Meal Prepping Secret

Meal prepping, or cooking a few dishes ahead and portioning them out throughout the week, is the secret to having healthy, home-cook meals at lunch and after work without much effort. The reasons for meal prepping are it saves time and money, it is less stressful, it gives you control over your nutrition, and it helps with portion control.

Simple meal prep ideas are

• Double up on your dinner and have leftovers for lunch;

• Roast a tray of veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, pumpkins..etc) ready for salad add-ins;

• Pack fresh veggies in your lunch box (snow peas, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper slices)

• Choose a high protein snacks, such as almonds, hummus, nut butter

• Make a salad dressing

• Cook a big batch of grains (quinoa, brown rice, buckwheats)

• Boiled eggs

Meal prepping does not need to be complicated. Just remember to buy your grains and nuts in bulk to reduce packaging, visit your local farmers market to get your fresh veggies, and use reusable containers and food wraps.

Turmeric Roasted Veggies

Ingredients-

• 3 cup cauliflower florets

• 2 cup Brussels sprouts, cleaned, trimmed and halved (if necessary)

• 6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces

• 1 ½ tsp turmeric

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp ground coriander

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• salt to taste

Directions-

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. In a bowl place all the ingredients and toss well.

3. Season with salt, to taste.

4. Place the vegetables in a single layer on a large baking pan.

5. Bake until the veggies are tender, 20 – 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.

A Rainbow Salad with Lemon Chia Seed Dressing

Ingredients-

For the salad

• 4 cups lightly steamed kale

• 1 cup roasted veggies

• 1 cup cooked quinoa

• ½ cup almonds

• 1 large apple, diced

• 1 cup chopped red cabbage

• 1 large avocado, sliced

For the dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 2 teaspoons honey

• 2 teaspoons chia seeds

Directions-

1. Combine all salad ingredients.

2. For the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a small jar, shake until all combined. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Drizzle the dressing on the salad and toss.

I challenge you to try this, this week! It takes around 30 - 45 minutes. Steam some chicken \, roast some veggies and chop up healthy snacks. It will prevent you from spending $10 - $30 a day on take aways and it will make sure you get your correct daily nutrition intake too.