Meal Prep Made Easy
There is this misconception that you have to spend hours in the kitchen chopping and cooking and placing perfectly portioned meals into Tupperware containers to be effective at meal prep.
While this is a great way to be prepared for your week, some people find they get bored with the meals, they can’t find 3 hours to spend in the kitchen one day, the thought of eating something out of a container from 5 days prior grosses them out or they have a family and this style of cooking just doesn’t work for them. ⠀
While I have been known to rock out with my crock out, lately to me meal prep consists of just always having my fridge and pantry fully stocked at all times with easy, accessible foods that I can grab if needed in a hurry but that also taste delicious! I have scoured the aisles at Costco, Loblaws and Independent Grocers and have created my personal grocery shopping lists full of these macro-friendly foods that make my life easy and help me reach my goals. Yes, to eat more convenient healthy foods will cost a bit more than preparing it yourself so this may be something that you want to take into consideration but it really makes hitting your nutrition goals easier at times knowing you can incorporate some of these ideas into your day:
- Pre-washed and cut veggies or veggie trays
- Bagged salads and Nourish bowls (Sobeys)
- Easier foods that you can quickly grill like lean beef burgers, chicken burgers or turkey sausages
- Pre-cooked meats such as chicken, deli meat, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, shrimp rings, canned tuna
- Prepared mash or frozen grilled sweet potatoes (Sobey’s)
- Frozen riced cauliflower
- Frozen fruits and vegetables
- Instant oatmeal
- Popped popcorn
- Light cheeses
- Protein bars
- Protein Powder
- Tuna snack kits
- Beef jerky
- Fat free Greek yogurt & cottage cheese individual portions
- Kodiak Cakes (Costco)
- Frozen Light Cheese, Egg White & Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches (Costco)
And these don’t include all of the awesome macro-friendly convenience foods available to you at places like Busted Barbell and Popeye’s Supplement Stores, and Hygeia Health Food Market (mention The Sweat Effect and receive a discount on your purchase at any of these!). Their products range from protein enriched Mac & Cheese to protein baking mixes where you just add liquids and bake!
Yours in food,
– Ashlyn