Healthy Lunch Meal Prep Week 2

Hey Guys, Hope the last post about meal prep was helpful and eliminated some of the anxiety that can come with trying to meal prep for the first time.

Today, I spent another hour meal prepping for the week. After my Easter indulgences yesterday, staying on track this week is really important!!

So here goes.

Healthy Lunch Meal Prep- Week 2

What you'll need

Bag of chicken breast

salad mix

squash

zucchini

Brown whole grain rice

Mrs Dash- ( I used original, fiesta lime and garlic herb)

Olive oil

and cottage cheese

Step 1- Defrost your chicken and cut into thin pieces. I filleted mine and cut into small chunks.

Brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle on Mrs Dash seasoning of choice. I did two different flavors for the week.

Cook on 400 for Approx 25min or until done.

(TIP- wait to cook chicken til after you cook the veggies. This way you can be putting together your containers while the chicken cooks, since it takes longer.)

Step 2- Slice squash and Zucchini, lay on lined and sprayed baking sheet. Then spray a light coat of olive oil over top and sprinkle on seasonings.

Broil on the middle rack for approx 10 min until done to your liking. I don't like mine super mushy. So I don't cook mine very long. 

Step 3- While waiting for your veggies to cook. Go ahead and measure out your rice (1/2cup), your salad greens (2cups), and cottage cheese (1/2cup).

 And top your salad with whatever other veggies you'd like, I used cucumber slices and carrot shavings.

Step 4- Now that your veggies are done- go ahead and divide into 1cup portions and put into containers.

(other side note- I had left over green beans from last week..so I just added them to one of the containers)

Step 5- Now that your chicken is done. Weigh out into 4-6oz portions and place in containers.

While my chicken was cooking, I went ahead and cut up a cauliflower so I'd have veggies to snack on in between meals this week.

And Batta Bing Batta Boom- You're done and have lunches ready for the week ahead!!!

(Side Note- I didn't include the step of making your rice because I had a container of rice pre-made and in the frig. So you'll want to boil some rice at the beginning of the process.)

Like I've said before, meal prepping seems so hard and daunting. But it's really very simple. This process took me just under 1 hour from start to finish AND I played with my one year old during the process.

If you've ever said to yourself, "Man, I wish I could meal prep" I dare you to JUST DO IT!!! Give it a try and surprise yourself at just how easy it can be to stay on track with eating right throughout your week!!

Happy Eating! 

XOXO

Healthy Lunch Meal Prep Made Easy

Meal prepping has become a pretty big thing. There are countless blogs, pinterest pins and websites dedicated just to the art of meal prepping. If you're anything like me, you love the idea of meal prepping, you see the benefits, you know it would help you stay on track with healthy eating during your busy week but you're overwhelmed with the wealth of information, recipes, how to's etc.

I have been lunch meal prepping for a little over a month now and Love Love Love how it's helped me stay on track. I've stayed on track to the tune of being down two pants sizes..... can I get a "raise the roof". (no? ok, I'll do it myself......*happy dance...raise the roof...Happy dance*)
Phew, ok, I'm done celebrating. Back to business.

Taking the time to meal prep my lunches has saved me time, calories and mental block as to what to make for lunch at that moment when I'm absolutely starving and am battling between what my taste buds want and what my fitness goals need. Have you been there??? Those battles for me usually resulted in a grilled cheese sandwich and chips. :( not such a great option.

I hear people say things like, "I don't have time to meal prep" or "I really want to, but I don't know where to start." Sometimes I hear..."Doesn't that get expensive eating dinner type foods at lunch"??

So, I decided to break it down for you to show you how easy and cheap lunch meal prepping really is and hopefully help you on your road to making this a routine that can assist you with your health and fitness goals.

FIRST, Buy your ingredients
                                      
For this weeks meals. I bought
-Bag of Chicken Breasts
-Bag of Steamable Green Beans (I got these from walmart)
-Bag of Sweet Potatoes
-Cottage Cheese
-Salad Greens
-Eggs
-Light Italian Dressing

I bought all these items from Aldi and spent just about $15.00 for them all.  I wont use everything in it's entirety for this week. So the break down per meal is less than $3.75. Not bad. Pretty affordable right?

Ok.

Step 1.
Place either 3-4 LARGE chicken breasts (or 5-6 small ones) In crock pot and cover with 3/4 bottle of italian dressing. Turn on High and let cook for 4-5 hours.
You will want the remainder of the dressing for your salads this week.

Step 2.Prepare Sweet Potatoes- Poke three small holes in each potato and wrap with foil. Place on baking sheet and cook on 450 for 1 hour. When your timer goes off, check and see if they are slightly squeezable. If you can squeeze them with your over mitt on, then they are done. I always cook more than I need for just my meals so I can grab them easily for snacks or dinners as well. *Plus my kids LOOOOVE sweet potatoes*

Step 3- Boil your eggs- I usually boil several because they are a great snack..full of protein. *great for throwing in your gym bag for after your workouts*

Step 4- Cook your steamable green beans in the microwave. 

Step5- While your chicken is cooking, your potatoes are baking and your eggs are boiling. Measure out your salad, Cottage Cheese and Green beans into your containers.

For this I use

1/2 c Cottage Cheese

2 cups of Salad Mix (topped with chopped cucumbers)

1 cup Green beans

I decided I wanted a lil variety for the week. So I am making two containers with salad to put my chicken on, and two containers with a starch item(my sweet potato) and veggies.

The end result will look like this \/

                                                       \/

By then your eggs should be done boiling- So peal two to add to your containers.

Put your containers in the frig.

Then all you have to do is wait for your potatoes and your chicken to be done.

Once they are done. Place one medium potato in your containers and 4-6oz of chicken. Be sure to spoon out some of your left over dressing over the chicken.

(I don't add the chicken to my salad, til I'm ready to eat it. Sometimes, I like it cold, sometimes I like it warmed up and I can't warm it up if it's already on the lettuce. So I store the left over's separately.)

And Voila!! 4 healthy lunch meals that are prepped and ready for a quick grab.

All the Prep Time only took me about 45 minutes today. From start to finish. That of course is not counting the cook time for the potatoes and chicken. But while those are cooking, I can do whatever else I need to get done. 

As you can see, this method is easy, cheap, and quick. 

I know we all lead busy lives, with work, families, kids, sports...whatever it is you do.

But one thing I've learned is that, If I have 1 hour of time to sit and do anything like watch t.v, read, sew, look through facebook, or pinterest 

I HAVE TIME TO MEAL PREP!

Seriously, we all HAVE the time, somewhere within our week. The question is will we TAKE the time to make this skill and healthy routine a habit for our lives.

If you've ever wanted to try lunch meal prepping, I encourage you to try it. You wont regret it!!!

I believe in you. You CAN do it!!

Happy Cooking!! XOXO

Jamie Eason LIVE FIT TRAINER Week 4

Ok WOAH....it's been a long time since I've blogged. Phew, I'm a major slacker...ok not really. Quite a bit has been going on.

First, I went to MEXICO for a missions trip and that was AWESOME. I need to write a good post about my experience. Immediately after returning home from that, my hubs went on a work trip and left me with two kiddos for a week(which is actually fine, but I like to act like it's torture. :) Shhh don't tell) THEN my bestie from Kansas came to celebrate my 30th birthday!!!! WOOT.

So, Needless to say. Things have been a tad busy. I successfully completed two week of the program before leaving for mexico, and since I've been back. I've finished the last two week of Phase 1. So I'm feeling pretty stellar. 

Here are some things I've been learning from week 4!!!!

1. Weight is really just a number.

Ok, so we always hear this and we see the cute little pics on Pinterest of the scale that tells you you're beautiful instead of your weight and we all unite with a resounding AMEN at the "thought" of the number on the scale not really mattering.

BUUUUUT, at the end of the day, when we hop on our trusty little friend the number DOES MATTER to us. I don't know why. It just does, and when you feel like you're working really hard to make good choices and be diligent at the gym it's incredibly discouraging when the scale doesn't move....at all..... Or even worse, when it moves in the wrong direction.

I had an experience last week (on weigh in day) where I literally wanted to throw the scale across the room and cuss at someone or something because after weeks of what feels like hard work I was seeing no numeric progress on that blasted little torture machine that I am so painfully attached to.

So, in an effort to restore order and sanity to our home my husband made a rash decision and HID THE SCALE!!!!! Yes, that's right, He hid it. When he told me I felt panic and relief all at the same time. Honestly, I thought, "oh that's sweet, but in a few days I'll find it and things will return to normal."

Surprisingly enough, I've not missed it AT ALL. In fact, I feel so much relief that it doesn't stare at me every morning and I am able to actually notice some visible results that are not scale related that I truly feel like I was unable to see because I'd get so discouraged about that dreadful number!!

This week, without the scale. I've really been able to see that the number on the scale is really just a number and I'm not ok with my mood, motivation and contentment with myself being defined by something that really makes no difference at all, to anyone...but me. 

2. Weight loss doesn't always equal fat loss, and no weight change doesn't always equal no change.

Phew, that's a mouth full. Here's what I mean.

I've spent the last 5 years of my life trying to "lose weight". The number on the scale was all that mattered. And though I was successful many times in actually lowering that number. It didn't mean my body fat was at a healthy percentage, it didn't make me strong and it didn't mean I was fit or toned. It just meant the number on the scale went down and I was probably wearing a smaller size.

Lately, especially with this program. The scale has not been moving much. But it doesn't mean my body isn't changing. With the absence of the scale this week I decided to look back on my measurements over the last year. I may not be "lighter" on the scale, but I've lost inches. I can actually feel muscle in my arms for the first time like....ever! 

I'm determined to change my body this year. Turning 30 has really lit a fire under me to get into shape. I want to be healthy, I want to be strong. In doing so, I will naturally thin out, even if that means the number on the scale doesn't move.

3. I'm stronger than I ever thought

It's only been 4 weeks of training and I even took a two week break in the middle for all the craziness, but I can already see my strength improving. I'm moving up in my weights all the time and let me tell ya, IT FEELS AWESOME!

It feels so good to go from a 5lb dumbbell to a 15lb dumbbell. I remember thinking that I would die with several sets of 5lber's and now I'm doing multiple reps with 15lbs. 

There really is no limit to what we can do, when we push our bodies past what is comfortable. I am so thankful this program has gotten me out of my cardio rut...don't get me wrong, I LOVE cardio. I think it's fun. But I'm capable of more, and now I actually enjoy doing weights! :)

4. PREPLANNING IS A MUST

"When you fail to plan, you plan to fail"

You may have heard this before but it's true. When I don't take time to meal plan or look over my workouts ahead of time. It's much easier to not do the right thing.

Things that have helped me so much is premaking some easy go to food items.

This week I made

Ground Chicken Meatballs

Carrot Cake Protein Bars

 Protein pancakes

and a crockpot of Italian Dressing Chicken Breast (not pictured)

These Items really help me stay on track. It's easy to grab a quick healthy breakfast, snack or lunch when I have things pre-made.

So PLAN PLAN PLAN.

I've made this a few times this week as a yummy dessert/snack.

Apple Nachos

Cut apples, Melted PB drizzled over with Sugar Free Choc Chips.

This is so satisfying. It keeps me from feeling deprived.

Well, that's all I have for ya this week. Week 4 is going really well. I'm excited to be finishing Phase 1 and moving on to Phase 2 of the program.

And a Big shout out to my hubs for having the wisdom to get rid of the scale!!!! 

It truly has made a huge difference. :)

LIVE FIT TRAINER- Week 1

Week 1 COMPLETE. It's been a really great week. I have much to share. Are ya ready?? :)

Well, it started off a bit rough. I spent a bit of time watching the videos by Jamie Eason on the bodybuilding.com website. Obviously there is irony in this next pic.

M&M's as I watch video's about changing my habits. HA..well, we all have to start somewhere. At least it was a mini bag...?? yes??  YES! :)

Anywhoo, One thing I've learned with my years of weight loss efforts is that Planning is key to success ESPECIALLY at first. It just so happens that Jamie Eason agrees. She recommends taking one day to meal prep for the week. So that's what I did.

I started by making her Carrot Cake Protein Muffins (click link for Recipe)

These are super Delish! Only 93 calories, FULL of protein and a great snack that includes a serving of Vegetables because they are made with pureed carrots. I know, I know..when I read that on the recipe I thought..."EWWW nasty". BUT they are actually really tasty. I take these with me on the go in a baggie. They are the perfect portable snack.

Then I decided to make up lunches for myself for easy grab and eat. I know myself, and if I wait to make lunch when I'm hungry and in a hurry to eat I end up making a grilled cheese sandwich or a pb&j. This way, I have meals with protein, healthy starch AND veggies easily accessible in the frig. Lunch has seriously never been so easy.

To make meal prep easier, I just made extra items while making dinner. It worked our great, then I packaged up the extras.

I had some roast left over so I portioned that out as well. This way I had a little variety.

Dinner usually consists of some type of chicken..we like chicken at our house. My favorite this week was Parmesan baked chicken, spaghetti squash with cauliflower garlic cheesy bread. *YUM*

The workouts this week were WAY different than I'm used to.

WEIGHTS! Lots of WEIGHTS!

Let me be clear that I'm not a weight lifter. I'm a cardio girl. I get on the elliptical and go, I LOVE doing step classes and zumba. I can do cardio ALL day long no problem. Weights have been a different story this week.

But surprisingly, as hard as it was..I enjoyed it. I felt really accomplished after doing three reps with a heavier weight than I thought I could lift.

My body has mildly ached in area's I didn't even know had muscle. But it's been good.

I even had to go buy some snazzy weight lifting gloves to avoid more blisters. The first full day with weight machines and my hands were not feelin so hot. 

I feel pretty hard core with my lifting gloves...hopefully when this is all done I'll have the body to match. THAT would be AW-SOME sauce.

After my 4 workout days I am down 1.3lbs.

Unfortunately, Saturday and Sunday have not been great days of staying on track with my diet. I intended to, and I tried. But quite a few things came up that got me a bit off course. BUT that's ok. I'm starting fresh tomorrow(Monday) morning. Another week. Well, sort of. I'm heading to Mexico for a missions trip on Thursday. But I plan to stay on track til we leave.

So, over all. Loved Week 1. Stayed motivated all week and I'm feeling stronger.

1 down, 11 more to go. :)

Ok- This is Happening

Well, It's February 2014 and I found a journal I started from January 2013. Guess what???? I basically weigh the same amount I did A WHOLE YEAR AGO!!!!!!! *sniff sniff, tear tear*
And my goals for 2014 (for weight loss anyways) look strikingly similar to that of last years.

Here's the deal. I pretty much spent all last year trying to lose more weight. Getting rid of baby number 2's initial abode has proven to be WAAAAAAY harder than I thought it would be. Anyone who knows me knows I make an asserted effort CONSISTENTLY to lose weight. I go to the gym and do several classes per week. I eat pretty healthy almost 80% of the time..I have tried Afterbaby weight loss, Trim Healthy Mama, clean eating, calorie counting and weight watchers all within the last year and I'm  only down 4 lbs from where I was this time last year.
THAT'S DISCOURAGING YA'LL, really discouraging.
I had great success losing weight with Weight Watchers before, I'm baffled as to why it's just not working this time. When I ask a WW leader why I'm not losing their answer is to just eat less.
Well, IDK if you've ever done WW but I can't eat less than I already am. In fact after much reading about metabolism and fueling your body I'm pretty confident I've lived with my body in constant starvation mode. Sure you lose weight initially when you lower your calorie intake but over the long haul all it does is slow down your metabolism...and a slow metabolism does not a fat burning machine make (thanks yoda, ;)

I feel like it's time to figure out my body and what really makes it healthy. I know eating less is NOT the answer, I know working out more is NOT the answer. To be honest...I'm not sure what the answer is. But I know that I have to figure it out if I'm ever going to get to my goals. Sure, I know I could just be content and happy where I am..it's not like I'm obese or anything. I'm not even that over weight. But I have higher goals than just giving up and being happy where I am when I know it's not my best. There is a reason why my body has stalled and isn't releasing the excess and I'm determined to find out why.


So, for the next three months I'm going to be doing, (drum Roll PLEASE)

Jamie Eason's Live Fit Program 

It's a 12 week program that focuses mostly on strength training and healthy eating. I love to exercise..however weights have never been my focus. Sure, I do them in my cardio combo class, or I add some in after 45 minutes on the elliptical. But a lifter, I AM NOT. However, that is going to change. This program starts off with NO CARDIO AT ALL. AW, LORDY.

I've been doing so much reading about how building lean muscle mass aids in weight loss as well as over all fitness and I'm all about that. PLUS, learning to eat better is always a plus. This program is FREE! YES, FREE and lays out all your workouts and meals for you. It really doesn't get any easier. All, I have to do is find the will power to follow the program. I'm praying for the Lords strength to do that.

C'mon Ya'll it doesn't get any better than FREE!!!!!

I don't know if this is going to solve all my weight loss problems. But I am going to give it a shot and see what kind of progress I can make in 3 months.

I will be blogging about my week each monday just to keep me accountable and motivated to keep going. It might even be motivating to you. ;)

I can't wait to get to week 12 and see progress.

Today was day one and the workout wasn't bad. Today was Chest and Triceps so I spent 45 minutes working out those areas with weights. I used 12lb dumbbells for all the exercises and it was tough. When I told my hubs that I was proud of myself for using 12lb-ers he said..."12lbs?? that's like a can of soup".....I don't know what kind of soup he's been eating, but MY cans of soup do NOT weight 12 lbs each. SHEESH! That's ok..we'll see who's laughing in 12 weeks. ha

 I admit that after I was done I felt kinda weird like I should be hopping on the elliptical for a good sweat session. I'm so used to measuring a good workout by not being able to breath and sweat POURING from ever pore. But I resisted and just did some average pace walking to loosen up my muscles.


Jamie Eason says that she doesn't want us using the fuel we are eating to fuel cardio sessions, rather she wants us using the fuel we eat to rebuild our muscles and create lean muscle mass. I'm gonna trust her, she's the expert.

As far as eating goes, I've done pretty well, except for the mini bag of m&m's I had after lunch (thanks mom and dad for sending a whole box full to the kids for valentines day) ;) ha.

So, there ya have it. I'm going after this thing as best I can. I'll hit ya back up next monday to give you week 1's progress.

FINGERS CROSSED~ Wish me luck. :)