Here it goes: In a nutshell, most of us fall into two camps when it comes to meal prep. We either overthink it, or we don’t think about it all.

Overthinking is an easy trap to fall into…  there’s just SO much “stuff” on the internet, in magazines, and on social media with conflicting information. It’s nearly impossible to filter out all of the noise and to make an actual decision.

So you think about it, you think some more, and then before you know it, it’s time to eat and you still don’t have a plan.

Way too many people (I used to be one of them!) think that meal prep is all about identical-looking bland Tupperware meals (like chicken, sweet potato, and broccoli) and think, “Ugh… that’s not for me”!

That’s when a lot of us join the second camp: “put it off for next week” / or not thinking about prepping or planning meals at all.

There’s actually a happy middle ground! What if you took a few minutes to map out your meals and snacks for the next several days, and when you’re making diner, you cooked simply made 2-3x the amount you usually do’

That’s actually a golden tip from the good ol’ days of home ec class, our grandmothers and beyond!

I grew up with a single working mom and after a long day the last thing she wanted to do was cook dinner. Back then they didn’t call it meal prepping but she would make extras through out the week so she wouldn’t have to cook. 

You can double up by making extra turkey burgers, chili, stir fry, or … well, almost anything! It doesn’t just apply to “special” meals.

Taking this approach means you don’t have to set aside several hours of valuable weekend time to cook for the upcoming week. Instead, you spend your normal amount of time cooking … plus 5 to 10 minutes each week PLANNING your meals.

This seems like a no-brainer, but the PLANNING part of it makes all the difference, especially if you’re used to trying to figure out every night what you’re going to make for dinner.

And to help you tackle meal planning at another level, I’m going to share an AMAZING resource that I created just for you!  It’s a “Complete Guide to Meal Planning” where I’ll break down step-by-step how to plan your meals and set yourself up for success. 

It’s also loaded with game-changing recipes, tips, and strategies! 

Best of all, it’s free!  It’s my gift to you for being such a loyal reader of my blog. Want a new copy’ Grab it here 

The post Save HOURS with this simple meal prep trick appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

sometimes be more troublesome than you might think. Learning to eat clean is like learning a new language. Juggling all of this new information about nutrition like your daily personal needs alongside all of the nutrition facts for foods that you’re eating can be a big hassle if you’re not prepared. Lucky you, you’ve got me and some amazing tools available. Here are my top 3.

1. Food/Diet Diaries —  You can make this as fancy or simple as you need.  There are plenty of online apps or old fashion paper. All you have to do is write down what, how much, and when you ate each meal and you have an easy to read go-to when you’re calculating your progress. You can keep it in your care, in your bag or briefcase, or on your kitchen counter at home, just remember to actually fill it out or it doesn’t do you any good!
2. Nutrition Cheat Sheets — When you really think about it, all managing your diet really ends up being is one big test and choosing which foods to eat is the difference between a wrong or right answer. Of course you would take notes and study for a regular test so why not do the same for your diet’ Having a nutritional cheat sheet is a quick and easy way to recognize which foods are going to be okay and fit within your “budget” and which are going to be a bad idea. Making one yourself that keeps track of your favorite foods or favorite places to eat will help you manage yourself on the go.
3. Portioning Assistants — When you’re trying to make sure that you’re eating right, the most difficult part is making sure that you’re not eating too much (or too little!) for your meals. This is where portioning assistants like portion plates and portioned storage containers come in handy. A portion plate is an easy way to make sure you have a balanced plate on a meal to meal basis until you get a handle on what your plate should be looking like. If you have a busy schedule, try batch cooking and using portioned storage containers to get your meal or meal pieces ready ahead of time then refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to eat.

It’s can sometimes seem tough to get a handle on your diet, but with the right tools it can be as easy as properly portioned pie!

The post Clean Eating 3 Top Tools For Making It Manageable appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.