Once you begin counting macros, it doesn’t take long to realize that winging it isn’t the best or most efficient way to get things done. Attempting to go without a plan often leads to it being extremely difficult to hit your macros. In order to have the most success on our health and fat loss journey’s, we need to take the initiative to plan and prepare things ahead of time to help keep us on track and as consistent as possible. When I talk about planning, this includes things like when you will get groceries and how you will pick them up, what meals/foods you will have for the week, when you are going to prep those meals/foods, and how you need to plan everything out the night before, as well as getting it ready for the next day. While planning and prepping takes a lot of time up front, it can save you so much time and stress throughout the week.
When I first started this journey, I was awful at meal prepping and cooking. In all honesty, I kind of despised cooking and I had never spent a day in my life prepping things ahead of time. Stay Fit Mom has not only helped me make progress in my physical health, but in my knowledge of how to cook and plan meals ahead of time as well. The recipes that SFM offers have made meal planning and prepping incredibly easy for me and I hope that I can help make things easier for you as well by describing how I get my planning and prepping done for the week.
WHERE TO BUY THE STAY FIT MOM MEAL PREP COOKBOOKS:
Step 1: MAKE YOUR MEAL PLAN/ GROCERY ORDER FOR NEXT WEEK
On Tuesdays or Wednesdays, I look through the Monthly Macro Meals and my cupboards and make a plan for what I am going to cook on the weekend to use the week after. I usually pick 2 to 3 SFM meals and one meat to have on hand in the fridge or freezer. I then take the time to place an online order for the groceries that I am going to need for that upcoming week. I used to go into the grocery store on the weekends, but I found myself spending over an hour picking out my groceries and checking myself out. Now that I do it all online it takes me about 15 minutes to add everything to my cart and another 5 to 15 minutes to pick it up from the store. This has saved me a ton of time, and also money, because I would almost always grab extra things when I went into the store shopping! Some of my friends have their groceries delivered, which saves them even more time. If you enjoy shopping in the store, then by all means do it, but pick a day and time and try to stick to the plan!
Step #2: PICK UP YOUR GROCERIES
It may seem silly to some, but I have a set routine of picking up my groceries every Thursday or Friday after work. The grocery store is close to my job so I do it on my way home. By picking everything up on Thursday or Friday, I save myself from having to go to the store on my actual meal prepping day. It gives me more time in the kitchen and eliminates the whole process taking an entire day on the weekend!
Step #3: MEAL PREP FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
Saturdays are typically my meal prep day. I spend a few hours most Saturdays cooking and organizing my plan for the week ahead. I used to do a lot of the cooking by myself, but as my kids have gotten older they have started to help more in the kitchen and my husband has always been a huge help as well. Even if your kiddos are little though, get them in there and have them help you with the things they can. If you have the support of others it makes the time go much faster and you can actually cook a couple meals at a time since you have many hands on deck to keep it going. If you prefer to cook alone, or don’t have anyone to help, that’s okay! I used to do it all myself and sometimes still do. I just turn on some music I love and get to it!
We do not mind leftovers in my family so cooking everything ahead of time works best for us. It frees up my time in the evenings and when we have late nights I know there is always something in the fridge ready to be warmed up when we get home. I don’t have to stress, spend money picking something up, or cook after a long exhausting day. Leftovers aren’t for everyone though, so if you are one of those people that say no to leftovers then you can definitely cook each night, but still have a plan in place and groceries ready to go for the week ahead!
Step #4: OPTIONAL THINGS TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER
- I always keep a menu on my kitchen pantry door that lets my kids know what they will be eating for dinner each night. This way they know what is for supper and can help get it ready as soon as they get home. It also helps prepare them ahead of time for what is to come so I don’t have to hear a lot of whining about what they will be eating (not that your kids will ever have anything except amazing things to say about your food.)
- On Saturdays we also take all the uneaten food that we cooked the week before and we portion it out into lunch containers and freeze them. This way the food doesn’t spoil and we have lunches for the next week ahead that we can just grab each morning before work.
- I plan my next day every night before I go to bed. I put it all into My Fitness Pal, or other similar app, and also get anything I need for the next day while I’m at work portioned out and ready to just grab in the morning. So, for example, if I am having some cottage cheese and tomatoes for a snack while at work I will have them already portioned out in containers or zip-loc bags and ready to just grab in the morning before I leave. I also set out my water cups for the next day and any vitamins I will be taking. By having everything ready to go the night before I keep my stress level to a minimum in the morning and have more time to help my girls get ready for school.
- I get all my vitamins/supplements ready for the week too. I have special containers that I can put my vitamins, pre-workout, post workout, magnesium powder, etc. in. I get them all ready for every single day of the week so I just have to grab one out and don’t have to get out the individual bottles every single day.
- I wash and cut up any vegetables or fruits I bought to have on hand during the week and put them into containers in the fridge. This way they are easy to grab for my entire family!
I have always been pretty organized and I love being prepared. The work ahead of time and throughout the week keeps my stress levels at a low all week and I am always ready for the unexpected too. Just like anything else though, I am not perfect for 52 weeks out of the year. There will be some weeks where we aren’t home at all on the weekends and I don’t have any time to prep so we just use what we have at home or pick up really simple things to make for the week. Every week can’t be ideal and some weeks you will be winging it and that’s okay! The more you can plan though, the better off you will be.
FIND MORE OF OUR MEAL PREP RECIPES HERE.
While my process might not work for everyone I hope that you will be able to take bits and pieces from it that can help you on your own personal health journey. Don’t feel like you have to do it exactly like I do in order to be successful. We have many clients and coaches who all prepare meals and plan in various ways. What is most important is making it fit you and your lifestyle. Every little bit that you can do ahead of time will give you a better chance at progress and success long term and will ease the stress that can come with not having a plan. So give the above ideas a try and tweak them to fit you! Meal planning and prepping can be hard, but you can do hard things! Get to work and watch it all get easier along the way!
Coach Heather has been a coach on the Stay Fit Mom staff since August 2020. She has worked with hundreds of clients and coached them through incredible transformations. She is a gift to our community!
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