How To Prepare 15 Healthy Meals in Under 60 Minutes

https://youtu.be/o4E4G_h2LMg

How To Prepare 15 Healthy Meals in Under 60 Minutes 

Requests for personal training in St. Petersburg and online  are rolling in in right about now as everyone starts to work towards their “Resolution” to “eat healthy” and “get fit”.  If you’re like most people, the biggest challenge to “eating healthy” is “time” so, I’ve created this step by step plan for you including downloadable shopping lists, recipes and everything you need to CRUSH meal prep. I’ve even included a bonus guide at the bottom. Zoe and I just got back from an absolutely gorgeous walk which is the first part of our normal Sunday routine. Leg workout, grocery store and food prep/planning is what comes next.

Most Personal Trainers  (including me) are always talking about food “prepping and planning” as the most important key to successful weight loss or optimum athletic performance. As I was out wandering around with Zoe one day,  it occurred to me that I’ve never written about how to do it quickly and easily.

I know this post is a little bit long but I promise that you will notice a difference in the way you look and feel if you read and implement these tools.

Sunday is day 1 of our Fat Loss Blue Print. Shop, Prep and plan. If you haven’t gotten your free copy, you can grab it HERE .

I am definitely not a master chef as you well know if you have been around a while but, I’ve mastered a few quick, simple, and healthy meals that also support my energetic, active lifestyle.

Here’s something that’s hard to argue with: the more meals you eat at home, the healthier and fitter you will probably be. There are some exceptions to the rule, but for most of us, eating home-cooked meals leads to improved body composition and serious money savings. I’ve had group fitness training members tell me that they have saved MORE than their monthly membership when they started prepping and planning every week.

A time-crunched schedule is no excuse either. Leanne (above) proved this. As a full time, working mother of an elementary aged son, she  dropped 10 pounds and 11 inches in 4 weeks once she mastered this skill .  Did I mention, as a travelling physical therapist,  she doesn’t have the luxury of a set schedule or office?

All you need to do is prep once a week for 45 – 60  minutes and you can  set yourself up to be a fat-burning machine. Leanne did it and I know you can too !

When you hear the word “meal prep” what comes to mind? Most of our clients go to a dark, scary place and think of stacks of Tupperware with carefully rationed portions.

Personally, I think back to my fitness competitor days of huge amounts of bland chicken breasts, huge vats of rice and more steamed broccoli than I care to remember. Never again !

You can drop the perception of meal prep as the Tupperware-carrying body builders and fitness competitors  that you see at the gym, carrying their gallons of water, huge gym bags,  gulping their protein shakes and eating bland, tasteless food.

Instead, picture a much simpler, more realistic and better tasting version.

Right now, I’m going to completely change your perspective on meal prep and are going to learn some things that will probably surprise you.

1) FAT IS GOOD. In fact, the reality is that the right fats are healthy on top of tasting great. Almonds, avocados and olive oil (examples of good fats) are fabulous ways to make food tasty AND help your body burn more fat.

Grab my list of best fat blasting, metabolism increasing foods (including fats) HERE

2) SPICES ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND and you don’t have to be afraid of using a little sea salt as long as your blood pressure is within normal ranges.

 

Here Are My 4 Go To Spices:

Garlic – works with pretty much everything and I put it in pretty much everything. Fresh garlic will always be the best, but you can use garlic powder.

Sea Salt – I like to go with sea salt because it is a more pure form of processed salt.

Cayenne – Cayenne will add a little “kick” to any dish. I use it in my salads, beans and in my tuna salad and throw a dash in my chicken marinade mix.

Cumin – This is my secret weapon for most meat dishes. My favorite use of cumin is in my marinated and chicken or beef stir-fry. I also use it on popcorn and kale chips for added flavor

Here’s a quick summary of my meal prep strategy:

Cooking healthy, fat blasting meals that taste good doesn’t have to be difficult.

Meal Prep Like A Personal Trainer: Shop and prepare in bulk and freeze what you can. (I use frozen fruits and veggies vs fresh and prepare a month’s worth of marinated chicken so I can just pull it out and defrost each week). I realize this may not be possible if you have a larger family or may not work if you actually like cooking. (which I don’t)

Cook extra servings of various proteins and chop a bunch of core veggies to use in multiple dishes. This will create the base for most of your meals.

Personally, I like to prep and clean everything but, you can easily save time by adding can add a few select pre-made items (sliced turkey breast, chicken breasts, bag of prepared greens, etc.) and boom, you have 80% of your meals for the week.

Now that doesn’t sound so terrible, does it?

I can hear it now, “Dianne, this is all fine and dandy but, where do I even start?”

Well, I’m going to let you in on my personal food prep strategy. I don’t like to cook and live alone. Leanne (and hundreds of others) are full time working moms trying to fit it all into their chaotic schedules. If we can do it, so can you

First things first: you’ll need to do some grocery shopping to pick up all the ingredients

The Ultimate Grocery-Shopping List: (this is enough to cook 16 whole meals AND have easy to grab left over snacks and smoothie fixins) Yep, that’s a peek into my very own shopping cart 

PRINTABLE VERSION 

PRODUCE:

• 1lb total of greens. You can either buy the pre made spiniach/kale and lettuce mixes or buy them individually (pick your favorite – spinach, arugula, kale, etc)
• Extra Kale and Spiniach (for green smoothies and kale chips)
• 5 large carrots
• 3 large onions
• bag of garlic
• 1 large celery bunch
• 4 red peppers
• 2 avocados
• 1 5 lb bag of broccoli (you can buy 2 heads of broccoli if you prefer fresh)
• 1 5 lb bag of normandy blend (you can buy cauliflower, broccoli, squash and extra carrots to chop if you prefer fresh)
• Large Bag of frozen mixed fruit (for protein smoothies & to toss in greek yogurt for a snack)

PROTEIN: 

• 5 lbs. chicken breast
• 1 – 2  lb. turkey breast (cooked)
• 4 cans tuna (solid white albacore)
• 2 dozen eggs
• Greek Yogurt

CLEAN CARBS:

• Corn Tortillas
• Quinoa
• 5 Sweet Potatoes

MISC:

• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Cumin powder
• Cayenne powder
• Garlic powder
• Rosemary
• Plain Greek Yogurt
• Parmesan cheese
• Pop Corn kernels (to use in an air popper or stove top)

BASIC COOKING SUPPLIES:

• 3 large cooking trays or baking dishes
• 1 large pot
• 1 medium pot
• 2 large bowls
• 4 small bowls
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Plastic containers (if you want to portion meals  out to save time during the week)

Meal Prep Instructions : PRINT THIS

Set up a timer for 45 minutes.

Remove all of your groceries from your fridge and cabinets.

Prepare yourself to make tuna salad, egg salad, baked marinated chicken, Parmesan roasted veggies, and a roasted turkey salad.

STEP 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees, and heat the pots of water to a boil

STEP 2: Place the chicken breast in a large Ziploc bag. Add 4 tbsp of oil olive, and 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, cayenne, garlic powder and rosemary . Mix well so every breast is well coated in the marinade. Set aside for 10 minutes to marinade the chicken.

STEP 3: Place  eggs into the pot of (almost) boiling water. 8 (or more depending on your needs) will be used for egg salad . Boil extra to keep as quick, handy snacks. Simmer the eggs for about 8 minutes. Cooking tip: Placing eggs into hot water will make the peeling process much easier down the road and boil eggs.

STEP 4: Place the Quinoa into the boiling water and cook following the package recipes. If I don’t use a separate recipe, I cook it with cumin, salt and pepper.

If you want to get a little fancier, use my favorite  Quinoa Recipe for weight loss.

STEP 5: (Loosely chop the broccoli, cauliflower, squash and carrots into large chunks if you chose fresh) Spread your veggies among 2 cooking trays or baking dishes. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. I do one tray of Normandy blend and one tray of plain broccoli to use elsewhere.

STEP 6:  Transfer chicken from Ziploc bag into baking dish. Place chicken, broccoli and cauliflower into the oven. Set the oven timer to 20 minutes.

STEP  7: Dice peppers, onions, cucumber, celery and carrots and set aside in separate small bowls.

STEP 8: Place tuna into large bowl and add half the chopped onions and celery. Add 2 tbsp of Greek Yogurt. Add salt, garlic powder, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne powder. Mix well and place in fridge. Your tuna salad is done.

STEP 9: Mix large bag of greens in a large bowl (or cut and clean greens) with chopped peppers, carrots, onions, and cucumbers. Chop turkey breast slices into 1-inch pieces and toss into salad. Set aside. Your roasted turkey salad is done.

STEP  10: Remove the pot with eggs from the heat and run under cold water for 30-60 seconds.

STEP 11: Peel eggs and mash them in a large bowl with the rest of the chopped onions and celery. Add 2 tbsp of Greek yogurt. Add salt, garlic powder, cumin, and cayenne powder, and mix until well-blended. Your egg salad is done.

Step 12: Remove Quinoa from stove and set aside Your Quinoa is done

Step 13: Remove the veggies from the oven after 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Your Parmesan roasted veggies are done.

STEP 14: Remove chicken breast 5 minutes later (for a total of 25 minutes of bake time). Your baked marinated chicken is done.

STEP 15: Take a big breath. You’re completely done

Recipes: Putting It All Together:

Now   you have  6 different meals with enough food to make 16 meals.

•  8 Roasted chicken breasts
• 2 large trays of roasted vegetables
• 4 cups of Tuna salad
• 4 cups of Egg salad

I am pretty lazy and don’t mind eating the same main meal every day. I usually have chicken, quinoa and veggies for lunch or a huge salad and potato,  a protein smoothie somewhere along the line with quinoa or a potato  and Greek yogurt with fruit and chopped almonds or a smoothie  but I wanted to give you some meal ideas that I have used in the past.

Meal Ideas:

Fajitas 2 ways

• Pick your protein:  Chicken breast or  Turkey breast and follow this 10 minute, tasty and totally healthy  fajita recipe  from our Ultimate Fat Blasting Cook Book.

Big-Ass Salad, 4 ways

Instructions:

• Pick your protein. 1) Chicken breast, 2) Egg salad, 3) Tuna salad, or 4) Turkey breast

• Prep a large plate with the pre-mixed salad (from step 9 above). Place 6-8 ounces of protein on top of salad. Add ¼ of a large avocado.

Quick and easy dressing: Mix 1 TBSP olive oil with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Add the juice from a fresh lime or lemon and mix well.

You can also spice up your salad with the following easy add-ons: Sunflower seeds, Feta cheese, Sliced almonds, Peanuts, Olives, Diced apples.

** Just remember: all of those items with the exception of the apples should be counted as fat servings.

This particular salad is a lazy Dianne Original. I add a cup of mixed beans for some clean carbs to make it a one dish meal.

Mix and Match For Different Meals –

The best part about meal prep mastery is that once you have a solid foundation of the proteins and veggies, you can mix-and-match to find  winning combos that you and your family will  love.

Maybe you want to add some tortilla chips to your salad?

Maybe you want some extra carbs, so you bake a huge potato or some quinoa to go with your pre-made protein and veggies?

The options are really endless.

As long as you’re eating protein and veggies with each meal, you’ll have a solid foundation to live a fit, healthy lifestyle while saving money and turning your body into a fat burning machine !

This one rule alone will have a dramatic effect on how you feel, how you look, and how you think.

Drop a comment  and let me know what you think or come join our free Facebook group St Pete & Tierra Verde’s Fit Over 50 and let us know if you have any questions or to share pics of your masterpieces ! Here is mine from last week 🙂 I am super lazy so just portion out my chicken, 1/2 c quinoa and roasted veggies into individual bowls.

MORE FROM Fat Loss U: How to Fix Your Slow Metabolism in 5 easy Steps

———->>>> WANT MORE? DOWNLOAD MY SIGNATURE FOOD PREP GUIDE … FREE ! Just CLICK HERE to download my Signature guide for more tips and strategies PLUS tasty and easy recipes!

I look forward to helping YOU Feel 10 Years Younger !

Committed To Your Success & Awesomeness,

Dianne Villano , Your Over 50 Body Transformation Expert

P.S. Have you met our Member Of The Month and Total Body Transformation 2017 Winner, Leanne the almost 50 full time working mom who was ready to accept lack of energy, slowing run times and aches and pains as a “part of getting older”? Check out her inspiring  Fitness Training Transformation Story