Sounds like a WIN!!Don’t believe me? Let’s play this out a little…You’re at work. It’s been a hectic and stressful morning, and you have meetings all afternoon. Now it’s lunchtime and you’re starving, but you didn’t prepare anything. Here are your options as I see them:

• If you want to save time and money, it is definitely NOT going to be healthy (fast food)
• If you want to eat healthy, it is definitely NOT going to be affordable or quick (fancy restaurant)

This is precisely the situation where meal prep shines! You know you’re gonna like it and you know it’s gonna be healthy. After all, you handpicked the recipe and ingredients!Best of all, when it’s time to eat your meal, it only takes a minute or two to heat it or assemble your plate. And since there wasn’t any cooking involved in this step, the cleanup is quick and painless.HOW TO MEAL PREPWhen it comes to meal prep, I try to keep things as simple as possible. And for me, that means shopping and cooking in bulk. When I buy groceries, I buy extra. When I cook, I cook extra. When I prep veggies, I prep extra.As Precision Nutrition says:

“It takes just as long to roast two chickens as it does to roast one. It takes just as long to buy five bags of spinach as it does to buy one. Fill your grill or oven, then pack everything into containers to freeze or refrigerate.”

Don’t overthink it. Keep it simple. This allows you to think less and make fewer decisions. And it lets your environment do much of the work for you.

“If healthy food is around you and convenient, you’re more likely to eat it. If you have a trusted system for making healthy food available, you don’t have to decide to eat well… you just show up and do it.”

-Precision NutritionIDEAS FOR MEAL PREP

• Lean Beef & Brussies baby!!! (makes 6 servings)
• Grill 6 chicken breasts while roasting two trays of broccoli so you have protein and veggies for days!
• Pre-Chop enough veggies for several days so you can assemble a salad in no time flat! Add one of your pre-grilled chicken breasts for the protein
• Put oatmeal, protein powder, and almond milk into 5 mason jars and stick it in the fridge for overnight oats. Breakfast for the whole week is ready.
• Lazy Lentils!! Can easily be made while holding a baby.

This list could go on and on, but the message is clear. Your options are unlimited and the benefits are too good to ignore. You will save time and money, and you will be living your best life.RESOURCES

• Weekly Meal Prep: Mastered by Precision Nutrition
• Success Strategies: The Food Ritual by Precision Nutrition
• The Sunday Ritual
• The Daily Ritual
• Healthy Meal Delivery Service