Pre Meal Prep Guide

So I was never good at meal prepping, true story. I started about two years ago meal prepping for three days in advanced because I was working all day for three days in a row. I always packed my food before, but never with so much time in advanced. After I realized how efficient it was, I was hooked. Just recently I have come closer and closer to mastering meal prepping. It really isn't that hard, as long as you know what your goals are so you know exactly what to eat, then you're golden. If you are not looking strictly at your macros and calories like I am right now.. then maybe this post isn't for you but you can still read along and see if any tips help out.

So here's a list of the items I used pretty much every time I meal prep that you may want to get your hands on if you're considering meal prepping.

Measuring utensils
cups
spoons
scale

storing/carrying accessories
cooler (I have an ISObag)
food containers
small plastic baggies for snacks
ice packs

prepping utensils
sharp knives (I use Cutco knives, they are the best hands down! Ask me how to get your hands on these babies ;) )
grill
frying pan
cupcake molds
baking sheet(s)
cutting board(s)
1 qt.- 1 gallon baggies
etc

Once you have all this, basically what I like to do before I go grocery shopping is make a list of the things I will be eating based on the macros I will be eating each day. So I use this app on my phone called lose it. It helps me track all the food and exercises I do..but theres others out there you may like better. Anyhow, I input all the food I will be eating to make sure it adds up to the needed grams of macros and calories per day. Then, I just buy the food I will need only for the next 4 days or so. The reason why I try to buy only the food I will be eating is so I don't get tempted to eat something that is not part of my plan. Plus, if I do end up getting things that are not on my plan, more often than not they'll end up spoiling, and I hate to waste food. Seriously.

So the following is the list of ingredients I bought to meal prep this weekend for the next 4 days.

2lbs of ground turkey
12 oz of chicken thigh (marinade over night)
12 oz of salmon (marinade at least 1 hr prior to cooking)

Brussels sprouts 352g (a little under 1lb)
sweet potatoes 532g (a bit over 1lb)
green beans 600g  (almost 1 1/2lbs)
zucchini 992 g (right over 2lbs)

for healthy fats I always have eggs, avocados, and nuts, and I throw them in on my day as I go making sure I don't go over. But I don't go strictly on measurements for this. Except for some snacks.

for snacks I have cut up watermelon, sliced strawberries, mixed nuts, hardboiled eggs, and turkey jerky. Sometimes, I have a questbar too.

So I have 1cu of fruit for each listed (only berries and melons, low in GI)
for nuts i measure 1/4cu, turkey jerky which is typically 1 oz.

So when I have everything prepped I'll list the exact servings I do per meal.. I have 4 small meals through out the day with small snacks. I drink also 1 gallon of water and take supplements to make sure I get everything I need for my nutrition. I'll talk about my supplements in some other post.

Stay tuned :)