A new year, A fresh start

January 4, 2015

This is my first time blogging ever so bare with me as I learn the ropes!
I may have skipped some details so PLEASE ask questions.

It seems as if we all live in a world where we are all busy. Often times it is hard to find enough time in the day to get everything done. One problem that I have seen many people complain about is finding time to cook a healthy meal. TRUST me, I am guilty of that myself. I know all about long study days which lead to me looking at my fiance (Joan) and deciding to ordering a pizza. As good as that pizza tastes, it leads to gaining more than just a few pound. Luckily, I have an awesome solution Ive been trying for awhile now. MEAL PREP!!

Meal prepping forces you to eat a little better.. Most of the reason why I eat so bad is because I don't want to spend time cooking, so I'll grab something quick or go out.. This way all my dinners are ready I just grab it and go.

Here are a couple of older preps I have done.

In my preps you will see that I have my favorites :)

Now, Here is the run down of how this should be done, and then I will give you my prep for today.

When I prep my meals I portion the food groups the same way in all of my meals, Just my personal preference because my main goal is weight loss.

My Portion Sizes
Protien (Meat) - 3 ounces
Carbohydrates - 1 cup
Vegetables - 1/2 cup
(This is Just personal Preference and some of my portions are standard amounts)
                   
                                                      If you Don't Own a scale here is a help portion guide!

When you prep your meals you have a large Spectrum and create many different combinations for the week.
Pick Meats
Pick Carbs
Pick Veggies

Once your meals are done they can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen if you do not use them.
I have frozen meals several time and they still heat up great, just make sure you give them time to naturally thaw in the fridge.

Todays Prep

Proteins: Chicken and Lean Sirloin steak

Carbohydrates: Red Potatoes, whole wheat pasta, And Rice Mixed with spinach and garlic

Veggies: Black bean corn and peas mixture, and Green beans mixed with mushrooms.

Shopping List (For 2 people) Cut this cost in half for one person
ALL OF MY PREPS ARE FOR 2 MEALS PER DAY FOR 2 PEOPLE

6 lbs Of Chicken (96 ounces) 12.87
A little more than a pound of lean sirloin (About 18 ounces) 12.44
Bag of Red Potatoes 3.99
Long Grain Rice 1.49
One Box of whole wheat pasta 1.34
1 can of black beans 16oz .79
1 can of mushroom pieces and stems 16oz 1.69
1 bag frozen corn .99
1 bag frozen peas .99
1 bag frozen french cut green beans .99
1 jar pasta sauce 1.49
1 bag cooking spinach 2.69
1 bunch of green onion .99
Total cost for this prep 42.72 

The Yield 

 Black bean corn and Peas mix - 13 meals
 Green Beans and Mushroom mix - 7 meals
 Chicken Breast - 15 Meals
 Steak - 5 Meals
 Pasta - 7 meals
 Red Potatoes - 7 Meals (used about 6 potatoes) will get exact count next week
 Rice, Spinach, and Garlic Mixture - 6 Meals (I cooked 4 cups of uncooked rice)

The leftovers
These are the items that we are "Up" next week, which means that we do not have to prep this they will be frozen and eaten first in next weeks prep.

Chicken Breast - 21 oz 7 meals
Steak - 3 oz 1 meal
Rice - 5 cups 5 meals 
THIS MEANS THAT NEXT WEEK I HAVE 8 PROTEINS THAT I DO NOT NEED TO BUY AND 5 CUPS OF RICE ALREADY MADE.

 For the chicken I cook it in a pan to cook the out side and then transfer it into a larger pan and bake the rest o the chicken, it gives me a really moist and juicy chicken even after microwaving. I use the same process for cooking steak. (Important* IF you like you like your steak med well you are going to want to undercook it just a bit to accommodate for the microwaving)

The potatoes are simply cut up and tossed in grape seed oil seasoned with salt and pepper and baked for 45 min.

The Black Bean Corn and peas mixture is just mixed in a large bowl. (Important* Drain black beans in a strainer and run cold water over them to get the extra black juice off of them to prevent the rest of the mixture from turning a nasty dark color).

Green Beans and Mushrooms Simply need to be mixed as well, no cooking is needed because the veggies are fully cooked and will thaw in the fridge. They will be perfect when heated in the microwave.

My favorite rice mixture. You will need to cook your rice ahead of time and let it sit out to get firm and dry out a bit (You don't want it to be wet). Once the rice has set out for a while you get a big pan (preferably a WOK because they are effing awesome) put some grape seed oil in the pan and once it is hot fry the rice a little in the pan. While frying add minced garlic and season with Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning and add a little salt. After that, just add the uncooked spinach in and mix it until it wilts. Once the spinach is wilted remove from pan and let cool off.

The pasta, just needs to be boiled, after it is done being boiled add your sauce and let it sit aside and cool. (You can use white or red sauce this is your preference)

USE A SCALE IF YOU HAVE ONE (Can be bought for around 20 bucks at Meijer) it helps get accurate amounts of food and helps you eliminate food waste and have better portion control.

This is what the end result will look like. If you have any leftovers they can be frozen until you use them next time, just make sure you don't refreeze them. USE THEM FIRST IN THE NEXT PREP WEEK.  

If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments. Im getting used to this blog thing. I can use your help and your questions to make my post better to my followers :)

Good day, Be Fit, and see ya next sunday!

Javon