TIPS FOR MAKING MEAL PREP EASY

At Vital Roots Health Co our clients often ask us about meal prep and how to make their day to day nutrition intentions easier especially surrounding the busy seasons of life.

Meal prep can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be. It all depends on HOW you go about your process. What we also know is that delicious (and good for you) food doesn’t have to be complicated.

At VRHC we work with busy women just like you and it’s our goal to help you streamline your processes to support your energy, brain power and health goals more easily. We all know that if we plan and prepare, we have a much higher likelihood of succeeding.

If you want to create long-term success, you’ll need to create sustainable habits. And creating sustainable habits are much easier if you start with simple methods.

How to Make Meal Prep Easy?

We often start our clients with a simple rule: Choose Four.

What is the “Choose Four” rule for meal prep?

Choose:

Four main protein sources.

Four main carb sources.

Four main produce sources (four veggie and four fruit).

Four main fat sources.

Once you’ve chosen your main sources, you can start to create meals that you mix and match in order to create different options of meals for your week. YES, it can be that simple. And you can create a whole ton of variety with this method too.

In each of these options you can then add different spices, sauces and styles of cooking to create variety. While you may have the same ingredients, the different flavors will give you different meals entirely.

The ‘Choose Four’ method is simple to implement and makes meal prep quick and easy. You can also use it to satisfy different eaters in your household as they can mix and match to the amounts they enjoy to vary a meal to their tastebuds.

Simple Meal Prep Leads to Results

What we love about the ‘Choose Four’ rule is that it not only keeps things simple but it’s going to help you feel successful because tracking four ingredients is way easier than trying to track a 10+ ingredient meal or making time consuming recipes. There may be a place and time to implement more recipes down the line, but when you are first trying to create a habit, starting complex will quickly defer you and set you up for failure. Set yourself up for success by starting simple with your meal prep. Then, when you have time, make that more complex recipe.

The feeling of success is essential for creating motivation and momentum. Feeling successful will help you create consistency. Consistency will allow you to feel and see some progress.

Here are a few examples of meals you could make using the rule of “Choose Four”:

Meal 1: Egg whites (protein), sprouted grain toast (carb), avocado (fat), blueberries (fruit)

Meal 2: Ground beef patty (protein/fat), sweet potato (carb), mixed greens/tomato (veggie),

Meal 3: Chicken breast (protein), rice (carb), peppers (veggie), and cheese (fat)

OR

Meal 1: Greek yogurt (protein), kiwi (fruit), oats (carb), sliced almonds (fat)

Meal 2: Chicken Sausage (protein), brown rice/lentil pasta (carb), mushrooms/spinach (veggie), olive oil/fresh parmesan cheese (fat)

Meal 3: Shredded chicken (protein), roasted potatoes (carb), Ghee/grassfed butter (fat), broccoli (veggie) PLUS my fave, Primal Kitchen buffalo sauce or G Hughes BBQ on the chicken

You can use the “Choose Four” for your main meals throughout the week and then add in some additional items for those mid-meals (snacks).

What helps me and many of my clients is to keep a ‘staples grocery' list’ of items you can keep stocked in your pantry, freezer and fridge for easy swaps and adds to support those mid-meals and for when your tastebuds need a little additional something.

Integrating Meal Prep & Macros

The Choose Four method also makes tracking your food in advance, so. much. easier.

You’re less likely to miss your macro targets if you know which protein, carb, and fat sources you’re focusing your main meals around. Hello consistency, better follow through and momentum!

Our clients have found they are MUCH more likely to stay motivated if they feel small wins initially. This is why it’s important to start with processes that are simple and effective.

While this guide for meal prep is helpful, it’s sometimes not enough to fully dominate your nutrition game.

This is where 1:1 coaching might be of support. We teach you macros basics and how you can use this flexible dieting practice to achieve your goals without restrictions. We’ll help you grow your knowledge, build the behaviors and guide you through the macro adjustments necessary to support your goals. 

And if you want the additional support of a 1:1 coach who can help you with your nutrition, fitness, behavior change and mindset, the VRHC Coaching team would be thrilled to help! Click here to inquire about coaching. 

Connect with us!

Email: amanda@vitalrootshealthco.com

IG: @coachamandamason

© 2023 Vital Roots Health Company LLC