Shop & Chop til ya Drop! I'm talkin #mealprep

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Coworkers compliment my lunches and snacks all the time. They’ve recently been asking how I do it; make great lunches to bring in every day, that not only look appealing but are obviously delicious and keep me full! 

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The secret …meal prep! Each Sunday, I plan out what I’m going to eat for breakfast, lunch & dinner – usually overlapping ingredients, because I’m always looking to save money and repurpose my recipes! I tend to stick with the same things for breakfast and lunch, but switch up dinner or exchange the meals with lunch to avoid getting bored.

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Granted, I’m only shopping, prepping and cooking for myself; however, I know plenty of families that live by meal prepping and their crockpots! It’s such a great time and money saver for everyone. Think about it; if you already have dinner cooking in the crock pot, or simply have to heat something up that is already in a container, you’re saving time to actually sit and enjoy your meals as a family…even in between running the kid(s) to their activities, etc! 

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Planning my meals, and therefore what I’m going to shop for, keeps me on track – I’m not randomly picking up items at the grocery store just because it may be a good deal or I have a coupon that’s about to expire, and I certainly don’t even bother heading down isles full of temptations (aka, junk food!) lol I stick to my list, which keeps my budget and weight goals on track!

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Here’s an example of my thought process and how I build my grocery list each week: Dozen eggs – I know I’ll either make them each morning or prep egg muffins which would use up the whole dozen Plain almonds – my fav am snack. I have a handful (~10) each day, so although the price is a bit high for nuts, it’s lasting me around two full weeks Bagged spinach and 2~3 veggies – I’ve been sticking to a spinach salad for lunch, just because I personally enjoy it & it’s easy to prep and pack for work each day Tuna packets or Chicken Breast – I’ll top my salad with either protein Veg and hummus/guac – my go to afternoon snack AdvoCare or Pinterest recipe for dinner – something easy, with simple & flavorful ingredients with lean protein, that I can pair with the veggies I’m already buying or additional as preferred. Example: AdvoCare’s chicken burrito recipe is made in the crockpot, and I’ll either top my salad with this (it’s like a pulled chicken taco), have it on a whole wheat tortilla, or just have a spoonful with grilled veggies on the side!

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Again, I’m only planning and cooking for myself, so the ingredients go a long way and last me the entire week. However, the key is definitely to have a plan for the week – so even if you’re cooking for the family, know which meals you’ll have for dinner or have the crock pot going two nights a week. Keep it simple; it’ll save you so much time, and money if you’re repurposing or using similar ingredients! 

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"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"...get preppin!