Yesterday was week three of full menu planning and prepping meals. This week presents me new challenges. Due to limited activity I have to cut my calories so my portions and options had to change. I am also travelling all day Tuesday and will be out of town Friday and Saturday. This week my focus is to choose items I could pack in a cooler easily.
As usual I started with my blank Excel template and filled in all the meals I knew I would eat and repeat. Breakfast is almost always the same so that’s a no brainer. Next, I tackled my travel days by planning foods I could eat while driving and incorporating splurge meals. This allowes me to spread my calories appropriately through the week. Last, I filled in the holes. DONE!
I pulled together my shopping list, hit the store, and came home for two hours of chopping, boiling, and storing. Here’s a few lessons I learned this week that is making each week easier and easier to incorporate into my life.
- Start with a clean kitchen. All dishes put away or in the dishwasher. You run out of room fast so you want all the available space you can get.
- A slicer is invaluable. I have one from Pampered Chef and it slices my veggies in no time.
- Keep a strainer in the sink on the disposal side. You can rinse all veggies in this one, throw the ends in it, and then dispose quickly of your mess.
- Keep the dishwasher open and as you finish with a dish, rinse it out, and throw it in the dishwasher. As soon as it is full, run it.
- Buy a large cutting board. Wow. This is the first week I had a big one and it was sweet living.
Those are my tips this week. My other little secrets are to have all of my dirty clothes in the floor of my laundry room so that I’m washing and drying during dead time. I also keep my laptop nearby to quickly look up recipes or check business email. Never a dull moment.
Recipe: Homemade Protein Bars
3 cups Quick Cook Oats
2 cups Skim Milk
8 scoops of Whey Protein Powder (flavor of choice)
1 packet of Sugar Free/Fat Free Instant Pudding (flavor of choice)
Combine all ingredients together and mix until it becomes sticky. You may need to use a little less milk. Pour into a spray coated pan and place into fridge overnight. Cut into 10 pieces. **I have read that adding Xanthum Gum will make them hold better and be less sticky. I didn’t have XG so I cannot say. They are sticky, but delicious.
Each piece is approximately 200 cals, 23g of protein, 22g of carbs, and 2.5g of fat. It is a good choice for pre and post workout recovery. It can also be altered easily with add-ins like dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter, flax seed, etc., if you need more calories.