Meal prepping & planning! Everyone knows that what you're putting into your body is more than half the battle.
I make a grocery list then grocery shop & meal prep every Sunday for the whole week. I have been meal prepping for 2 years or so now, and only prep my breakfast & lunch to eat at work- it makes life so much easier! Planning your meals makes grocery shopping a whole lot simpler/quicker and also saves money and TONS of time. Not to mention it helps keep you in check with your eating habits in your healthy lifestyle.
Dinner-wise, I've never really prepped nor planned too specifically unless I was craving something. I had moved out of my parents' house and in with my fiancé [at the time] about the same time I started meal prepping we had a roommate up until we got married last summer so dinner was always "whatever." Even now- or until recently- as my husband & without us having a roommate, dinner hadn't been planned to a T because, well...I had to make sure I made a dinner my husband (who never paid too much attention or time on his diet) would like. I wouldn't exactly call him picky but he's a bit close-minded when it comes to that, lol. We'd always get general stuff while grocery shopping- chicken, ground beef, hamburger helper, frozen chicken tenders, mac & cheese, hot dogs, etc. and we'd just eat whatever was the easiest to put together/fit our schedules. For Christmas, he DID get me a Vegetti Pro and has been open to random "zoodle" dishes I've made, so I'll give him that ;-)
ANYWAY. Back on topic. As mentioned in my intro post, I'd started doing the 21 day fix extreme again- meal plan included. Wasn't long after I'd started it this go-round that my husband decided to hop on the scale & furthermore decided it was time to get back in the gym every once in awhile and pay more attention to his eating habits. He'd also quit smoking around this time which probably contributed to a little bit of weight gain...but we'll keep that observation hushed. He's "quit" smoking multiple times in the past but would still use his vape- but this time he decided to quit nicotine completely, cold turkey. He'd been meal prepping his lunch for awhile- the actual food being good choices but he didn't know- or decided not to comprehend- that there's more behind it than just the content. Everybody is different and has different calculations of what we call MACROs (macronutrient)- portions of carbs/protein/fats that we're supposed to put in our body for optimal health and weight loss/fat loss/muscle gain or whatever you're trying to accomplish. He didn't go by macros, he just bought what was supposed to be healthy food, cooked it & separated it into 5 containers in an amount that looked good to him (looked like "enough"/would fill him up). When he started seeing that this wasn't exactly working & that what I was doing for myself WAS working really well, he finally decided to let me take over his meal prep- he let me portion him out based on the 21dfx calculations individualized to him. I was SO excited he's finally letting me help him! It's so important to trust the process.
If you want a fool-proof sustainable meal plan without having to worry whether or not you'll stay satisfied or full, you can check out different 21df options here- including the original basic 21 day fix, as well as the 21 day fix extreme (which I use). If you're interested in a challenge group I have starting the 6th, you can check out the 21df challenge pack (which includes Shakeology) or the 21dfx (x=extreme) challenge pack with Shakeo within the link above & email me for details if you might be interested in joining!
I also decided to take meal planning to the next level and start making a weekly dinner menu! Now, I wouldn't be prepping dinner like I do with lunch but I would plan each night's meal, incorporate that into the grocery list, then stick to the plan for dinner. Again, it makes grocery shopping and life after coming home from work so much simpler.
So get this. One of my husband's favorite dinners is chicken or shrimp alfredo. I already know I can use zoodles in place of fettuccine for this..but I recently came across a recipe for 21DF-approved alfredo sauce! What?! Perfect timing with dinner planning & trying to get my husband on board. I'm so excited to try this tonight!
21 day fix alfredo sauce:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
3/4c plain yogurt (I'm using plain Greek yogurt for added health benefits)
1/3c parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
For those who are familiar with/already use 21df, the container portions for the sauce are 1 red, 1 blue, & 1/2 an orange container(s).
I'll keep y'all updated with how it turns out/if it's hubby-approved!
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