Getting Started
How To Meal Plan, Shop, And Food Prep
Before you start:
-Clean it out and Review
It’s time to give your refrigerator and pantry a good old spring cleaning. But, before you start, you will want to take some time to review the approved food list in the book. Foods that are not on the list will need to go. This doesn’t mean you have to take everything to the dumpster. Simply set aside a spot in your refrigerator and your pantry for off limit items like flour, oatmeal, rice, peanut butter, etc. Although for other snack food items such as, chips, granola bars, or chocolate, I would suggest removing them from your house for the whole 30 days. If it’s not there you can’t eat it, right? And believe us when we tell you that those sugar cravings will come.
Make a Plan:
-Get out your calendar
What does your week ahead look like? Lunch meetings, appointments, practice, etc. Knowing what you have going on during the week will make it easier to plan out your meals and know how many meals you will need during the week. For example, when will you need a quick meal or a crock pot meal that’s ready when you walk in the door? Or maybe you have a lunch meetings on Wednesday and Friday, so no need to make lunches on those days.
-Make your menu
Write out the days of the week with breakfast, lunch, and dinner written out beside each day. Go ahead and make a note next to the days that you will need a quick or already prepared meal. First, plan out your dinners for the week. Breakfast and lunch can usually be made with leftovers from the night before. For example, say you make grilled chicken with roasted vegetables for dinner Monday night. Then on Tuesday, breakfast would be eggs on top of roasted vegetables and lunch would be a garden salad with leftover grilled chicken.
Time to shop:
-Make a list
I know this sounds pretty obvious , but you don’t want to go to the store without a shopping list. Sit down with your meal plan and write out all the ingredients that you will need for the week. This will save you time and guess work at the store and prevent you from purchasing off plan items.
-Don’t Rush
Make sure to pick a day and time when you don’t have any other obligations. You will want to give yourself a full hour if not longer to shop. Reading labels for off plan ingredients takes time.
-Shop the perimeter
This is where you will find your fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meats. Roughly 80% of your food should come from the produce and meat departments, and only about 20% should be packaged.
*Tips:
*If you want to save yourself some time, purchase pre-chopped and pre-washed vegetables or purchase a veggie tray and just discard the dipping sauce.
*Bulk bins- These are great for purchasing only what you need or for trying out new things. Dried fruit, nuts, almond flour, spices, etc.
Time to Prep:
Meal prep doesn’t mean making every meal for the week all at once . It’s about doing a few simple things to save time and make your week run smoothly.
-Wash, dry, chop
Once you get home from the store go ahead and wash, dry, and chop your vegetables for the week. Broccoli , cauliflower, carrots , lettuce , etc. Store in an airtight container with a paper towel at the bottom to soak up any extra moister. Now your veggies are prepped and ready to go for snacks, salads, or side dishes.
-Add some heat
Boil some eggs, pre-cook meats and roast some vegetables. Don’t go overboard though, most cooked meats and vegetables will only last about 4 days in your refrigerator before they start to spoil. Hard boiled eggs will last up to a week.
-Make your sauces and dressings
Homemade mayonnaise and pesto are the great starters for salad dressings, chicken salads, or a top grilled meats and vegetables.