Top 5 Meal Prep Tips for Busy Ladies & Egg Muffin Recipe
Hello you gorgeous, beautiful gals!
Thank you so much for taking a few precious moments out of your busy day to read this article, and thank you, Kate, for letting me take over for the day!
In the next few minutes I hope you take away at least 2 – 3 ideas about how you can use these cooking tips to save you time. Because I get it…I have a fiancee, a dog, a business to run and a really jam-packed training schedule of my own. Gourmet meals are a rarity in my house, but eating healthy food is non-negotiable.
So coming from the girl who wants to spend as little time in as possible in the kitchen, here are my:
Top five meal prep tips for busy ladies!
1. Keep the basics in bulk: We all have our ideas of staples that we MUST keep on hand. For me it’s eggs, spinach, fruit, greens powder and protein powder. After a hard workout I am not gonna cook, so I’ll come home and scramble a few eggs with spinach so I can get back to work as quickly as possible.
Some other things that are very basic that make perfect grab and go meals are:
Single serving Greek yogurt – add berries, a handful of chopped nuts and you’re good to go!
Single serving cottage cheese – use baby carrots or sliced cucumber for a fresh snack.
Blend up a quick smoothie – use protein powder, a banana, some nut butter and a handful of kale or spinach.
If you always have a few things like this on hand you will never have to go to the drive-thru.
2. Unload and go: As you unload your groceries keep a few things out to prep like your fruit and veggies. Go ahead and rinse them in the sink so they’re good to go when you want them. Slice up your cucumbers, your peppers and onions and whatever else so you can have them to munch on or to add to your food. They go perfect in scrambled eggs, salads, meatloaf, burgers, etc.
If they are prepared, they are easy. When you are on a time crunch, easy is key.
This isn’t just for produce though. If you buy a can of nuts, go ahead and separate into baggies based on your serving size, Same with oats and whatever else you do small servings of.
3. Batch cook: We’ve all heard this one, and I’ll be honest, there’s only a handful of things I can batch cook these days. Back when I was competing I would batch cook for hours on Sunday and I got burnt out. Not only that, but the thought of eating chicken and veggies out of tupperware again makes me a little grossed out. But if that works for you, go for it! If you’re like me there are still some really great things out there that are awesome for batch cooking.
Right now I’m on a big muffin kick. These egg muffins are perfect for breakfast on the go!
EGG MUFFINS
Ingredients:
- 12 large eggs
- 12 pieces nitrate free, uncured bacon
- 1/2 C red pepper, diced
- 1/2 C green pepper, diced
- 1/2 C red onion, diced
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook bacon your favorite way. I fry it then set it on paper towels to let all the grease soak off the bacon before I crumble it up.
3. Place liners in each of the muffin cups.
4. Beat eggs in a medium bowl, adding the rest of the ingredients and mixing.
5. Pour mixture into muffin cups.
6. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes.
No matter what you decide to cook in bulk, maybe it’s crock pot chicken, turkey burgers, overnight oats, sweet potato pancakes, or egg muffins, the important thing is to have food on-hand so it is convenient.
4. Make extras: If you are cooking for two, make sure the recipe serves four. If you are cooking for four, make sure the recipe will serve six. The reason I recommend this is not so you eat more, as a matter of fact, if portion control is an issue, set the extra aside to cool before you serve. The intention of this meal prep is so you have food for lunch the next day or two. So if I am making something like meatloaf for dinner, I will make sure I have enough for leftovers for me and my fiancee the next day at lunch. It will save you from eating out and making a less healthy choice, and it will also save money!
5. Let someone else do it for you: Convenience usually means spending a little more money. But if you are not spending money on lunch you can use it on a few convenience foods.
For example, I love kale chips. They are such a delicious way to get in more green veggies! The night before I was taking a trip somewhere I was up way too late making kale chips for my trip. It didn’t make sense – I should have been sleeping so I could feel good. This is one of those times that our time is more valuable than a few dollars. You can buy things like kale chips at the store.
Another example, instead of buying Greek yogurt or cottage cheese in bulk, get the single servings so you can grab and go.
Rather than grossing yourself out cutting the rib meat off the chicken breast, get the pre-cut, individually packaged ones.
At the end of the day, think about what may be hindering you from preparing healthy foods, making you dread the kitchen or what the biggest time wasters are in your life. Find a shortcut around them and eat healthy foods that support your goals!
Kyra,
The Get In Shape Girl
Check out Kyra’s new ebook cookbook. The Lean Body Cookbook & Meal Planning Guide!
The cookbook contains over 40 recipes and a meal plan guide to help you get the most out of what you eat!
Here’s another recipe from The Lean Body Cookbook!
SWEET POTATO PANCAKES
Ingredients:
- 2 whole eggs
- 4oz sweet potato, cooked
- 1/2 C plain 2% greek yogurt
- 1/2 t liquid stevia
- 1/2 t vanilla extract
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 1/2 t baking powder
- Cinnamon to taste
Directions:
1. Mix until even.
2. Separate into 2 – 4 pancakes.
3. Place on frying pan over medium heat and let sit for 3 – 4 min before flipping. You may have to flip for 2 more minutes on each side to ensure they cook all the way through but don’t burn.
If you want more delicious recipes like these (PLUS a meal plan) order your cookbook here!