Meal planning and prepping are crucial to the success of your weight management plan. Read on to see a few of SlimFast Brand Ambassador, Liz’s simple steps that streamlines the process for staying on track and not giving in to those take-out temptations as a working mom!
The school year is getting ready to start, and that means things are going to start getting busy again! That is, if they ever did slow down during summer break. Planning ahead for the weekdays and the weekends makes my life go easier, and keeps me on track with my weight loss and weight maintenance goals.
My daughter, affectionately known as Little Diva is starting first grade, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around that idea! She’s constantly on the go, full of energy and certainly keeps me on my toes. Luckily that little ball of energy helps me around the kitchen when it comes to food prepping on the weekends, and packing lunches during the week.
SlimFast takes all the guess work out of 2 of my meals!
- I already know that SlimFast is going to be my breakfast and lunch on most days, especially the days I work, so that makes it so EASY! My go-to’s are the Advanced Energy ready to drink shakes.
- Staying stocked up on my meal replacements is key! I always have a selection of bars and ready to drink shakes on hand to grab and go! The SlimFast Keto Fat Bomb snacks are great to have around when I want a sweet treat or a salty & crunchy snack!
Weekly Grocery Shopping with Meal Ideas in Mind
- Pick 2-3 proteins like chicken, pork, or beef that can be cooked on the weekend to be made into several dinners during the week.
- Grilled or baked chicken goes great over pasta, salads, on the side with steamed veggies, or on sandwiches.
- Plan out your dinners ahead, so when you get home from work, you already know what’s going on the table.
- We have salad night, pasta night (yes, you can still have pasta - all things in moderation), even pizza night sometimes. You can find some great low-calorie pizza crusts in the store or check out the recipes on SlimFast.com.
- The same protein cooked on the weekend can make several different meals. I like to grill a London Broil and make quesadillas, philly steak sandwiches, or just lay strips of steak over a salad.
- BRING A LIST! I like to make lists, often times in groupings of what different meals I’m making, so I don’t forget an ingredient or two.
- Don’t go shopping hungry! I know I am tempted to grab sweet treats if I don’t eat before any kind of food shopping trip.
- Make sure to have healthy snack options on hand for you and your family! Kids watch us, and learn eating habits from us. My daughter has developed a taste for healthy snacks instead of sugary candy or other treats.
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- Some go-to snacks I like to have in the house are fat-free yogurt, low-fat string cheese sticks, carrot sticks, fresh fruit (Little Diva loves apples, grapes and strawberries), low fat granola bars.
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- Every morning, I pack my lunch tote with my breakfast, lunch and snacks.
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- I pack my lunch tote at the same time as I pack Little Diva’s. She sees Mommy eating healthy, she wants to join in on the fun too!
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- Bring your water bottle with you, and make sure you keep up with your water intake.
- Working 10 hours (often longer) days, means I am out of the house from 6 am until at least 6 pm on the days I work. So, I always make sure I have my snacks with me, especially for the evening ride home. This way, I don’t get tempted to swing into a fast food restaurant for a quick take-out bite.
Weekend Meal Prepping
- Sundays are usually my day of cooking the majority of my food for the week.
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- Grilling or cooking a pork loin, several chicken breasts or a flank steak in the InstaPot, ensures the main component of dinners will already be done.
- Boiled eggs are a mainstay in my snack rotation. So, I like to boil and peel 6-8 eggs on Sunday. Then I store them individually in a snack-size, zip top bag in the fridge for easy access when I’m packing my lunch in the mornings.
- A bonus of having most of your protein meal prepping done on Sundays, means less mess to clean up during the week when you’re fixing the rest of those dinners.
- Chopping vegetables and portioning out other ingredients in plastic containers helps keep meal portions (therefore calories) in line.
- Little Diva loves helping me cook too. It keeps her away from the TV or iPad for a while, and it’s some great quality time together as well.
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