How to Meal Prep - 21 Day Fix Example

 Meal planning and prepping is essential for success. Why, because when you are not prepared or have to grab something in a hurry - you are prone to go to the drive-thru or eat junk food. I usually meal prep on Sundays and will plan out meals for myself and my husband (when he is up to it - he is a picky eater!).  The number one excuse I hear from people who are adverse to eating clean is, that it is expensive and time consuming. Well, I am here to show you that with just a few hours of your weekend you can prepare great meals that will allow you more time with your family and friends throughout the week.



The first step, before I do any of the shopping, is to fill out a meal plan and make a shopping list. Going to the store with a list is essential if you are watching your wallet. When I go without a plan and list in hand I find that I spend a lot more money, because I just grab a lot of things that sound good but don't necessarily equate to meals. Another tip to save money at the store is to make sure you eat before you go. When I shop hungry I put a lot more snacks and junk food in the cart!

Here is my meal plan for this coming week. I will be doing the 21 Day Fix and a workout hybrid with P90X3:

It took me about 45 minutes to plan out my meals and figure out the recipes that I wanted to make. For those of you who cook often, you know that this step can vary in time depending on how much research goes into deciding the meals. When you are planning for a family, this can get tricky - but what I have heard my challengers say is that they have been cooking their families the same food and found that they eat and enjoy it more than they would have ever thought. 

I opt to go to Sprouts or Whole Foods (when my budget allows) because they have a lot of fresh produce and good meat selection. Today, I went to Sprouts - I love to shop in their bulk section for my nuts and to use the freshly ground nut butters they also have. This is perfect when you are planning out for one week and do not need a $7-$10 bag of nuts or an entire jar of nut butter. It's great for someone who is cooking for 1 or 2. 

Grocery List:

8 Eggs

Nitrite Free Turkey Slices

Ezekiel 12 Inch Tortillas

Loose Spinach

3 Peppers (assorted colors)

1.5 lbs of Ground Turkey (99% FF)

Brown Rice

1 Sweet Onion

1 Garlic

1 Head of Cabbage

1 16 oz can diced Tomatoes

1 Can Tomato Paste

1 Cantaloupe

Strawberries

Watermelon

Blueberries

Cashews

Almonds

Grilled Chicken

Quinoa Pasta

EVOO

Coconut Oil

Greek Yogurt

Sweet Potatoes

Cucumber

Grated Parmesan

Almond Milk

Peanut Butter

TOTAL COST: $49.57

Total time spent at store: 30 minutes

I like to put two meals that require cooking on my meal plan and two that are simple - that I can throw together in about 10 minutes, so it does not need to be cooked now. This week I needed to make pasta with grilled chicken and a cabbage dish with ground turkey. I put some of the cooked ground turkey to the side, to use on my sweet potato lunch. I used a lot of the same veggies in both dishes so it was a lot simpler. I also bought the pre-minced garlic and the pre-shredded bag of cabbage to save on cutting time. I cut up the cantaloupe and divided out the nuts as well. I also opted to make a quick cucumber salad that would be a good addition to my sweet potato meal. To cook both meals simultaneously and clean up took me about an hours time. 

Then I portioned out the meals into tupperware containers, so that I can just grab them and go.  

Now, all I have to do is open my fridge and all of my lunches and dinners are ready for me to eat or make in less than 10 minutes. 

So,  total time spent including prepping and shopping was 2 1/2 hours and I spent just under $50. Now, I have almost all of my meals readily available to me, which will be HUGE for my success at following the plan this week. 

So, let me breakdown the cost:

$50 in groceries

+ 

$28 in Shakeology for the week 

= $78. 

$78

Divided by

21 meals

= $3.71 a meal

The cost of each meal is only $3.71 - for natural, whole, healthy foods that are nutritious. Not a double cheeseburger, fries and a drink that would run me more money and add no health or value to my body. 

So, what's your excuse? I have challengers who have small children, large families, who work full-time and have very busy lives - just like the rest of us. They have made this lifestyle a habit, incorporated it into their homes and families and are seeing the benefits! Not only are they healthier, their families are eating healthier, they are losing weight, inches and are able to devote time to working out and exercising, because all the meals are planned ahead. If you are scared of the time and money that clean-eating takes - don't be! You can make this work for any budget and any lifestyle. If you are interested in joining a Clean-Eating Challenge Group, send me a message via the Contact Me Tab at the bottom of this page. 

Happy Sunday! Happy Planning!