To Prep or Not to Prep
Written by Teena Travis
“You are what you eat.”
It is an old saying and one that I am sure many of us are familiar with. It is not without its accuracy though. Hopefully we have all established that it is just not possible to out train a poor diet, and that what we decide to put in our mouths is equally important (if not more so) to the time we spend at the gym.
Lets face it, when you come home from a particularly long day if there isn’t something already waiting for you to eat, you are going to turn to the easiest option. More often than not, the easiest option is nowhere near the healthy option. The reality is that there is just not enough readily available healthy food to accommodate our busy lifestyles. As a result, food prep becomes essential to accommodate healthy lifestyle choices. Making the decision to start involving food prep into your routine is not an easy one. It takes a lot of planning, hard work, and time. However, the feeling you get from eating real, whole foods will pay dividends in and outside of the gym and with a little savvy grocery shopping you can save a great deal of money over the long haul.
Knowing that, here are a few tips to help with your prepping journey:
- Start small
If this is your first prep session do not start by attempting to make seven lunches, seven dinners, and a week’s worth of snacks. You will just overwhelm yourself and likely run out of time to get it all done. Start with just washing and chopping all of your vegetables for the week so they will be easier to grab and cook when the time comes. Maybe grill some chicken to use in different meals throughout the week. See how long that takes, learn how you can speed up the process, and, as you feel comfortable, gradually start doing more and more.
- Chose your prepping ideas ahead of time
In order to maximize your efficiency you are going to need a plan of action. Know what your goals are going into your meal prep session. That way you are not searching the internet for inspiration on the day of the prep. Be sure you are prepping food that is going to support your goals. Are you trying to gain weight? Lose weight? Should you eat more carbs? More protein? Take the time to learn what foods are going to align with your goals.
- Make a list and take it grocery shopping with you.
Know all of the ingredients you need going into the store is very important. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of food prep only to realize you forgot to buy a key ingredient.
- Block out some time and start prepping
Once you have your game plan and your shopping is done then it is time to get to work. Pick a day where there will be little to no distractions and carve out enough time to realistically get everything finished. If you can find a friend or two to prep with you, you will be able to get more done and have a little fun doing it!
Want to make things even easier than that?
Use Savory Made Simple
If all that fails and you just need a little extra help with recipes or ingredients, consider Chef Katherine Humphus’ service, Savory Made Simple.
Chef Kat is a formally trained Chef, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Paris, and has opened several of our favorite restaurants in San Diego. She’s the creator of the famous brussel sprout dish at BO-beau Kitchen and Bar in Ocean Beach, and she has a serious passion for making healthy food taste delicious. Lucky for us, she started a meal kit delivery service in July of 2015, making our life much easier, and more delicious too.
Chef Kat offers a variety of recipes, allowing you to choose three for each weekly delivery. The delivery always arrives on Tuesday, and contains three recipes, each feeding two to three people (depending how hungry you are). All of the ingredients for the recipes (except for salt, pepper, and oil) are included, in the exact amounts required. Gone are the days of watching that extra basil wilt away in your crisper drawer! The ingredients are pre measured and often times pre-prepped, so all you have to do is follow the easy to understand instructions, and you’ve created a delicious meal in just 30-40 minutes.
Aside from saving a TON of prepping time, you also get to avoid long grocery store lines and parking lot fights, because everything is delivered right to your doorstep! Chef Kat sources the best ingredients from local farms, sustainable fishermen off the coasts of San Diego and Baja, and sustainable ranchers and butchers.
As if all of this was not enough to convince you to try Savory Made Simple, in addition to providing you with premium ingredients, easy to follow recipes, and saving you a ton of time, Chef Kat also donates four meals to local community members in need for every meal kit purchased. It’s a win-win!
Click here to learn more about Savory Made Simple and place your order!