Meal Prep and Planning Recipes. By Sarah Rogue.
If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.
Benjamin Franklin
It’s almost Mid-January and statistically most people are starting to struggle or have already given up on their “new year, new me” goals. Why? Because they may not be seeing or feeling results yet from their new year resolutions of working out more, eating healthier & drinking less alcohol(the most popular resolutions).
BUT YOU ARE STRONG & HAVE WORKED HARD TO GET WHERE YOU ARE… WE’RE NOT GOING TO LET YOU GIVE UP ON YOUR GOALS!
To stay on track & keep going – We need you to focus on non-scale victories right now. If you stay consistent the scale will eventually catch up(it just takes time – we promise!).
Focus on healthy daily habits such as:
- Showing up consistently at the gym
- Increasing your daily steps
- Drinking enough water everyday
- Getting more sleep
- Our #1 most successful habit with OC nutrition clients = MEAL PLANNING & PREPPING.
We’re all busy with life, work, kids, school, you name it!
To set yourself up for success sit down for a few minutes each week to plan out your week. If you can’t plan an entire week (b/c life) – then spend the night before planning the next day ahead.
Meal planning &/or prepping on the weekends (&/or your day off during the week) is going to be your best nutritional strategy. Prep one-pot meals or casseroles and versatile ingredients like grilled meat, roasted veggies & sweet potatoes. Prepare meals you enjoy!!!
Double or triple your favorite recipes so you have enough leftovers for your week(2-4 days).
Cycle your weekly meal plans so that you are providing yourself with a variety of meats & vegetables – and furthermore reducing the risk of getting bored with the same old thing day after day!
Spending a couple hours a week planning, shopping and preparing will set you up for tremendous success!
Here are some inspiring meal ideas from Coach Sarah’s very own kitchen:
Egg Roll In A Bowl
Egg Roll in a Bowl has become one of our favorite meal prep recipes… and the most requested recipe by members lately!
I’m all about efficiency & saving time in the kitchen so I’ve simplified this recipe & its ingredients to make it easy & economical.
Brown 2-lbs of ground chicken (or turkey, pork or beef) with some avocado oil. Season with salt, pepper & granulated garlic.
Cook thoroughly and add a drizzle of coconut aminos and enough teriyaki sauce to lightly coat the ground meat.
Open a can of water chestnuts and dice… add to the meat mixture.
Once it’s cooked thoroughly, transfer to a large casserole dish & add the bag of tricolor cabbage or broccoli slaw (if dressing is included, remove the packet and toss in the trash).
Mix the slaw with the meat and serve it over prepared rice, salad greens or as is. Garnish with sliced green onions. Add scrambled eggs to pack in more protein!
Skirt Steak Fajitas
I buy about 2-lbs of skirt steak and place in a casserole dish to marinate 1-3 hours before BBQ.
Marinade Recipe: ⅓ cup coconut aminos, 1-tsp red wine vinegar, splash of avocado oil, 2 spoons of mustard (or ground mustard), drizzle of raw honey, season with salt, pepper, cumin, onion & garlic powder.
BBQ to your preferred doneness, let rest for a few minutes and then slice against the grain.
Serve with grilled or sautéed onions and bell peppers… in corn tortillas or over rice. Top with guacamole, salsa, diced onions and cilantro.
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Place chicken in the crockpot and season with Himalayan Salt & Pepper. In measuring cup combine & whisk together the coconut aminos, honey, toasted sesame oil, orange juice, tomato paste, ground ginger & garlic powder. Pour sauce over chicken. Set slow cooker to low for 4-6 hours and walk away.
To thicken the sauce: When the chicken is fully cooked through remove some sauce from the crockpot and place in a small saucepan. In a small bowl combine 3 Tsp of arrowroot powder with 3 Tbsp of water and mix. Pour and whisk in arrowroot powder with the sauce and simmer until it thickens. Add the sauce back in with the chicken.
Serve or rice and with some sautéed fresh (or a blend of frozen) stir fry veggies.
To save time most grocery stores have fresh pre-cut & washed stir-fry veggies ready to go.
Garnish with sliced green onions & sesame seeds.
Tacos!!!
We make tacos at least 1x a week at our house. Easy to prepare and easy to measure & track if you’re doing macros.
Choose from ground chicken, pork, beef, or fresh/frozen shrimp.
Corn tortillas or shells, load them up with protein, shredded lettuce, cheese, and top with salsa – add guac & olives if you need more healthy fat!
Need more carbs for your day? Consider a taco bowl. Taco meat over rice, a baked potato, roasted sweet potatoes.
Reducing carbs? Serve over salad greens.
Wild Salmon
We do our best to eat wild caught salmon 1x a week.
Both Trader Joes & Costco sell fresh (seasonally) & individually wrapped frozen filets.
For frozen salmon I thaw in the fridge then place salmon on a piece of foil sprayed with avocado oil. Squeeze lemon juice over the filet. Spray with a spritz of avocado oil. Season with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder and top with a thick layer of dijon mustard or stone ground mustard(or a mix of both).
BBQ (or bake) to your desired doneness (about 10-14 minutes).
Serve with a green veggie or on a giant mixed green salad. Add rice or potato if you’re needing more carbs for your day.
… And don’t forget breakfast!
Here are a couple of OC’s favorite breakfast meal prep blogs:
Sweet Potato Skillet Recipe – Meal Prep
Crustless Quiche
If you don’t have time to meal prep a couple of hours once or twice a week.
Then your next best nutritional strategy is to double the amount you make for dinner so you have leftovers for a healthy lunch the following day(s).
When meals are prepped and easily ready to grab and go — you’re way less likely to make poor choices or order fast food/take out when it comes to nutrition.
If you’re struggling with staying consistent and need some nutritional strategies to keep you on track with your goals – we can help you!
To learn more about OC’s Personal Nutrition Coaching schedule a FREE Intro
Thank you for checking out OG, central Oregon’s Premier fitness, nutrition, personal coaching health gym in Bend, Oregon.
