Recipes +Meal Planning & Prepping Tips

Are you ready to learn how to reduce the stress and overwhelm when it comes to eating healthy, planning & prepping? These tips I am going to share with you not only helped me no longer dread this routine but enjoy it because of how much easier it not only makes eating healthier for the week but allows my family & I to feel our best- which of course I am hoping this helps you do as well.

1. You don’t have to do it like everyone else does. Find what works best for you by just starting and tweaking each week. Be patient with yourself if you are just learning. When I first started this process I disliked it a lot, but I stuck with it because the alternative was not working.

Here are some great books that helped me that can help you with this process:

https://amzn.to/3Qqyhs6.

https://amzn.to/3Qqyhs6

2. You don’t have to cook all your meals for the week over the weekend. You can if you like to but you don’t have to. My favorite dinner meal planning app that creates a grocery list with new weekly delicious dinners with a macro count can be found here: https://app.lillieeatsandtells.com/

3. Washing, cutting & prepping vegetables helps you save prepping time.

4. Having vegetables & fruits washed in the fridge so when you’re hungry they are ready to be enjoyed. I also love freezing bananas for smoothies and for my favorite ice cream recipe which I will share below with you.

5. Look at your week ahead of you. Some nights you’ll have a little more time to cook over others. The nights you have time to cook that’s when you’ll have certain recipes on your meal plan. The nights you don’t have time that’s when you can use your crock pot, air fryer or cook prior so it’s ready to grab and heat up. This is dinner recipe is a fan favorite in our home: https://www.freshfitkate.com/single-post/bbq-chicken-bowl-recipe

This will help you with three dinners: https://www.freshfitkate.com/single-post/easy-meal-prep-recipe-that-turns-into-3-dinners

6. If there are certain foods that are sabotaging you and are not healthy for you then do not buy them. If they’re not good for you, then they’re not good for others in your home either. Bread is one item you would not believe is loaded with so many harmful ingredients. But do not worry you can make your own sourdough bread at home. It's not only easy but so delicious that when my kids college friends are home I always have to double it up for the week, it's their favorite thing to eat when they are over here: https://www.freshfitkate.com/single-post/homemade-sourdough-bread-recipe

7. If you have a sweet tooth make some healthy options that will satisfy those cravings in a healthier way. This way you have can satisfy that craving without leaving you feeling deprived nor crappy. I will share some of my favorite recipes with you below.

8. Be patient. Yes I am telling you this again because I had to tell myself this over and over again. It took me a while to figure out what works best for me & for my family. It has also changed over the years as our life has. It may take a while for you to figure out what works best but that’s okay you’re trying and that matters. Perfection is not the goal but I promise you planning ahead will relieve so much stress, make it easier to eat healthier and it will save you a ton of money from ordering out or eating out less frequently.

9. You can also make meals ahead of time & freeze them. When you do have time to cook double up the ingredients so you can freeze the other half for another night that month. This is so helpful on those nights where we think we have time to cook then life happens & we don’t. It’s so nice to have a healthy back up to help us with dinner in our freezer 🙌🏼

Having grab and go options for breakfast and lunch is key. I always make tunafish, egg or chicken salads so I have a healthy grab and go protein that can be enjoyed over baked sweet potato slices, homemade sourdough bread, Masa Tortilla chips or vegetable slices. Here are my favorite recipes to make: https://www.freshfitkate.com/single-post/waldorf-dill-chicken-salad-recipes.
to bake the sweet potato slices, you just peel a sweet potato, slice it, place it on a baking sheet, spray it with avocado spray and sprinkle some sea salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-28 minutes. I also dice up sweet potatoes so I can throw those in my omelette or egg breakfast bowl with sauteed vegetables. I bake them the same way they are just cubed. Here is a great chia pudding recipe that is great for a high protein breakfast option: https://www.freshfitkate.com/single-post/high-protein-fiber-chocolate-peanut-butter-chia-pudding-recipe

If you have a sweet tooth or would like some healthier ways to make some of your kids favorite snacks I want to share these recipes with you: