I am sooo weird, huh? I’m actually missing my food prep while in Italy. I know, psycho crazy woman here! Well, since I can’t but you can, here’s the low down on food prep!

I LOVE prepping my food at the beginning of the week. I cook, I clean and I organize everything ONLY ONCE A WEEK!

I prefer to hit the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon or evening as I prepare for the coming week. Cooking and cleaning can take me anywhere from 2-4 hours. I know some of you may not be thrilled at the idea of spending your Sunday afternoon in the kitchen and that’s OKAY! Try a Monday evening or late afternoon instead. Sometimes I’m out and about on a Sunday so I move my prep work to my Monday. Remember, it’s however you can fit your prep work into YOUR LIFESTYLE! Whatever works best for you!

The benefits, as I see it, to all of this prep work are enormous!:

1. You only need to clean the kitchen ONCE. We all know how happy a clean kitchen makes us feel. Who wants to be scrubbing pots and pans and cleaning their kitchen floors 5 or 7 days a week? NOT ME!
2. You save SO MUCH time washing all of your healthy fruits and veggies ahead of time. How many of us have ever gone into the fridge starving and opted for crackers or chips versus carrots and celery because we were too lazy to clean the vegetables? I am definitely guilty of this. After a long hard day, no one wants to work harder than they have to. Doesn’t it sound nice to come home to a fridge where everything is clean and ready for you to devour? 🙂
3. Having your food prepped and ready to go saves you TONS OF CALORIES! When I get home after my workout or a long day of teaching, I am STARVING! Having a quick bite of protein handy such as a pre cooked veggie patty or piece of grilled salmon hits the spot and won’t pack on any extra pounds. And incase you get the munchies like me, I always have a bag of pre washed veggies or cooked broccoli in olive oil and pepper to munch on.
4. If you have kids or big kids (aka significant others) they will love you! When they’re hungry, they’re hungry. Save yourself the stares and moaning and groaning of hungry family members. Keep some healthy snacks in ziplock bags or better yet, some environmentally friendly glass tupperware. You’ll love not being on call 15 hours a day to cook for other people, guaranteed!
5. End your stress! Not knowing what to eat or having to come home and cook a late dinner can be exhausting. We usually choose poorly when we are overtired and hungry. When your healthy choices are already there, waiting for you to get home, you won’t be so stressed out.

SO now I’ll share with you guys a few dishes I make each week without fail. They’re super healthy, full of nutrients and fiber, and really tasty!

• Quinoa salad- I make a huge bowl of it and vary it up with broccoli, snap peas, cucumbers or tomatoes at any given time and I always add turmeric powder for its anti inflammatory properties.
• Green salad- Again, I vary up my vegetables but I always make sure they are organic and raw. Carrots, celery, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes and more. Don’t forget to sprinkle turmeric and add a little cayenne pepper for some spicy flavor.
• Grilled chicken- this is for Anton since I don’t eat meat or poultry. He still eats meat (ugh) so as I try to wean him away from it, he gets some healthy grilled chicken breasts in rosemary and olive oil in a large container for the week.
• Wild organic brown rice and veggies- This dish works well for kids and growing men ha ha! I like to use coconut oil and add organic mushrooms and peppers for spice along with ginger. Sometimes I’ll make extra and freeze it for the following week.
• Veggies- I always wash and cut fresh carrots, celery, cucumbers and radishes so that I have a quick snack to grab between teaching. If I’m really hungry, I’ll grab some hummus or cashew butter on my celery for protein.
• Hard boiled eggs- These are a great snack for everyone if you eat eggs. Please make sure they are pasteurized and organic so you know you are eating the healthiest eggs possible, and the most humanely cared for chickens!
• Kelp noodle salad- YUM! I love this one and flavor it up with my homemade dressing (courtesy of my new vitamix). This is healthy and tastes like pasta, but without the calories or the gluten!

Did I give you guys enough ideas to get started? Ask away please or check out my recipe blogs as I am always experimenting to create new, tasty treats for my readers! The key is fresh, organic ingredients and creative recipes so that you never get bored. Also, plan out your week so you run out of food on a Friday if you know you want to treat yourself to a few nights out on the weekend. I like to do this on purpose, ha ha, so that when Anton gets home on a Friday and looks in the fridge, he has two choices. A Friday night at the grocery store or date night with me! 🙂 Sometimes sneakiness is key my girls!

I hope I’ve inspired you to incorporate these clean, time saving, energy saving, healthy tips into your daily mode de vie! I promise these ideas will help you stay fit, healthy and maintain the weight you want.

Any thoughts or questions? I wonder if the Italians here are as food prep obsessed as I am. I’ll be asking that, tomorrow!

xx Shanna