With holiday parties and gatherings quickly approaching, most of us are now thinking about looking our best while dressed in our finest. Too bad that losing body fat is a slow and steady process, rather than an instantaneous fix.

So NO SUGAR at all, crank up the intensity of your workouts to a whole new level. Most people take exercise on with the slow and steady mentality – moving, pushing and pulling as little as possible while still “getting the job done”. I’ve got some news for you…if you still have belly fat to lose then the job wasn’t getting done. and most IMPORTANT: PREP Your Meal. I can teach you how to exercise correct and get to the level where you can put some intensity in your workouts, keep you accountable and help you getting you nutrition in line.
Meal prep can be an invaluable tool as you strive to eat healthy foods on a consistent basis. Today, we want to show you how preparing even a few healthy meal staples can help you save time throughout the week!

Protein

Let’s start with some protein options. Protein is a key part of the Better Body System and a healthy lifestyle as a whole, so it’s important to make it a priority in each and every meal.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re planning to eat baked chicken for three nights. If you cook it each night, that’s at least twenty minutes of cooking time. But if you cook it all at the beginning of the week, it’ll take the same amount of time, but you only have to do it once!

Another great option for chicken? Using a slow-cooker! You can put chicken in a slow-cooker with a little salt and pepper, set it to low, and leave it for eight hours. Then all you have to do is shred it, and you have a delicious portion of protein ready to go for a few meals without having to spend much time cooking. And because chicken is so versatile, you can enjoy it a few different ways so you don’t get bored. You could make tacos one night, barbecue chicken another night, and put it in a wrap with some avocado another night. That’s three unique meals that take just a couple of minutes to prepare!

There are also a lot of quick options that will make a great protein snack during the week. You can hard-boil a bunch of eggs ahead of time, and they’ll last about a week in the fridge. Scrambled egg muffins take about half an hour to cook, and then you can just warm them up when you need a quick snack:

Ingredients
  • 10 large eggs
  • 1 cup chopped bell peppers
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup cooked crumbled breakfast sausage or diced ham
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a non-stick muffin tin with cooking spray.
  2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the meat and spinach and cook an additional 2 minutes. Place 1 heaping tablespoon into each muffin cup.
  3. Next, whisk the eggs into a medium size bowl. Stir in the salt and pepper. Then pour over the meat mixture in the muffin tin, leaving 1/4″ from the top.
  4. Cook for 23 to 30 minutes, or until the egg has puffed and comes clean with a toothpick.
  5. Run a knife around the edges to pop the egg muffins out.
  6. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Microwave to reheat. Eat within 5 days for an easy breakfast or protein snack.

Remember, anything you do ahead of time will make it easier to stay healthy when you’re busy!

Vegetables

If you know that you’ll need cut-up vegetables for a few meals during the week, doing that prep work ahead of time can make a big difference.

Raw vegetables are obviously easy to prepare because they don’t require cooking time, but you’ll be surprised how much more likely you are to eat them when you don’t even have to wash and cut them. Celery and carrots are great examples. If you’ve already peeled your carrots and cut your celery into smaller pieces on your meal prep day, you’ll find it easier to eat them when you’re busy because you don’t have to do much work.

You can also cook vegetables ahead of time. Roasting vegetables like sweet potatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, squash, eggplant, and asparagus ahead of time will save you the twenty to thirty minutes of cooking time each night, and they’ll last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. That means a quick reheat is all that you’ll need for a healthy and delicious serving of vegetables during the week!

We hope you’ll use meal prep as a way to save time and maintain a healthy lifestyle. For more tips for transforming the way you eat, subscribe to my blog and check out our Facebook Pages:
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