Thursday 1 November 2012

The importance of Food Prep….

Whether  you’re an athlete or the average person trying to get fit and stay fit, one of the most important tasks in making sure you are successful in your fit journey is making sure you are getting enough calories, protein, and meals in a single day.

I often find this to be the most challenging aspect for myself, my family and most.

We can all kick butt in the gym a few times a week, take our supplements and hope magic  happens, but reality is we are busy and most of the time sleep deprived and ensuring that we are getting the right kind of food, when we  need it, is by far one of the most important  tasks.

Luckily there are simple options I follow with my family that have made our Fit Life a success.

I prepare a lot of food twice a week. Sundays and Wednesdays work best for me and my family. It doesn't take a lot of energy to have a few dishes going at the same time and pots boiling while you're watching TV or doing house chores, and Wednesdays are often rest days for me and my husband and now our 14 year old daughter as well. 

We lift "Mon/Tues, Thurs/Fri" with Cardio or active rest days Saturdays and Sundays. I recommend this for most gym goers out there, as this allows an hour to two of extra time mid week to prepare food. If you’re in season preparing for a competition this may change your schedule a bit but since I have kept this routine in both on and off season I know it works and our meals stay fresh for the week.

Most people use Plastic Tupperware containers which may or may not be BPA Free. There are a lot of containers out there so if cost is of concern….switch over one by one spreading the expense a few weeks apart. Read labels to make sure that if you choose plastic you opt for the safest option possible. I got this multi size-pack at Wal-Mart for less than $25.00 and added a few large units for my proteins.
In my case Rubbermaid Glass Food Storage Containers have been my “Saving Grace”
There are a lot of glass containers out there but I find these to be easy to store and they come in a lot of sizes to fit into all fridge configurations.



Rubbermaid Glass containers have lids and bases that neatly nest for compact storage. Lids snap to bases and other lids to make finding the right lid a breeze. Glass bases are designed to stack neatly, which saves space and prevents them from getting stuck together. Rubbermaid glass containers are also ideal for reheating foods in the microwave (yes microwaves are bad but I am a busy girl) and the glass bases are oven safe up to 425°F. Plus, a built-in gasket which creates a leak-proof seal that keeps foods fresher, longer.
Oven, Microwave, Dishwasher, and Freezer safe
Bases and Lids are BPA FREE!

The wonderful thing about cooking food in batches allows variety in our meal planning for the next day. Let's be honest we don’t want to be eating chicken breast 5 times a day I personally need excitement to stay on track and the thought process of being able to eat a verity of different foods throughout the day allows me and my family to stick to a clean eating lifestyle and not only that it means that we can enjoy 3 ounces of chicken, 2 ounces of steak, a little fish, and some almonds with each packed meal, along with whatever carb and veggie source we portion into the container.


We use a cooler to keep our containers of food at safe temperature throughout the day. If you do not have access to a microwave, then consider cooking foods which taste equally delicious cold as it does warm. Beef probably does NOT fall into that category at least for me.

Always keep some food on hand which means cook larger batches and portion a few meals and store in the freezer - in the form of frozen dinners of the healthy variety - for those Wednesday and Sunday nights when you run out of food or you had to adjust your schedule for your mid week and weekend cook-off days.


Other than that, get cooking - the food storage container will soon become your friend!

If you want to get in the best shape of your life - you need to make a plan set a goal and follow through!

Thank you for reading

Grace 

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