New Year, New You?
Every year, over 40% of Americans usually make New Year’s Resolutions. The top resolution made is to lose weight and eat healthier. Unfortunately, about 40% of those people who made resolutions never succeed at achieving that resolution or goal.
There are a number of things that can factor into the success of your resolution or goal that you have set. One of the keys to your success in attaining your resolution or goal will be in the planning and preparation that you put into achieving it.
When it comes to eating healthy, I hear over and over again from clients who state that they simply do not have time to prepare healthy meals and, instead, find themselves driving through at a fast food restaurant or grabbing something less nutritious to eat than what they had intended to have for a meal. Does this sound familiar? It certainly does for me! Between the rush of shuffling my three kids around, the demands of school, work and extra curricular in addition to the stressors that life can bring, it can be difficult to make plans and stick to them! But, never fear! All is not lost.
Meal prep is simply preparing some of your meals for the week all on one day. For a lot of people, this is on Sunday, but it can be on whichever day you have the most time. I, personally, find Sundays to be the easiest as I have time to look ahead to the week and see the nights my family will be home or the days that I might be at work longer than usual. Then I can plan accordingly. I also know that, for my family, quick, filling breakfast options are essential.
That being said, meal prepping does not have to be all on one day. Are you making pancakes or waffles? Try doubling or tripling the batch to make extras for the freezer. Pop them in the toaster in the morning for a nice warm breakfast with ingredients that you can control. Are you making a casserole for dinner? Make two and stick one in the freezer for later in the week or month. Soup is another item that is easy to freezer in portion size containers to pull out at a later time!
Here are some simple meal prep ideas you can try to help you stay on the right track.
Overnight Oats: There are a myriad of different flavor combinations to try out there! You can easily tailor them to your specific diet or preferred taste. Just remember that most of them make more than one serving (even though the recipe will often state that it is one serving, 1/4c of dry oatmeal is a serving). Increase the protein in these by adding a scoop of your favorite protein powder. Here are 8 overnight oats recipes to try.
Egg Muffins: Again, there are many different variations that can be adjusted to both your particular diet and preferred taste. Try any of these 12 egg muffin variations.
Chia Pudding: Have you tried chia pudding? When chia seeds are added to liquid, you get a pudding like texture. Chia seeds are an excellent source of fiber, omega-3 fats, proteins and vitamins and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium. Chia puddings are versatile as well! Here are several chia pudding recipes you can try!
Hard Boiled Eggs: Simple! They make a great breakfast, snack or try making egg salad in a leaf of lettuce if you are watching your carbs.
Any meat: At my house, we cook up a variety of meats on Sunday that can be added to the top of a salad, some rice or stir-fry. I usually do not season them when we batch cook them and then add seasonings when we use them in a meal, making it more versatile.
Big Salad: Again, simple and versatile. Some weeks I just buy a package of spinach or mixed greens and add whatever veggies need to get eaten in the fridge. This week we have spinach with chopped cucumbers, peppers, carrots and celery in a big container in the fridge. Just add your protein, nuts, cheese, dried fruit and salad dressing of choice. Make sure to top the salad with a paper towel in the container your store it in to help the salad keep longer. Replace the paper towel each time you eat some salad.
Other lifesavers for my family? A veggie tray! Yes, while it is more expensive, for some reason my family will gladly gobble up vegetables out of a tray instead of from a bag in the fridge (and you can add these veggies to your big salad you prepped). Instead of ordering out pizza, stop by the grocery store and pick up a roasted chicken and a bagged salad. Not only will it be less expensive than ordering out your favorite pizza, it will be a lot more nutritious.
Finally, if you are finding that you need more motivation to stick with those New Year’s resolutions or any other goal you have set for yourself, check out this awesome resource from Tony Robbins.
REFERENCES
12 paleo egg muffins for a protein-filled morning. (2014, July 28). Retrieved January 9, 2017, from Paleogrubs, http://paleogrubs.com/egg-muffin-recipes
8 Classic Overnight Oats Recipes You Should Try. (2016, March 7). Retrieved January 9, 2017, from Wholefully, http://wholefully.com/2016/03/07/8-classic-overnight-oats-recipes-you-should-try/
Axe, J. (2014, October 1). 9 Chia seed benefits + side effects. Retrieved January 9, 2017, from Food is Medicine, https://draxe.com/chia-seeds-benefits-side-effects/
Chia Seed Pudding Recipe. (2017, January 5). Retrieved from https://wellnessmama.com/59344/chia-seed-pudding-recipe/
New Years Resolution Statistics. (2017, January 1). Retrieved January 9, 2017, from Statistic Brain Research Institute, http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/
Tony Robbins (2012, January 10). New year - new life Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIHmty265Us