Happy Monday, everyone! It is the first Monday of February, and I just spent most of my weekend getting serious with food prep to keep me on track with Trim Healthy Mama. In this post, I will share with you what I did.
First, a side story. I realized that I have lost my appetite lately. At first, I thought I was just being lazy. Then, I started "forgetting" to eat breakfast. A couple of weeks after that, I noticed I was having to force myself to eat anything for lunch even. I was skipping snacks, and by dinner time I was finally hungry, just not ravished. Being on THM plus being a Type 2 Diabetic, I knew I had to do something before my blood sugar numbers started the roller coaster.
Every 3 Hours
Timing is everything! Part of the THM plan is making sure you eat every 3 hours. Going any longer than 4 hours can tank your metabolism, and going less than 2.5 hours can lead to fuel stacking. This means you are taking in more fuel before your body has had time to fully process the fuel from the last time you ate. During the last month, my timing has really fallen apart. Skipping meals and snacks will do that! And I know that at least part of my loss of appetite has to do with the fact that I've messed up my metabolism a little.
Food Prep is Key
And of course, when my appetite is gone, I have no desire to spend time preparing food that's just for me! For breakfast, lunch, and snacks in our home, you're pretty much on your own as far as figuring out what to eat. Which explains why those were the meals I either chose to skip, or grab some not-so-optimal food. I didn't go off plan, but I grabbed what was quick and easy. Usually sandwich meats, cheese, nuts, etc. Doing that too often without lots of veggies...it's just no good.
Then I saw that someone had posted a video from Lindsey Murphy about how No One is Going to Do This For You. That's when I realized, I had just completely fallen off of all food prepping! I needed to get back to that. If I had healthier, more optimal foods available to just grab when I needed to eat, even if I wasn't hungry, I would eat it!
So, I made a list and dedicated my weekend to food prep. It was work and it took time. But you know what? I'm not stressing about not wanting to eat anymore and what that's doing to my blood sugar. My appetite's not fully back yet, but I had breakfast this morning! I grabbed a couple of THM muffins out of the fridge to have with my coffee. Didn't even heat them up. Easy peasy! With the food in my fridge and freezer now, I have ZERO EXCUSE to not eat something healthy when I need to eat.
What I Made
Veggies:
-Salad greens: I buy the tubs of Spring Mix from either Aldi or Costco. In order to make them last longer, I divide them into gallon-size zippy bags and stick a paper towel in each one to absorb the moisture.
-Carrots: I peeled the carrots in my fridge and cut them into sticks. These can be eaten as a snack with a THM-friendly ranch dressing.
-Celery: I trimmed them up and cut them into sticks. These can be eaten as a snack with all-natural peanut or almond butter, or cream cheese. I also can cut them down further to be used in Waldorf Cottage Cheese Salad (THM Cookbook page 190).
English cucumbers: I had a couple of these in my fridge that I sliced into half-moons. These can be used in salad, or eaten as a snack with a THM-friendly ranch dressing.
-Broccoli: I found some broccoli in the freezer and steamed it up, adding butter, salt, and pepper. Now I have some in the fridge when I need a cooked veggie to go with lunch.
Protein:
-Boiled eggs: I made 14 boiled eggs in my Instant Pot, peeled them and put them in a container in the fridge. These can be breakfast on a busy morning, a snack, or cut up into a lunch salad.
-Chicken breasts: Next, I threw some frozen chicken breasts into my Instant Pot with a little seasoning and chicken broth. When they were done, I shredded them and put them in the fridge. This can be used in lunch salads or any recipe that needs pre-cooked chicken. I'm planning on using some of this for Lazy Chicken Lasagna tonight (THT Cookbook page 124). This can also be used as a quick protein for a snack.
-Meatballs: I made up a big batch of Marvelous Make-Ahead Meatballs from the THT Cookbook page 208. This made 3 dinners worth of meatballs, plus a few extras for quick protein snacks in the fridge.
Breakfast:
-Glosted Raspberry Muffins from the THM Cookbook page 285. I have a batch of these in my fridge that I can alternate with eggs for breakfasts for the week.
Snacks & Desserts:
-Skinny Chocolate from the THM Cookbook page 377.
-Gluccie Pudding from the Original THM Book. This is pudding made with glucomannan. I made 2 chocolate and 2 lemon. This is really good for me to eat as a snack at night to help with my morning blood sugar numbers.
-Double Peanut Fudge Swirl Brownies from the THM Cookbook page 315. This will ensure I have a chocolatey treat for a few nights after dinner.
All Ready!
That's it! It was a lot of time and a lot of work. But, it saves stress for the rest of the week. I plan on making food prep a regular thing in this house again. I know once I get into the swing of it, I will be able to streamline it more. Four days in a row now, I ate 3 meals + 1 snack per day, keeping up with good timing. I am feeling better already!
I hope this post was helpful and has encouraged you to take a look into food prep for whatever eating plan you follow! Let me know in the comments if you already have a regular food prep schedule and how you work it. Have a great week, everyone!
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