Spend Less Time in the Kitchen

So Wednesday night rolls around and you ponder what to have for dinner. You've failed. Well, wait a second...let's back up. Meal preparation took 2 hours on Sunday afternoon, so you're really deciding between the Turkey and Black Bean Cabbage Bowl with Avocado Salsa or the Slow-cooked Pork Loin with Carrots. If that's the case then you've succeeded.  However, if the chicken is still in the freezer and the vegetables are still down the street at the produce market then..eh, you may have failed.

We know what it's like to be starving after a long day, and have no healthy food ready to go into your screaming stomach. When we hit that point our self-control goes out the window, and food choices are regrettable at best. That is why it is so important to take one to two days a week for meal preparation. When we know we have food waiting for us, we are more likely to stick to those healthy meals, and less likely to waste our hard-work in the gym on crappy meals. Meal prepping can also save money in the grocery store. Have a plan to buy the ingredients for the two, three, or even four meals you'll be preparing. This will keep you focused and less likely to impusively buy everything that looks yummy. 

Schedule one to two days of meal preparation for the week. Personally, I like to prepare 3 meals on Sunday, reassess on Wednesday, and prepare another meal if necessary. The process is rather simple after a few weeks of practice. Get a crockpot if you don't have one because it will save you SO MUCH TIME, after all that's why you're reading this. Throw one meal in the crockpot (think savory pork and carrots, spicy chicken and cauliflower, balsamic and rosemary chicken and broccoli), one in the oven (think fish or chicken and asparagus), and one on the stovetop (think sausage, peppers and onions, or eggs and mushrooms for breakfast). Two hours later, the food is prepared, the tupperware is stacked in the refrigerator, and the kitchen is clean. 

Think about how much time you spend cooking everyday and how that adds up in a week. Now think about how much time it takes to cook for two hours on Sunday and maybe one on Wednesday or Thursday. Spend less time in the kitchen friends- GET ON YOUR MEAL PREP GAME!

-Shane

PS - We LOVE recipes! Share links to your favorites in the comments!