Tag: beginner meal prep tips

Fitness Tips

How To Master The Nutritional Content Of Your Own Recipes 

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As you dive into the world of meal prep take your own favorite bulk recipes including soups, stews, and baked goods and find out the nutritional content with the easy steps outlined below.

First, grab a notebook and keep it handy with a pen in your kitchen. 

Next, weigh out each ingredient you are using in your total recipe and jot that down. 

Then, decide the number of servings you want that recipe to be.

Divide each of the ingredients by the number of servings you have chosen. 

Those numbers and ingredients are what you will track in your food tracking app or log book. 

To figure out your portion of the prepared mixed meal to eat, weigh out the total cooked weight of what you made and jot that number down too. 

Divide that number by the number of servings. 

This is how much you portion to eat.

Make sense? 

It does take more effort up front, but the results from having accuracy in your portions and how much you are eating more then makes up for the effort. It also gets easier with practice. 

Some nutrition coaching apps like Carbon Diet Coach have a recipe function. You input all the ingredients and then add in the prepared weight of the food and voila. Pick any portion and it does the macro calculations for each unique serving for you. This is what I do.  I’ve been using Carbon since it launched in 2020!  I highly recommend. 

Find more meal prep tips, ideas, recipes and more in my e cookbooks.  This info comes directly from The Art Of Meal Prep For Sustainable Living Volume 2.  Click below for details.

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Fit Recipes!

Free Recipe: Coconut Curry Crockpot Chicken

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Only a few ingredients and super short prep time means you could easily put this in the crockpot in the morning and it will be ready come dinner time.

Serve over rice with a side of steamed vegetables for a complete meal.

You can also make this into a hearty and tasty soup by adding a serving of this chicken to a serving of cooked rice and some frozen vegetables along with 1 cup of water. Viola, soup!

One quick tip for those of you wanting to shred body fat: Eat more soup!  The volume goes a long way to keep hunger at bay.  

Serves 6

Per serving

235 calories

24.7g protein

6g carbohydrate

11.5g fat

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

  • 672g frozen boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3 large breasts) 
  • 406ml coconut milk (1 can) 
  • 200g sliced onion 
  • 2 tbsp curry powder 
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
  • 2 tsp ground pink Himalayan salt 

DIRECTIONS

Add all of the ingredients to a crockpot and cook on high for about 4-5 hours or until the chicken is cooked through and can be easily shredded with 2 forks.

Using 2 forks shred the chicken and stir so the chicken can absorb all the tasty coconut curry juices it cooked in. Allow to cool a bit before storing. Keeps for 4-5 days in the refrigerator for fast lunches or dinners all week long. Or freeze portion for future meals.  

Need some more fun and delicious recipes to help you reach your goals? My e- cookbooks are available! Click below for details. 

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

This Coconut Curry Crockpot Chicken bulk meal prep recipe is in Volume 1 as well as many more yummy and versatile quick prep, bulk prep, and sweets and snacks prep recipes.

Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Fit Recipes!, Fitness Tips

Great On The Go High Protein Meal Ideas

melaniewalessustainableliving

We should get at least 30g of high quality protein in each of our meals even when we are on the go.  Next are 3 high protein meal ideas that are great options even on the busiest of days to help you reach your protein goals and help you stick to your daily nutritional goals.  

This post is inspired by my recent family medical emergency and are the exact meals I used to keep my highly stressed and sleep deprived brain and body functional as I cared for my daughter during her hospital stay.  (Update: She is now fully recovered!!!)

  1. Pack 2 scoops of protein powder and an apple or banana.  Simply mix the protein powder in water, a coffee, or other preferred beverage while out and about.  Add in a whole piece of fruit for convenience, fiber, and increased satiety.  Very quick and easy to pack when you are rushing out the door.  
  2. Make a “yummy bowl.”  This yogurt and fruit bowl is my favorite on the go option!  (In my 2nd cookbook I call it the Overnight Dessert Recovery Bowl because I generally make it for my evening dessert) For ease at my house, I refer to it as my “yummy bowl”.  It’s super easy to make and bring in a cooler. See below for a screen shot of the full recipe direct from my e cookbook.   
  3. Buy the best high protein options you can find.  Sometimes we don’t have time to pack or an emergency occurs and there is no other choice.  Read labels and opt for prepared foods that are high in protein and lower in fat such as greek yogurt, a turkey sandwich wrap, and Fair Life Core Power high protein milk.  Add in a piece of whole fruit for more low calorie volume and satiety instead of opting for a side of chips or a cookie.  

You have choices.  Eating like crap never helps you feel better.  

Whatever the day brings you can make the choice that aligns you with your long term goals and helps you feel your best.

Prioritize your health and well being and let the excuse of being “too busy” go.

Getting and staying fit is always worth the effort.  

Screenshot from my E Cookbook “The Art Of Meal Prep For Sustainable Living Volume 2”

Need some more fun and delicious recipes to help you reach your goals? My e- cookbooks are available! Click below for details. 

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

Find the Overnight Dessert Recovery Bowl in Volume 2 as well as many more delicious and macro friendly recipes for bulk prep, quick prep, sweets and snacks prep and so much more.

Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Fitness Tips

Easy Fit Family Meal: Same Meal Prep 3 Different Meals

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Here I share a real world example of how my family of 3 created an easy fit family meal using the same meal prepped foods (chicken, potatoes, hard boiled eggs and salad dressings, along with fresh salad veggies, spices and condiments) and created 3 different meals by making small adjustments to accommodate our own unique goals, taste preferences, and portion needs.

Do you ever feel like because the members of your household do not have the same fitness goals as you that you struggle to stay consistent with your own nutritional goals?

Or that you have to cook an entirely separate meal for yourself which can be time consuming and exhausting? 

It’s okay and completely normal to have different goals, taste preferences, and portion needs as the other members of your household.  You can still eat well without additional time and hassle and reach your fitness goals by making small adjustments.  

These meals are also pictured above.

Meal Option 1:  Roasted chicken and potatoes seasoned with sugar free BBQ sauce, mustard, hot sauce, and spices without added oils.  Big salad with light ranch dressing and a whole hard boiled egg.

Meal Option 2:  Olive oil roasted chicken and potatoes seasoned with regular BBQ sauce and spices and a mayo dipping sauce on the side.  Small salad with vinegar and olive oil dressing and a hard boiled egg yolk.

Meal Option 3: Chicken and cheese quesadilla w/ ketchup.  Sliced veggies and light ranch dressing.  Hard boiled egg white with mustard.  Olive oil roasted potatoes lightly seasoned.

Need loads of fun and delicious recipes perfect for meal prep to help you reach your goals? My e- cookbooks are available! Click below for details. 

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

Find me on Instagram for more recipes, fitness tips, and meal ideas.

www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving