I suppose that title is somewhat of a lie, considering I actually prepped all of my meals yesterday, but the point is that you can really do this any day! I find that if I set aside just a couple of hours (at the very most) to prep my meals and snacks for the week, I’m much more likely to stick to healthy eating and actually save a lot of money, too. Although it’s not very pretty, here’s a look at what I make every Sunday evening so that I can save myself the trouble throughout the week when my schedule gets a bit crazy…
1. A big batch of quinoa – I bring 1 cup of white quinoa to a boil with 2 cups of water in a large saucepan. Once it boils, i set it to a simmer for about 10 minutes, keeping an eye on it so that it doesn’t dry out! I put it in a tupperware and store it in the fridge so that I can have it throughout the week in grain bowls (recipe coming this week!). Sometimes I’ll even portion it out in smaller containers to bring with me to work or school.
2. Beans – I seriously can’t get enough of my sriracha roasted chickpeas, so I always make a batch of those at least twice a week. I also like to have black beans and great white northern beans on hand to throw into salads, grain bowls, or zoodles, too. They’re a great source of fiber and protein, and I love the texture they add. Another plus? They’re crazy cheap. I buy them dried and in bulk, soak them overnight, and then boil them up for about 25 minutes or until soft.
3. Chopped veggies and fruit to freeze for smoothies. I’ve quickly become addicted to the carrot cake smoothie I posted about last week, so I’ve started portioning out the ingredients ahead of time to save myself some trouble in the morning. I buy a 1lb. bag of large carrots and chop them up to freeze. I put 3 smoothies worth of carrots, walnuts and shredded coconut in Ziplocs and kept the rest together. (I only made 3 in advance for my days at work, but you can do as many as you’d like! The fruit/veggies will stay fresh in the freezer no matter what.)
4. A batch of energy bites. I grab two of these babies every single morning before I hit the gym. I’m barely awake when I leave for my workout, but if there’s one thing I know it’s that I need fuel. I’ll usually have one more afterwards when I get home, or a couple before bed too as a sweet treat. Having them on hand (since they keep well in the fridge in an airtight container) makes them the perfect snack.
And there you have it! I actually also prepped two servings of chia pudding for this week, but I haven’t photographed those yet since the recipe will be up soon. I hope I gave you some ideas for making your week a little bit easier and healthier! Until next time, friends 🙂
xo Jordan