Meal Prepping

Sunday Meal Preparation Steps

1. Purchase plastic containers. Buy some for the main meals (the ones with dividers are great), some smaller containers for snacks, and little cup size containers for sauces and dressings. *SAM’s has a 62 count of Tupperware for only $18!! If you are serious about meal prepping, I recommend looking into purchasing this set!*

2. Write out your grocery list. See a sample grocery list below the each weekly meal plan.

3. Purchase grocery items.

4. Don’t forget the olive oil! When cooking with oil, use olive oil. It is important that your diet includes a little fat, and olive oil contains good, heart healthy fats (monounsaturated fats).

5. Get ready to cook!

6. Once all of your meals are cooked and portioned into containers, make some sticky notes labeled Monday, Tuesday, etc. and stack your meals accordingly.

Meal Prep Plan Week 1

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	2 slices whole wheat toast w/ thin spread of almond butter, Greek yogurt w/ a little granola, & a strawberry banana smoothie w/ almond milk and protein powder	2 slices whole wheat toast w/ thin spread of almond butter, Greek yogurt w/ a little granola, & a strawberry banana smoothie w/ almond milk and protein powder	2 slices whole wheat toast w/ thin spread of almond butter, Greek yogurt w/ a little granola, & a strawberry banana smoothie w/ almond milk and protein powder	2 slices whole wheat toast w/ thin spread of almond butter, Greek yogurt w/ a little granola, & a strawberry banana smoothie w/ almond milk and protein powder	2 slices whole wheat toast w/ thin spread of almond butter, Greek yogurt w/ a little granola, & a strawberry banana smoothie w/ almond milk and protein powder
Snack 1	10 Pretzels and 1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter	8 Baby Carrots and 1 chopped Celery Stalk	½ cup hummus & pita bread	10 Pretzels and 1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter	8 Baby Carrots and 1 chopped Celery Stalk
Lunch	Ground turkey, quinoa or brown rice, steamed green beans, & ½ cup black beans*Season meat w/ Mrs. Dash & add small amount of Siracha sauce if desired	Strawberry Spinach Salad w/ blueberries & crumbled feta cheese*Add small amount of low fat raspberry vinaigrette dressing*Top with tuna or grilled chicken	6 oz. Salmon, ½ cup steamed broccoli	Strawberry Spinach Salad w/ blueberries & crumbled feta cheese*Add small amount of low fat raspberry vinaigrette dressing*Top with tuna or grilled chicken	Tuna: 1 pkg. chunk light tuna in water, 1 Tbsp light mayo, whole grain crackers
Snack 2	½ cup Almonds & ½ cup Blueberries	1 Apple & String Cheese	5 Strawberries & 1 Orange	¼ cup Almonds & ¼ cup blueberries	1 Apple & String Cheese
Dinner	Whole wheat penne pasta, no salt added tomato sauce w/ 3 oz. grilled chicken or shrimp, & ½ cup  steamed broccoli	6 oz. Grilled chicken, quinoa or brown rice, steamed mixed veggies.	Ground turkey, quinoa or brown rice, steamed green beans, & ½ cup black beans*Season meat w/ Mrs. Dash & add small amount of Siracha sauce if desired	Whole wheat penne pasta, no salt added tomato sauce w/ 3 oz. grilled chicken or shrimp, & ½ cup  broccoli	Ground turkey, quinoa or brown rice, steamed green beans, & ½ cup black beans*Season meat w/ Mrs. Dash & add small amount of Siracha sauce if desired

Grocery List

Strawberries	1 Onion and 1 Green Bell Pepper	Bag of Frozen Shrimp	Almond Milk	Olive Oil
Oranges	100% Whole Wheat Bread	Bag of Frozen Chicken Breast	Greek Yogurt cups	Light Mayo with Olive Oil (half the fat & calories of regular mayo)
Blueberries	Quinoa or Brown Rice	1 lb ground turkey (comes in a tube-shaped wrapping)	Container of Crumbled Feta Cheese	Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Blackberries	Whole Wheat Pasta	Container of Almonds (non-salted)	Bag of String Cheese (individually wrapped)	Frozen Mixed Vegetables
Fresh Broccoli bunch	Pita Chips or Pita Bread	Jar of Peanut Butter (one w/ less sugar)	Hummus	Frozen and Sliced Strawberries and Bananas
A bag of spinach or baby spinach	Bag of Pretzels	Jar of Almond Butter	No salt added tomato sauce or your favorite type of pasta sauce	Frozen Green Beans
A bag of baby carrots	Granola	Cans of Black Beans (some cans have spices and has more flavor)	Mrs. Dash Seasoning (No-Salt Seasoning)	Whey Protein Powder (good to add to smoothies before & after workouts)
Fresh Celery	Whole Grain Crackers	Tuna Packets (tuna in water not vegetable oil)	Siracha Sauce

 

Cooking Tips for Week 1

Typically for one week I cook the following:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 cup quinoa
• ½ lb pasta
• A whole bunch of green beans
• Half a bunch of broccoli
• Heat up 1 can of black beans
• 3 chicken breasts

*I would prepare all of this food and portion it all out into your containers first before preparing the other meals because you may have enough food for more than the days I have listed on the meal plan. Therefore, meals like the spinach salad and tuna with crackers may not be necessary. It is up to you!

• For breakfast, I prepare the toast and smoothies in the morning. In my smoothie, I fill up my magic bullet with around ½ -1 cup of mixed frozen strawberries and bananas. Then I pour around 1½ cups of almond milk. I pour ¼ water in as well and then a scoop of whey protein powder.

• To add more flavor to the ground turkey, try adding sautéed green peppers and onions. Sautee them in olive oil then mix it in with the ground turkey while cooking.

• Siracha sauce is one way I add flavor to my food. However, be aware that Siracha sauce contains quite a bit of sodium. 1 tsp= 100mg of sodium. The daily recommended intake of sodium according to the American Heart Association is 1500mg per day.

• Season your chicken and tuna with Mrs. Dash seasoning (there are tons of different seasonings). Mrs. Dash is a non-salt seasoning but still adds great flavor to food. Using Mrs. Dash instead of regular salt seasoning will reduce your sodium intake to maintain good heart health and reduce your risk for heart disease.

• For the snacks, I don’t have exact measurements but I would not portion out more than two handfuls of each snack.

 

 Meal Prep Plan Week 2

 

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	Breakfast Bowl: 2 scrambled eggs mixed with sautéed onions, green peppers, diced turkey sausage, 2% shredded cheddar cheese, and a side of Three’s Salsa	1 toasted whole wheat bagel w/ low-fat cream cheese or almond butter, Greek Yogurt w/ granola, Jacklyn’s Delight Smoothie	Breakfast Bowl: 2 scrambled eggs mixed with sautéed onions, green peppers, diced turkey sausage, 2% shredded cheddar cheese, and a side of Three’s Salsa	1 toasted whole wheat bagel w/ low-fat cream cheese or almond butter, Greek Yogurt w/ granola, Jacklyn’s Delight Smoothie	Breakfast Bowl: 2 scrambled eggs mixed with sautéed onions, green peppers, diced turkey sausage, 2% shredded cheddar cheese, and a side of Three’s Salsa
Snack 1	Kale Chips	1 Grapefruit or Orange and String Cheese	6 Cheese cubes & 6 whole-grain crackers	Slices of cucumber w/ lemon juice & baby carrots	3 dark chocolate bite size pieces and a handful of almonds
Lunch	Kale or baby spinach, topped with dried cranberries, feta cheese, and non-salted cashews. Add tuna or diced chicken breast and lite raspberry vinaigrette dressing.	1 piece of tilapia, 6 pieces of sautéed shrimp, quinoa, black beans and mixed vegetables	1 grilled chicken breast, mashed cauliflower, black beans, & green beans	Kale or baby spinach, topped with dried cranberries, feta cheese, and non-salted cashews. Add tuna or diced chicken breast and lite raspberry vinaigrette dressing.	Turkey Burger: ground turkey patty with serrano peppers and feta cheese, & side of sautéed asparagus. Add sliced avocado & mustard or ketchup as toppings.
Snack 2	1 Apple, 2 chopped celery stalks, and 2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter	1/3 cup Almonds, & 1/3 cup blackberries	5 Strawberries & 1 Orange	1 Apple, 2 chopped celery stalks, and 2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter	5 strawberries & 1 Orange
Dinner	1 grilled chicken breast, mashed cauliflower, black beans, & green beans	Whole wheat spaghetti, pasta sauce & crumbled ground turkey, & sautéed broccoli	Turkey Burger: ground turkey patty with serrano peppers and feta cheese, & side of sautéed asparagus. Add sliced avocado & mustard or ketchup as toppings.	1 piece of tilapia, 6 pieces of sautéed shrimp, quinoa, black beans and mixed vegetables	Whole wheat spaghetti, pasta sauce & crumbled ground turkey, & sautéed broccoli

 

Grocery List

Strawberries	1 Onion and 1 Green Bell Pepper	Bag of Frozen Shrimp	Low-Fat Milk	Oregano (seasoning shaker)
Oranges	Jalapenos & Serrano peppers	Bag of Frozen Chicken Breast	Greek Yogurt cups	Olive Oil
Blackberries	Fresh bunch of broccoli & cauliflower	Bag of Frozen Tilapia	Container of Crumbled Feta Cheese	Tuna Packets (tuna in water not vegetable oil)
Apples	Cilantro & Fresh Basil	1 lb ground turkey (comes in a tube-shaped wrapping)	Bag of String Cheese (individually wrapped)	Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Grapefruit	100% Orange Juice	Container of Almonds (non-salted)	2% Shredded Cheddar Cheese	Frozen Mixed Vegetables
Fresh asparagus	Dried Cranberries	Container of Cashews(non-salted)	Low-fat cheese cubes	Frozen pineapple chunks
A bag of spinach or baby spinach	100% Whole Wheat Bagels	Jar of Peanut Butter (one w/ less sugar)	Eggs	Frozen mixed berries
A bag of baby carrots	Quinoa or Brown Rice	Jar of Almond Butter	Mrs. Dash Seasoning (No-Salt Seasoning)	Frozen Green Beans
Fresh Celery	Whole Wheat Spaghetti	Low-fat Cream Cheese	Lime Juice	Light cream cheese
Kale	Granola	Cans of Black Beans (some cans have spices and has more flavor)	Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Cayenne Pepper (seasoning shakers)	Light sour cream
Cucumber	Whole Grain Crackers	1 Can of whole peeled, 1 can crushed, 1 can diced tomatoes	Knorr Low sodium chicken flavor powder	Turkey Sausage

 

Cooking Tips for Week 2

Typically for the week I cook the following:

• 1 lb ground turkey (half will go towards the turkey burger and the other half to the spaghetti sauce)
• 1 cup quinoa
• ½ lb whole wheat spaghetti
• Half a bunch of asparagus
• A whole bunch of green beans
• ½ head of broccoli
• Heat up 1 can of black beans
• 3 chicken breasts
• ½ head cauliflower
• 6 eggs

*I would prepare all of this food and portion it all out into your containers first before preparing the other meals because you may have enough food for more than the days I have listed on the meal plan.

• For breakfast, I prepare the bagels and smoothies in the morning. See my smoothie recipes under the “healthy recipes” tab.
• The breakfast bowl can all be prepared on Sundays. Make sure to keep the salsa aside in a separate container.
• Season your chicken and tuna with Mrs. Dash seasoning (there are tons of different seasonings). Mrs. Dash is a non-salt seasoning but still adds great flavor to food. Using Mrs. Dash instead of regular salt seasoning will reduce your sodium intake to maintain good heart health and reduce your risk for heart disease.

Meal Prep Plan Week 3

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	1 toasted whole wheat English muffin with 1 turkey sausage patty, 1 cup strawberries and either 8 oz of 100% orange juice, skim milk or almond milk.	2 slices whole wheat toast w/ almond butter and banana slices, and Greek Yogurt	1 toasted whole wheat English muffin with 1 turkey sausage patty, 1 cup strawberries and either 8 oz of 100% orange juice, skim milk or almond milk.	2 slices whole wheat toast w/ almond butter and banana slices, and Greek Yogurt	1 toasted whole wheat English muffin with 1 turkey sausage patty, 1 cup strawberries and either 8 oz of 100% orange juice, skim milk or almond milk.
Snack 1	½ cup trail mix	6 strawberries and 1 orange	6 cucumber slices & 8 baby carrots	½ cup trail mix	6 cucumber slices & 8 baby carrots
Lunch	Fish Taco Bowl (From bottom to top): Brown rice, sautéed corn & red pepper mix, black beans, and cooked tilapia. Top with a couple of avocado slices	Greek Salad: Spring mix, blueberries, low-fat feta cheese, cucumber slices, tomatoes and homemade Greek dressing. Greek dressing: olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dried oregano, onion powder	Cilantro Lime Chicken: spicy chicken breast chunks, limejuice, and cilantro. With brown rice and black beans	Greek Salad: Spring mix, blueberries, low-fat feta cheese, cucumber slices, tomatoes and homemade Greek dressing. Greek dressing: olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dried oregano, onion powder	Cilantro Lime Chicken: spicy chicken breast chunks, lime juice, and cilantro. With brown rice and black beans
Snack 2	1 Apple with ¼ cup PB&Y Dip PB&Y (all natural PB, low-fat vanilla Yogurt, and a pinch of cinnamon)	½ cup cheese cubes & a handful of whole-grain crackers	1 Apple with ¼ cup PB&Y Dip PB&Y (all natural PB, low-fat vanilla Yogurt, and a pinch of cinnamon)	½ cup cheese cubes & a handful of whole-grain crackers	6 strawberries & 1 Orange
Dinner	Cilantro Lime Chicken: spicy chicken breast chunks, limejuice, and cilantro. With brown rice and black beans	Whole wheat penne pasta with no sugar added tomato sauce, cooked turkey sausage slices, and green beans	Fish Taco Bowl (From bottom to top): Brown rice, sautéed corn & red pepper mix, black beans, and cooked tilapia. Top with a couple of avocado slices	Whole wheat penne pasta with no sugar added tomato sauce, cooked turkey sausage slices, and green beans	Fish Taco Bowl (From bottom to top): Brown rice, sautéed corn & red pepper mix, black beans, and cooked tilapia. Top with a couple of avocado slices

 

Sample Grocery List

Strawberries	1 Red pepper	1 container of All Natural Vanilla Yogurt	Skim Milk or Almond Milk
Oranges	1 can corn	Bag of Frozen Chicken Breast	Greek Yogurt cups
Blueberries	Fresh cilantro	Bag of Frozen Tilapia	Container of Crumbled low-fat Feta Cheese
Apples	100% orange juice	1 box whole-grain crackers	Bag of String Cheese (individually wrapped)
Bananas	100% whole wheat English Muffins	Trail mix	2% Shredded Cheddar Cheese
A bag of Spring mix	100% Whole wheat Bread	All Natural Peanut Butter (only ingredient is peanuts)	Low-fat cheese cubes
A bag of baby carrots	Brown Rice	Jar of almond butter	1 Can of whole peeled, 1 can crushed, 1 can diced tomatoes
Tomatoes	Turkey Sausage Patties	Lime Juice	Lemon Juice
1 Cucumber	Turkey Sausage link	2 Cans of Black Beans (some cans have spices and has more flavor)	Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, and Cayenne Pepper (seasoning shakers)
Avocados	Whole Wheat penne	Frozen Green Beans	Red Wine Vinegar
Oregano (seasoning shaker)	Whole Grain Crackers	Olive Oil	Ground Cinnamon

 

Cooking Tips

Typically for the week I cook the following:

• 2 tilapia filets
• 2 cups brown rice
• ½ lb whole wheat spaghetti
• ½ turkey sausage link
• 1 cup green beans
• 2 cans of black beans
• 1 can of corn
• 4 chicken breasts or 1.5 lbs of chicken

 

*I would prepare all of this food and portion it all out into your containers first before preparing the other meals because you may have enough food for more than the days I have listed on the meal plan.

• I prepare my breakfast each morning.
• I season the chicken and tilapia with a mixture of 3 spices to add some kick to it: cayenne pepper, ground cumin powder, and chili powder.