Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

As I sit at my kitchen island, finishing up my 93% lean turkey burger with skim swiss, sugar free ketchup, and mustard on top, I think how how long it took to get me here.

I used to be a snacker. A stand-in-front-of-the-pantry-or-fridge snacker. While trying to figure out what the heck I wanted to eat, I would eat chips, pretzels, pieces of cheese, fruit, cheez-its. Whatever I could get my fingers on while I perused the cabinets.

WELL, THAT'S NOT GOOD. Empty Calories 101 right there for you. I got away from this by planning out my meals, knowing what I needed to make and how much and when. This changed EVERYTHING for me. I wouldn't stand in the kitchen for a half-hour snacking and come to the conclusion I'll just make a sandwich (even though I am the BEST sandwich maker, ever). I started to PLAN meals and PREPARE meals in ADVANCE. Fancy, eh?

Sure, it's intimidating at first. When you're really freaking hangry (hungry-angry) you just want to eat RIGHT THEN AND THERE. Sometimes you can, sometimes you end up tearing apart a pantry full of goldfish before you settle for a PB&J. Alsp, meal prep doesn't have to be super boring. I am SO anti-chicken and rice in tupperware. So Bro and so not tasty.You can prep meals and enjoy them, it's true (cough, turkey burger).

SO, to change my snacking til I could explode like a bird eating rice, I decided to start planning healthy meals and things that could easily be refrigerated and reheated. Don't get me wrong, I still snack, just not as much while I'm trying to decide what to eat. I can still put down a container of hummus and pita chip, no prob.

Start with the basics, a protein with every meal...
- Turkey burger
- Turkey meatballs
- Chicken boobies
- Chicken salad (Made with Greek yogurt = PROTEIN PARTY)
- Lean Turkey deli meat
- Chicken deli meat
(to name a few)

Then your carbs...
- Sweet potatoes
- Sweet potato fries
- quinoa salad (Mediterranean or southwestern are DELISH)
- Low carb wrap
- Ezekiel bread
- Quinoa pasta or Barilla protein plus pasta

THE COMBINATIONS ARE ENDLESS. AND SO DELICIOUS.

Seriously if you enjoy chicken and rice, go for it. But I'd prefer not to eat like a peasant. These combinations are so easy to eat cold or reheated. Turkey meatballs and healthy pasta noodles with a organic mariana sauce are to die for. Low carb wraps make an easy lunch on the go, and quinoa salads make quinoa not so boring!

It's all about preparing. You can easily knock out 3-7 prepared meals in less than an hour. Do your research (WHEN YOU'RE NOT HUNGRY) and prepare your meals! So when you come home and are STARVING TO DEATH, you don't eat 500+ empty calories. This is coming from experience, let me tell you, it works wonders. Save the fun recipes for when you're not about to chew off your arm or knock out a whole bag of grapes.

Go for lean proteins, back them up with some carbs, and lastly, fats. Don't go crazy and follow proportion sizes and amounts. Your body will thank you. So, you're welcome.


- Sarah