Take our word for it, Food prep is key to successfully easting balanced meals. With it, you’ll have a week with great options at your fingertips. Without it, you’ll be much more likely to give in to bad habits and unhealthy cravings. If you’re feeling tired or you are short on time, it doesn’t matter because everything is already prepped and meals are ready for you!
5 Steps To Prep For Success:
- If you haven’t already, pick up a bunch of great Tupperware. We also use use a lot of glass mason jars, which you can get at most grocery stores, craft stores, or Target!
- Choose a day of the week to prep and go grocery shopping. Sunday usually works best for us.
- Plan your meals for the week using our Balance Guide. Make a grocery list so you don’t forget anything!
- Chop, cut and prepare all veggies and snacks. Place everything in ziplock bags or containers in an easy-to-access compartment in the fridge. We like to fill ziplock bags with cucumbers, peppers, celery and snap peas—they go perfectly with hummus or almond butter when we’re feeling afternoon hunger pains.
- Place as many meals as you can into containers. We always prep breakfast, lunches and snacks because we like to cook dinner, but if you can do dinner too!
Now that you’re feeling inspired, here are three new salad recipes to try next week! Salads are great because they’re easy to make and suuuuper pretty! After all, you eat with your eyes!
Kickin’ Thai Salad
Layer the following ingredients in a large mason jar:
- 2 stalks of baby kale, chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 3 mini bell-peppers, sliced
- 1 T cilantro, chopped
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 1 T chopped cashews
Dressing
Blend the following ingredients until smooth:
- ⅓ C sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 T tamari
- 2 T water
- 2 T white distilled vinegar
- 2 T honey
- 1 T ginger
- A squeeze of lime juice
Spring Sing Salad
Layer the following ingredients in a large mason jar:
- Handful baby spinach
- ½ avocado, cubed
- Handful blueberries
- Handful strawberries
- 1 T sliced almonds
- 1 T feta cheese
- ¼ C cooked quinoa
Dressing
Blend the following ingredients until smooth:
- ¼ C extra virgin olive oil
- 1T lime juice
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 T dijon mustard
- Pinch of salt
Scrumptious Salmon Salad
Layer the following ingredients in a large mason jar:
- A few handfuls of arugula
- 2-3 stalks asparagus, blanched and chopped
- 3 baby potatoes, boiled and sliced
- Salmon fillet, pan-fried
Dressing
Blend the following ingredients until smooth:
- 3 T extra virgin olive oil
- 4 T balsamic vinegar
- 1 T dijon mustard
- Squeeze half of a lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Someone once said “if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.” Be your own #1 supporter and give yourself the tools you need to succeed! If you need a boost of support and motivation, check in with us on social media and show us your #balancedeats on prep day!