Meal Planning

I am more likely to eat healthy, nutritious meals if I plan and prep ahead of time.

My tips for meal planning:

1. Make a list of the days of the week and write down your schedule for each day.
2. Do an inventory of what you have in the fridge, pantry and freezer. Make a list of proteins, vegetables, and carbs that you can use to build meals.
3. Keep it simple. List 1-2 lunch ideas and 3-4 dinner ideas for the week. Make enough for leftovers!
4. Make a grocery list of what you need for each meal. I make a “have” and “need” list.
5. Pre-track your meals into Under Armour’s MyFitnessPal to ensure your plan fits your macro goals.

Here is a sample meal plan:

You might notice that I don’t plan breakfast. I practice intermittent fasting, which deserves a post all on its own (soon!).

Meal planning may take some time initially but keep all your meal plans week to week. I find that I rotate the same meals and snacks. If I am going to try a new recipe, I make a rule to only try one new recipe a week. Keep it simple.

When planning a meal, think about your macro goals. I focus on protein first. Protein is the macro that I used to struggle to hit each day, but now I plan my meals around protein. Add in vegetables next. You can never go wrong with eating a variety of vegetables. Last, I think about where I am going to get my fats and carbohydrates from in my meals and snacks.

One of my go-to meals is always tacos or taco salads. You can use any lean meat protein, add in lettuce, tomatoes and corn for veggies, rice for carbohydrates and avocado for healthy fats. Track all your ingredients to ensure you have a well-balanced, correctly portioned meal and you are good to go!

Give meal planning a try. I know it will help you eat healthier and you may even find you save money at the grocery if you go with a list.

Send me a message if you want specifics on products I buy and eat from my sample meal plan above. Follow me on Instagram @abgrubbs for specifics too!