Life IS busy, but the “cooking takes to much time” excuse is getting old! So you’re living on takeout, freezer to microwave meals, cereal and meals at restaurants that you know you’re overpaying for, as a result, my friends that refuse to cook that are constantly complaining they’re broke…that never tastes good. Physiologically, this causes weight gain as these foods are often high in calories, fat and sodium and not prepared prioritizing nutritional value you would in your own kitchen. Instead of continually opting for convenient diet-bombs, make time on your day off to pre-prepare healthy meals and snacks for consumption tomorrow and/or later in the week. Follow these easy steps and you’ll be done in no time and will also have a variety of meals and food to snack on during the week.

Step 1- Head the Grocery Store:

Make a quick trip to the store, we recommend Trader Joe’s as they have a great selection of reasonably priced quality food. Plus, TJ’s maintains small easily navigable stores which will save you both time shopping and money avoiding the 10 aisles of processed crap in the center of standard groceries. Alternatively, we were thrilled to discover our new neighbor Costco carries a ton of organic produce and proteins (blog to come soon).

FITNESS & FUEL ESSENTIAL EDIBLES GROCERY LIST
*As always, please choose organic ingredients for YOUR health!

  • Red Peppers
  • Green Peppers
  • Red Onions & Scallions
  • Celery
  • Fennel
  • Spinach
  • Haricot Verts (prewashed thin french green beans. No ends to trim. Time saver!)
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Kiwis for your daily Grinch Green Smoothie
  • Grass Fed Ground Beef
  • Chicken or Turkey Breasts
  • Cage Free Eggs
  • Wild fish (Salmon, Halibut, Mahi…?)
  • Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
  • Fresh herbs: Cilantro, Mint, Parsley, Dill, Rosemary…
  • Black Beans
  • Garbanzo Beans to blend up low sodium hummus.
  • Brown Rice or Quinoa *Avoid products labeled: instant, quick cook, parboiled or frozen. For quick prep, each grain has been stripped of the exterior shell (which is pure fiber), rendering it a pure starch and virtually devoid of nutritional value.

 

Step 2 – Prepare Veggies

  • Start with “mise en place” Dice some of the peppers and celery, onions and fennel. Store in Tupperware container for tossing in salads or cooking.
  • Chop remaining peppers and celery into sticks for snacking with hummus. (Ditto for broccoli and califlower if you like. Can also add some ready to eat baby carrots to the mix too). Store veggie sticks in small zipper baggies that you can “grab and go” when you’re running out the house.
  • Wash a few sweet potatoes and wrap in foil. Do not remove skin. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Once cooled, store them in fridge. They make a great snack dipped in hummus or almond butter or complex carbs accompanying protein and veggies in meals.
  • Remove green beans out of the packaging and store in a Tupperware with a paper towel in order to preserve freshness. Can be eaten as a quick snack raw with hummus or eaten with meals lightly steamed. Delicious with Pistachio Pesto.
  • Store herbs & scallions in large zipper bags or tupperware containers with room to breathe and several dry paper towels. These delicate items tend to mold and expire quickly. By absorbing moisture in storage, we exponentially increase produce lifespan. Change paper towels when dampened. Also, for moisture control, we  recommend washing only when you use it. If you wash before storing a large amount of it, it’s nearly impossible to get it dry enough to store.

 

Step 3 – Prepare Brown Rice or Quinoa

Cook 2-3 cups of brown rice or quinoa as package instructs. Note: will double in volume when cooked. Store in a tupperware container and enjoy 1/2 – 2/3 cup cooked with meals throughout the week.

 

Step 4 – Prepare Food

Grill or bake several chicken breasts on Sundays to enjoy with salads or healthy sauces, etc linked below!

Here’s my favorite salad recipes. Prepare a giant 1 and munch off of it over next 3-4 days. To maintain freshness: always keep dressing & separate from salad until ready to eat, and dress only the portion you will consume at that time. Ditto re: animal proteins, especially if you want to heat protein, but obviously not salad!

 

Use a few easy Recipes that can be combined to create a variety of dishes.

Once the prep is done, store all the items in containers in the fridge. They can then be combined in countless ways. Frittata can be eaten on its own for breakfast, combined with a spinach salad and/or a few meatballs for lunch. Meatballs can be eaten on their own as snacks, thrown into a salad at lunch time or eaten with quinoa pasta, broccoli and Marinara Sauce for dinner. Hummus is the perfect accompaniment to veggies slices for a quick snack, but can double as Salad Dressing Alternative (thin consistency with lemon juice). For an easy dinner, try the Coconut Crusted Chicken with 1) brown rice + Rainbow Salsa + cup of raw or steamed spinach.  2) veggie stir-fry 3) steamed broccoli, green beans or kale and lemon juice, fresh ground pepper and dash sea salt, or try the world’s easiest Thai Red Curry Sauce!

By simply spending a little time cooking a few simple recipes, you’ve given yourself a whole variety of meals that are ready in seconds, healthy and nutritious. For more ideas, keep scrolling through our blog or type query into the search window to find recipes using specific ingredients.

FITNESS AND FUEL BLOG  http://www.fitnessandfuel-la.com/blog/

Genuinely hope this blog & recipes help you feel less overwhelmed transitioning to preparing more of your own healthy meals. Thank YOU for sharing links on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Google Plus. Connect with us using the social media links at bottom of page!

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