Friday, March 22, 2013

HEALTHY HABITS: MEAL PREPPING!

Meal Prepping
The motto "prep once, eat healthy all week" explains the importance of meal prepping! Eating healthy all the time doesn't have to be a chore. The key is preparation, especially at the beginning of the week. By taking an hour out of one day to prepare some healthy meals will leave you with something wholesome to eat throughout the week and stop you from making bad food choices.

Who should meal prep?
This is perfect is you have a busy lifestyle and usually rely on take away or quick microwave meals because not only does meal prepping provide you with much more nutrition (depending on what you make I suppose) but it's also super quick and is only going to take one hour out of your week! 

Why should we meal prep?
I like to do this for uni because food on campus is really expensive and not very healthy, plus you never know what is actually in take away foods so it's safer, healthier and more affordable to meal prep instead. I only prepare meals for the four days that I have uni because other times, I am usually at home and able to make healthy options. 

When should we meal prep?
Pick one day to cook! Choose a quiet afternoon or evening to prepare a large meal that will feed you for a couple of days, or even the whole week. I like to do my meal prepping on Sunday afternoons/nights so that the food is as fresh as possible for the next four days that I have uni. 

How much food should we make?
For the purpose of this recipe, I am writing enough ingredients for five days because I know that a lot of you readers probably go to work or even uni for the usual five days a week. Of course, just tailor this recipe to your amounts and needs.


Delicious Chicken and Vegetables Recipe
Ingredients:
5x Chicken Breast
500grams of Mixed Vegetables 
3x Onions
1/4 Pumpkin
Oil (I use coconut oil)

Method:
Step #1- Cut up the onion into slices and the pumpkin into thin squares then place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Pop them in the oven for about 30 minutes on 280 degrees. 
Step #2- Add your mixed vegetables to a steamer and leave to steam for about 20 minutes on low heat.
Step #3- Heat a pan with coconut oil in it and then put in your chicken breasts, cooking on each side for about 7 minutes on low heat. 
Step #4- After all of your different foods have finished cooking, evenly distribute them among your containers and pack some in the fridge and others in the freezer (to keep them fresher).
I hope this recipe was educational and helpful! Please let me know if any of you start meal prepping and how you're liking it as well as if you already meal prep and what you think about it!  

Do you keep the meals int he fridge or freezer?
I keep half in the fridge and the other half in the freezer (just so that by the end of the week, the food is still fresh).

How long do you heat the meals up for?
If it's just coming out of the fridge, probably only 2 minutes in the microwave but if it's coming out of the freezer 2 minutes on defrost and 2 more minutes on the normal setting.
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