Meal prepping made easy:Meal Prep Tips for Bariatric Patients

Supplies:

  • Purchase reusable
  • Microwave safe, dishwasher safe storage containers
  • Ziplock bags of various sizes.

Plan your meals:

  1. Set aside some time on a less busy day of the week to plan meals and snacks for the week.
  2. Look at your calendar and consider your schedule for easy go-tos on the really hectic days.
  3. Keep a binder with easy, healthy favorite family recipes.
  4. Look on the www.Atlantabariatrics.com website, the Baritastic app, or the Atlanta Bariatrics social media pages for more great recipes.
  5. Look in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer to see what ingredients you already have on hand.
  6. Keep an ongoing grocery list when you run low on a staple item.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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!