Meal prepping made easy:
Supplies:
- Purchase reusable
- Microwave safe, dishwasher safe storage containers
- Ziplock bags of various sizes.
Plan your meals:
- Set aside some time on a less busy day of the week to plan meals and snacks for the week.
- Look at your calendar and consider your schedule for easy go-tos on the really hectic days.
- Keep a binder with easy, healthy favorite family recipes.
- Look on the www.Atlantabariatrics.com website, the Baritastic app, or the Atlanta Bariatrics social media pages for more great recipes.
- Look in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer to see what ingredients you already have on hand.
- Keep an ongoing grocery list when you run low on a staple item.
- Start by creating a clean, organized space with your storage containers, room to prep vegetables and fruits, possibly a crockpot to cook protein ahead of time.
- You’re ready to begin prepping! Begin with snacks…
- Wash, cut into bite size pieces and measure ½ cup veggies or fruits and place in individual snack baggies or containers.
- Measure 2 tablespoons of nuts into individual snack bags.
- Measure 1 ounce hummus into individual 1 ounce containers.
- Buy or prep individual peanut butter containers with 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter.
- Pair a protein and high-fiber carbohydrate and put in a snack bag or small container and refrigerate if necessary.
- Protein -1- 2 ounces of deli meat, one piece of string cheese, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 Babybel or 1 triangle laughing cow cheese, 1 Chomps turkey meat stick, light Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons hummus, ⅛ cup nuts, 1 hard boiled egg, ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
- Carbohydrate - ½ cup cut fruit or 1 small fruit or ½ banana, 5-6 wheat crackers, ½ cup raw vegetables, 4 graham cracker squares.
- Now onto the meals:
- Wash, cut and measure ½ cup veggies (raw or cooked) or fruit.
- Weigh 3 ounces of grilled, baked chicken, turkey, lean beef or lean pork.
- Measure ¼ cup cooked brown rice, sweet potato, quinoa, butternut squash, corn, potatoes, beans.
- Place your cooked protein, vegetable or fruit and starch in a small container and refrigerate a couple of days or freeze until ready to reheat and eat.
- Keep an inventory of meals and snacks and restock as necessary.
Now that you have saved time and money meal prepping, enjoy some extra time outside taking a walk or finding a new physical activity to meet your exercise goals!
