Meal Prep

Three weeks ago, I started a diet based on the book, The Mood Cure. The very basic premise is that many processed foods that we eat are causing hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances in our bodies that lead to things like anxiety, depression, low energy, etc. We're not just talking hanger anymore, people. Dips and spikes in blood sugar, inflammation, low stores of serotonin - this is all going on under the surface when we say yes to that second doughnut. Now, if this were just about losing weight or being intangibly healthier, I wouldn't do it. But the fact is, eating by following the rules in this book has given me energy that I haven't seen in years and is effectively managing those moods that seem to come from nowhere. My baseline is happier. It doesn't take away life's stress, but it does help me deal with it better.

Now, as soon as I noticed a difference with this diet, I immediately worried that I wouldn't be able to keep it up. Not because I thought I would cheat, but because there is a fair amount of preparation that goes into following it without traditional breads and pastas, and with the addition of lots of protein. Coming from years of a more vegetarian diet, I'm not used to preparing food or eating in that way. So I wondered...

Could I keep up all this prep? Would it make financial sense? Would it work when the school year started again?

I'm going through this post to try to answer those questions, but mostly to outline things so that my husband can do meal prep without me yelling directions from the living room. You're all welcome. Especially my neighbors. Also, making lists soothe me.

Step 1: Decide on the menu of options for the week.
What will your main proteins be? How will you get your greens? How will you do quick breakfasts and lunches for work days?

Breakfast options:
eggs and corn tortillas (optional onions, salsa, cheese)
cottage cheese and fresh fruit
cottage cheese pancakes and fresh fruit
smoothies and gluten-free toast
previous weeks: oven pancake with fruit, greek yogurt and fruit

Lunch options:
jar salads
smoothies
zoodles
cottage cheese with fruit

Dinner options:
chickpea breaded chicken tenders with broccoli and potatoes
marinated chicken tenders with green beans and potatoes
zoodles and frozen tilapia fillets
jar salads
previous weeks: polenta with marinara and ratatouille, sauteed greens with balsamic, mexican chicken with rice and beans

Snacks:
cream cheese with chopped black olives for jalapeno poppers and turkey roll ups
popcorn
brownies http://www.bitesforfoodies.com/recipes/healthy-date-brownies/
fresh fruit
popcorn chips

Step 2: Grocery shopping for the best prices and produce.

eggs (lots of them): Millport road farm stands ($1.50/carton)
organic produce and meats: Aldi, Weis, farm stands
canned goods, produce, bulk baking needs,nuts, frozen fruit: Sharp Shopper (frozen fruit $1/bag)
hard to find bulk ingredients: Miller's Natural Foods

For this week, I was also stocking up and getting ingredients that would last for a while, so it was a little more than it would normally be.

Millport road: 3 cartons of eggs
$4.50
Sharp Shopper: produce, chicken, dairy, fruit
$70
Martin's: unusual baking ingredients and jalapenos
$20

Step 3: Preppin'


No, not that kind.

So shortly after getting home from shopping, don't even bother putting most things away. Just dairy, meat, and frozen stuff mostly.

1. Start smoothies. Peel and cut up bananas, put on silicone mats, and put in standing freezer for about 2 hours. If there are already frozen bananas, you can skip this step. Depending on how large your slices are, about 2 big bunches fit on 2 silicone mats. Get a big ole trash bowl going for all of your scraps.

2. Move on to snack and salad prep.
Cut up a whole can of black olives and a whole block of cream cheese. Mash together with a fork. Stuff jalapenos and top with chickpea crumbs. Put in container to be ready to bake.

Pull out the quart size mason jars (enough for eat least work and school day lunches). The book has a chart of options and amounts to put in, but here's the basic rundown for this week. Put a mixture of proteins (feta, beans, chickpeas, walnuts, etc.) in the bottom that equals about a cup.

 Chop up carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc., mix it all up, and put a cup in each jar.

Put a half cup of broccoli, cauliflower, etc. in each. Top with roughly 2 cups of romaine and/or spinach or other greens. Prep small containers of dressing if desired. 

                                    They fit neatly in a drawer. Satisfying.

3. Get the dinner veggies and proteins going. Zoodles can be put away raw to be sauteed later.

I used 2 packages of chicken tenders to do chicken two ways (both sauteed, but can bake). One big bag of green beans (steamed and covered with lemon juice, butter, salt, and pepper). Leftover broccoli from salads done in the same way as the green beans. Sliced up red potatoes, boiled, then seasoned with butter, salt, and pepper. Could also saute with butter and rosemary. Can also use rice or polenta, corn or peas as a starch. Divide up into prep containers and put some in the fridge and some in the freezer.

4. Back to the smoothies. 

Get pint sized mason jars out (at least enough for work day mornings). I used nine here. Put about 8 slices of banana in each (this equals about one small banana). Put about a half cup of other frozen fruit in. Nine jars used about 1.5 bags of fruit. Put in a small handful of spinach. Do powders: scoop of protein, 1 t. nutritional yeast, 1 T. ground flax. Use white plastic lids and put in freezer.

5. If you are baking, now's the time! When I prepped this week, I also made dry mixes of the bread and brownies to have on hand so it would be faster next time. Takeaway from this week - just buy the GF bread. It's too hard and takes too long to make. Always make the brownies. Delicious.

Excluding baking, the bulk of this, from bringing the groceries in the door to finishing prep (without cleanup) was about 3 hours. While that may seem like a lot, consider the time it actually saves through the week as a whole. Also, making all of these meals while the produce is still fresh and you still remember what you wanted to do with it...yeah. So all in all, I think writing this post will help me keep up the diet since I now have an easy, personalized reference, and more importantly, so does my husband :)