Meal Prep 101

Stop meal prepping the hard way.

You don't need to spend your entire Sunday cooking 20 different meals for the week.

That approach leads to recipe-hunting madness, endless cooking, exhaustion, and food you're already sick of by Wednesday!

There's a simpler way: prep ingredients, not meals.

And here's a hot take... Meal prep doesn't require cooking! You can 100% buy pre-cooked ingredients, so all you have to do is assemble your meals when it's time to eat!

Does this sound too good to be true?

 Take 5 minutes to apply to work together!!

Below is how to meal prep the simple way, with each step showing you how to avoid cooking altogether!

I walk through this process with my FoodFlippers (clients), to give them the customization, support, and tips they need to thrive.

But here are the basics so you can get started today!

Here's how to make meal prep simple:

1️⃣ Know the formula to a balanced meal and meal prep

2️⃣ Keep things interesting

3️⃣ Don't prep everything at once!

1️⃣ The Formula: 1 Protein (P) + 1 Veggie (V) + 1 Carb (C) + 1 Fat (F)

Step 1: Prep just one protein, one veggie, one carb, and one fat.

That's it. And it can be way easier than you think:

1. Protein: Grab a rotisserie chicken. Done.

2. Veggie: Pick up pre-seasoned, fire-roasted frozen veggies. Throw them in the air fryer when you're ready to eat.

3. Carb: Microwavable grains (rice, quinoa, farro). 90 seconds and you're set.

4. Fat: Pre-made guac or just a couple of avocados.

No recipes required. No 6-hour cook session. Just ingredients ready to mix and match throughout the week.

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Here are some of my go-tos:

Protein: 

• chicken

• rotisserie chicken

• canned chicken

• easiest baked chicken: buy chicken breasts, cut in half, season (with Tony's and smoked paprika the day before; can also add vinegar left over from pickles, pickled jalopenos, or whatever you have in your pantry like white/red wine vinegar), air fry at 350F for 15-17minutes or until cooked through (internal temp of 160F)

  
  

• fish

• canned tuna (reduced sodium, packed in water)

• tuna packets (the "sweet & spicy" flavor is my favorite!!)

  

• smoked salmon (for meats, I look at the nutrition label and aim for <3 grams of fat per 15 grams of protein)

• frozen, pre-cooked fish (just microwave or crisp up in the air fryer!)

• You can also cook any fish yourself. First, try a pre-made option to keep things quick and easy, then when you're ready, take on the cooking!

• other meats

• shrimp: frozen, deveined, and shelled are the easiest to use! Especially the mini size; they microwave fast! (This may sound weird... but while in Japan, I discovered this easy hotel snack: seafood fondue, all you need is a microwave! To make, microwave frozen seafood/shrimp, and a slice of singles cheese or mozarella, then add garlic powder, and cayenne powder/red pepper flakes!)

• beef: opt for a leaner beef (96% lean ground beef, eye-of-round is one of the leanest and cheapest cuts! Side note, if you want to buy a half a cow to know where your cow came from and pay 50% less, and have the best beef ever, and live either in Texas or Oklahoma, message me!! I know some great farmers.)

• low-fat dairy:

• plain Greek yogurt

• low-fat cottage cheese

• low-fat cheese: my fav is fat-free feta by "Olympia"!!! To make a melty cheese bowl, microwave 4 Tbsp of feta cheese for ~15 seconds or until melted, then top with onion powder, cayenne pepper, and a couple blobs of Greek yogurt!!

  

• plant-based:

• tofu/edamame: tofu usually also has significant fat; extra-firm tofu usually has less fat if that is of interest. For an easy snack, I love microwaving edamame from frozen, until soft but still cold (~30 seconds) and topping with a pinch of salt!

• nutritional yeast: packed with B vitamins!

• some carb sources also have protein (like canned legumes, more info in the carb section)

Veggie:

• fire-roasted frozen veggies from Costco: pop them in the air fryer @350F for ~6min! No chopping needed!

  

  
  

• mini bell peppers

  • eaten raw and by themselves

  • dipped in: sriracha, hummus, tuna or chicken salad

• broccoli:

  • steamed broccoli dipped in cheese

  • easy broccoli salad recipe

• cabbage

  • easy baked cabbage

  • cold slaw

• carrots

  • eaten raw and by themselves

  • marinated carrots

• experiment, explore different veggies, and find what you love! There is no "wrong" or "right" veggie!

  
  

Carb:

• Pre-cooked microwavable grains (rice, quinoa, farro)

• canned legumes: canned beans and chickpeas; blender hummus recipe (FoodFlippers have early access now; coming to the blog soon!)

• baked spaghetti squash & baked sweet potato: just place them directly on your oven rack at 325F for 20min & 90min, respectively!

• easy Texas Toast recipe (FoodFlippers have early access now)

  
  

Fat:

• avocado: plain with a lil salt, or guac

• nuts/seeds:

  • pumpkin seeds: Love these by themselves, or sprinkled on top of my smoothie bowls!

  • flaxseeds: Cheeto dust (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal, 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, a dash of onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt; I love this as is, dry, eaten by the spoonful! But you can also be more tame and sprinkle it over your meals, like a beef bowl!)

  • chia seeds: chocolate chia pudding!

• garlic oil: make garlic confit (peeled garlic submerged in oil baked @200F for ~90min; get ready for your house to smell amazing!); drizzle over anything and everything!

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Step 2: Assemble your meal!

And on days where you run out of food at home or haven't prepped yet, just eat out with this same formula!! No shame in eating out, and it doesn't have to derail progress 😉

Here are some meal ideas using the 1P+1V+1C+1F formula! Have fun with it!

• Mediterranean chicken bowl: chicken, mini bell peppers, chickpeas, avocado

• Salmon rice bowl: smoked salmon, broccoli or cabbage slaw, microwavable rice, pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds

• Shrimp stir-fry bowl: shrimp, fire-roasted veggies, quinoa, garlic oil

• Chicken sweet potato plate: easiest baked chicken, steamed broccoli, baked sweet potato, avocado

• Cottage cheese girl dinner: cottage cheese, air-fried fire-roasted veggies, farro, pumpkin seeds on top

• Spring roll: shrimp, sliced carrot and cucumber, rice paper, avocado

• Beef & squash bowl: lean ground beef, cabbage slaw, baked spaghetti squash, garlic oil

• Tofu edamame grain bowl: tofu, edamame, fire-roasted veggies, farro, pumpkin seeds

2️⃣Keep things interesting

Prepped ingredients can get boring fast if every plate tastes the same.

Three easy fixes:

1. Keep at least one sauce on hand (FoodFlippers typically aim for 15 calories or less per Tbsp of sauce for it to be considered a "free food" or  "flavor enhancer")

A good sauce transforms the same chicken-rice-veggie combo into something completely different each night. Pick your favorite and keep it stocked.

• Premade sauce ideas:

  • G. Hughes sugar-free BBQ sauce ("original" flavor is the best!)

  • hot sauce: I love Pace thick and chunky, "Mi tienda", sriracha, "Uncle Tio's"

  • tzatziki

  • mustard

• Make your own in the blender! (I'll share my favs, coming soon!)

  • cilantro lime crema

  • chimichurri

  • feta jalapeño

  • hummus (not really a sauce... but a great spread to add to wraps, dip with veggies/pita chips, or eat by the spoonful!)

2. Have a sweet treat ready (aim for 200 calories or less per serving).

• Premade sweet treat: Having something sweet on hand means you're never white-knuckling it past dessert.

Some favorites:

• Yasso frozen Greek yogurt bars (the fudge flavor 🍫😍🤤)

  

• Drizzelicious: the cinnamon swirl is my fav

  

• Fiber One chocolate fudge brownies (90 calories)

  

  
  

• any fruit popsicle

• a lil sweet treat from the "bulk" dispensers: Challenge - only spend $1 or less. This way, you can try something new each time you go grocery shopping, without collecting a horde at home!

  

  
  
  

  Remember, you can always come back to the store for more! Buying a little bit at a time keeps your goodies from going stale, helps you enjoy them more slowly and savor each bite, and keeps you excited to come back to the grocery store to try something new next time!
  

• Popcorn:

  • I know this isn't necessarily sweet... but you can make it sweet if you want! Just add sugar-free syrup, or a cinnamon whey drizzle

    • cinnamon whey drizzle = vanilla whey protein powder, sugar-free syrup or milk of choice, and cinnamon! optional: any other fall spices! like ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cayenne; have fun!

  • I love this "Lesser Evil" brand one; it tastes buttery without the butter!

  • Tip: pre-serve in a bowl and put the big bag away... or get the pre-portioned lil snack baggies!

    
  
  

• Kind Thins

• Dark chocolate squares: I'm a chocolate lover!! 🍫 I've found the darker the chocolate, the less chocolate it takes to satisfy my chocolate craving! Explore what satisfies you most!

  
  

NOTE: package size

• Which do you think you'd eat MORE of?

  option #1) a pint of ice cream with a spoon

  

  Option #2) single-package ice cream bar

  

  opting for pre-packaged treats makes it easy to stick to an amount that you still feel good about afterwards! There are great low-calorie pints of ice cream... but the larger package makes it very easy to eat 3x more than you would otherwise!
  

• Home-made: Make your own when you're ready, and have fun!! This is such a fun family, date, or girls' night idea.

  • The FoodFlip Chocolate Mousse recipe is a great place to start. Just throw the ingredients in a blender and you're done! This recipe has NEVER disappointed, and it's helped people who feel addicted to sugar channel their sweet tooth into something that actually benefits their health.

3. Have a lil low-sugar drinky drink you love! 

Here are some of my favs rn!

• ☕️ Hot chocolate: hot water, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, hazelnut stevia drops

• Stevia sweet tea: ice water, Stevia sweet tea water flavoring (zero calories and sugar-free, but tastes just like sweet tea!

  

  
  

• 🥤Zero-calorie fizzy water: if I want some extra pazazz, I like adding a splash of apple cider vinegar

• 🫖 Hot tea: I'm loving the "glazed lemon loaf" flavor by TAZO right now!! 🧁 🍋 🍯

  

3️⃣You don't have to prep it all at once!

Instead of prepping everything on one day, Spread it out throughout the week!

Maybe today you just make the dressing, and tomorrow you tackle the chopping.

Keep frozen veggies on hand for the nights you didn't get to everything. I loooove my frozen veggies. Just throw them in the air fryer, and they're done in 6 minutes!

Meal prep shouldn't feel like another full-time job.

Start with the 1P+1V+1C+1F formula and build from there when you're ready!

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Next steps⚡️ Let's simplify your meal prep!

• If you're a current FoodFlipper and want all the recipes mentioned and your own custom meal prep plan to make meal prep as easy as it gets, message me on Discord!

• If you're NOT yet a FoodFlipper, but want meal prep to be simple and all the planning and grocery list done for you, take 5 minutes to apply to work together!!

I'm here to help on your journey to healthy eating, easy meal prep, and building the body, health, and life you love!

Zero restriction.

Zero food overwhelm.

Hugs, - Michelle