25th February 2018

Fitness: How I Meal Prep

So seeing as I’m off on holiday soon. I thought I would actually put the effort into the gym that I’ve always wanted to. Crossfit is tough, tougher than I’ve been used to when it comes to the gym. So I really want to get good results out of it. I’ve been actually enjoying exercise for the past few years but I’ve never really done the diet side of things. I enjoy a good pizza far too much. After throwing a lot of weight training in I am feeling a lot happier in my shape. But it still needs that tiny bit of tlc which makes or breaks your gym progress … diet. So meal prep is the one thing to keep me on track!

I’m not one to calorie count, it bores the life of me. And half the time I just can’t be bothered. I’m just trying to make sure I’m not over eating/binge eating. And eating as healthy as possible. I don’t think I’ll ever be a salad eater, I just don’t enjoy it. I like carbs, meat and stodge so it just doesn’t quite cut it for me all the time. Especially if I have a gym class at 7pm, a salad doesn’t keep me going.

Following recipes bores me, but I do use them for examples but I have been switching up my food. Instead of chicken all the time, I’m eating turkey .. so that’s turkey mince for fajita bowls, turkey meatballs etc. Turkey is a leaner meat compared to chicken, although chicken isn’t bad for you! I’m trying to not eat the same meats all the time so I don’t bore myself so every day I will take a different meal so I can’t sicken myself. I have quite an obsessive personality, so if I find things I like I’ll often eat it daily until I can’t even face it anymore!

To meal prep I dedicate a few hours on a Sunday to cook, some I can stick in the slow cooker and forget about for a while too so that is always easier. I will usually make roughly 12 dishes, which are all freezable and in small containers which are easy to store. This will take me roughly 1-2 hours, not including the 4 hours it takes for the slow cooker ones to work their magic. I don’t have to do this every week as I only really eat these for lunch so they can last a while, it’s so handy having a healthy meal available in the freezer for quickness! The meals I currently meal prep for my week are:

Turkey mince fajita bowl with rice

Ingredients: Turkey mince, Sweetcorn, Onions, Peppers, Mushrooms, Kidney Beans, Jalapeños and Fajita seasoning with wholegrain rice and quinoa.

Pulled BBQ chicken and sweet potato fries

Ingredients: Low sugar BBQ sauce, Onions, Peppers, Jalapeños and Sweet Potatoes cooked in the ActiFry.

Turkey meatballs and wholegrain pasta

Ingredients: Turkey meatballs, Honey, Chopped tomatoes, Onions, Peppers, Jalapeños and Wholegrain pasta.

Chicken sausage caserole

Ingredients: Chicken sausages, Chopped tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Boiled baby potatoes, Courgette and Cherry tomatoes.

Steak in black bean sauce with rice

Ingredients: Low salt/sugar black bean sauce, Fillet steak, Mushrooms, Peppers, Onions and garnish.

There is loads you can make, but for me these are easy, freezable and cheap. I don’t want to spend a fortune buying all these ‘fancy foods’. You can eat healthily on a budget. Whether you’re making home made soup or any of the above. These are all either made in a wok, slow cooker or actifry. So they’re super easy to make and clean up afterwards. Although I do hate cleaning!

There is lovely fresh food you can make also like pad-thai etc. but I don’t have time to make these on an evening or at lunch. Although pad-thai is my favourite. If you have more spare time than me fresh is always good!