My Meal Preps Take 1 :: Whole Food$ and Beyond.

A lot of people ask me what meal prep looks like for me and what my secrets are. Well it's a little different every time but come close and I'll tell you the secret...are you close...I mean it, lean in...ready?
...MENTAL MULTITASKING! That is the not-so-secret, yet necessary gist to every successful meal prep I have.

So let me back up and say that while it is a blast for me to post pics like THIS....

 annnnnd THIS...

...it takes a LOT of prep and, to be honest, mental dedication to what I am doing. There are times I choose to screen shot recipes off the Instagram or a blog here and there for the week, but usually, I don't totally know what I plan to prepare when I go to the store.

This post is to just focus on the first aspect of my meal preps...Collecting the FOOOD.

I get asked where I shop a lot...I mix it up. I used to have it made with a Central Market, a Whole Foods and a Tom Thumb all out my back door at my old place. Could there BE any more perfect grocery stores?! Addison is a little different now...and don't even get me started on missing the HEB's south on 35 (moment of silence for DFW missing the mark on this). When I do a full meal prep for the week, I generally hit up Costco for some of my meat, great produce and oils and nuts. I swing through Sprouts or Whole Food$ or Tom Thumb for the fillers.
<<If you have time to get to one (I often don't) hit up your local Farmer's Market! Support local farmers AND get the best deals on the best produce, eggs and often meat!>>

As you see a lot of nutrition sites mention, I stick to the outside of the store, for the most part. Lean meats (grass fed, no hormones or nitrates), fresh produce (as many greens as I can think to use, colorful veggies and a couple key fruits for the week, generally), eggs (organic, cage-free), nuts (raw or roasted with NO oils!) and then SPICES!

How do I stay away from the rut of bland chicken and broccoli regularly? Here's my multitasking gameplan...

MEAT:
I generally choose two types of meat per week, then pair veggies from there. I like to grab ground turkey for stirfrys or burger patties, and veggie packed meatballs. Then I usually grab either grass feed beef, chicken, or a salmon as my secondary meat. I also buy bacon...pretty much every week. For those who don't know, Pederson's has an uncured bacon that is SUGAR FREE! In other words they #NAILEDIT.

VEGGIES:
Power greens like spinach, chard, and kale always make the cart. It's easy to throw tons of this in meatballs, skillet stir frys or eggs in the mornings.
Next, I consider some veggies I can roast to have ready to add to meat, eggs or other meals for easy grab...this generally looks like brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, some sweet potatoes, and sometimes cauliflower.
The third veggie group I think of is what is easy to bag up for raw veggie snacks to throw in my bag for the day for any time I need a lil somethin somethin... this generally looks like snap peas, cut up cucumbers, carrots, or cherry tomatoes.

There are plenty of other ways to consider what vegetables to get in your cart; but, when I don't have a specific plan yet, this is the easiest way to make sure I cover enough bases to get home with proper grub for the week. It also helps make sure I, once again, don't end up with just broccoli...

FATS:
Avocados, nuts, and coconut products are my go-to healthy fats and you have to have some on hand to keep your metabolism going and your body breaking down the bad fats!

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE:
Do not forget spices! I keep sea salt, fresh pepper, garlic, paprika (both smoked and not), cumin, coriander, and onion on hand at all times...among about 50 other spices. My spice cabinet gives LIFE to my food and keeps my healthy meals from dull and boring. If you're worried about combining spices, look into something like Flavor God. These are amazing paleo-friendly spices that are made with real ingredients and make foods really good without trial and error.

So you get home with all these wonderful elements for a great meal prep...now what?

Well...that'll come with Take 2. Of course.
How do YOU gather your crops each week?

<<  "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food" - Hippocrates   >>

Finding Fit,
Lisa