Meal Prepping 101 with Natalie Durham

Meal Prepping 101

 by:

 Natalie Durham

Hi, my name is Natalie Durham and today I am going to be sharing with you the basics, benefits and overall 101 of meal prepping for beginners. But first, I want to share a little more about my fitness and health journey within the past year.

After spending the last 15 years of my life active and athletic, I spent a semester studying and traveling abroad. I found myself enjoying mass quantities of beer, delicious food and not working out the way I use to (AKA… I was packing on the pounds to say the least). After about three months of being home, I looked in the mirror and realized I had gained weight. Shocked and disappointed with myself, I decided enough was enough. I began to workout religiously and cleaned up my diet. I started my journey on May 2013. A year later, I am down 35 pounds and a little over 11% body fat. Today, I can look in the mirror and smile right back at myself. However, most of that progress was made during Nov 2013-May 2014, when I started properly meal prepping all of my meals. 

Before getting started, I want to stress that not only is everyone’s body different but also our LIFESTYLES!  Everything that I will be sharing today is from my own personal experiences. Taking the time to learn what has/has not worked for my own body and lifestyle. I STRONGLY encourage you to do the research, and even more importantly, listen to how your mind and body feel/respond.

What exactly is meal prepping?

Meal prepping is cooking, making and storing a few days or a full week worth of food. Having all your tasty meals and snacks ready to eat or take on the go when needed!

Why should I meal prep?

Let’s be honest here. When we are hungry… WE ARE HUNGRY! We want food right then and there, in front of our faces, in our mouths and are willing to do almost anything to make that happen as quickly as possible. Not ONLY does meal prepping make that happen for us but it stops us from resorting to food that will have negative effects on our progress such as fast foods, the vending machines in the office or not eating anything at all! Just remember…

How do I meal prep?

I like to store my food in reusable microwavable safe Tupperware that can be found at a local grocery store, Wal-Mart and/or Target or Ziploc plastic bags I can just toss after using. On Sundays, I plan out my meals for the week (Sunday to Sunday), write my grocery list, go shopping, cook, and then store all of my meals.  I buy most of my produce from Sprouts (fresh, organic and reasonable prices). My proteins (meats) I buy from my local grocery store, which carries an all natural selection brand.

I prepare every meal and snack for the day except for breakfast. Personally, I like having fresh oatmeal, protein pancakes or egg white omelets in the morning, so I am willing to wake up early enough to have time to cook it before I run out the house.

I eat anywhere from 5-7 (depending on how hungry I might be) “meals” a day every 2-3hrs. I say “meals” because 3-4 of those are actually a small snack. Typically, each container will have 3-4 oz. of protein, 1-3 cups of veggies and one serving of a healthy carb.

Tweaking your meal prep every few weeks is important when getting started. Start your meal prep and within the next two weeks pay close attention to how your body responds. You may need to add more protein, carbs, and veggies or vice versa, take some out.

Sample meal prep layout

Meal 1

4 egg whites with 1 cup of veggies

½ cup of oats (measured dry)

Meal 2

1 cup Greek yogurt w/ 1 scoop protein

Meal 3

4 oz. protein (chicken)

3 cups veggies

1 serving carb (sweet potato)

Meal 4

Same as above or:

8-12almonds, or1 green apple, or a protein shake, or 1 of Ashley’s fresh juice recipes, etc.

Meal 5

4 oz. protein (salmon)

1-3cups veggies

Grocery List

These are a list of foods that I rotate in and out of my meals all the time. In order to keep myself successful with meal prepping, I have to make sure I don’t get bored with my food. Keeping my taste buds guessing by constantly switching up my meals helps me not to “cheat”. 

Proteins:

·      Chicken breasts

·      97% lean ground turkey

·      Egg whites

·      Wild caught salmon

·      Tilapia

·      Tuna

·      Protein powder

·      Almonds

·      Greek Yogurt

(I personally only eat red meats on very rare occasions)

Veggies:

·      Spinach

·      Broccoli

·      Asparagus

·      Brussels sprouts

·      Baby bell peppers

·      Green beans

·      Mushrooms

Carbs:

·      Sweet potatoes

·      Quinoa

·      Brown Rice

·      Oatmeal

Fruits:

·      Grapefruit

·      Berries

·      Green apples

My Secret Weapons

For every meal I prep, I can guarantee that I will be using one or more of the following items that make prepping easier and/or tastier for myself without adding the extra calories. 

·      Cinnamon (I put it on EVERYTHING… well almost)

·      Mrs. Dash seasoning (No salt!)

·      Sweet Drops (Stevia)

·      Vanilla Extract

·      Walden Farms BBQ sauce and pancake syrup (No sugar AND zero calories)

·      Trader Joes Olive and Coconut Oil Spray (Zero calories)

Helpful Hands

Knowing where to start and staying on track can be tricky.  Thank goodness there is so much out there to help us. I suggest taking the time to consult with a professional or going to a website that can help you work out exactly how many calories you should be consuming a day for your body type.  One of my favorite apps and websites that can honestly do it all is: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. I use it all the time to see how many calories a certain food contains, track my progress, my food diary and keep myself motivated. Check it out! 

Stay Motivated!

In my fitness and health journey, diet is HANDS DOWN the hardest part for me.  When craving starts getting the best of me I chew gum, drink water or find a clean and yummy recipe I can make instead.  At the end of the day, there are no excuses.  

I love the quote, “ You can have results, or you can have excuses. Not both.”  When it gets hard, remember why you started. I think back at how I felt when I looked at myself in the mirror and tell myself I never want to feel like that ever again.  30 minutes of satisfaction from a piece of dessert or junk food is not worth the set back from having the dream body you have desired your whole life.  These are things I say to myself and it works. Do I cave sometimes? YES! But… life is all about balance and happiness. Eat your prepped meals and every once in a while, treat yourself to something you deserve.

Lastly, always be proud of your journey in life. Regardless of what your goals are, do not let anyone steer you away from accomplishing them. Find something you are passionate about and RUN with it! At the end of the day, most people will still be talking about what they are going to do while you are out there making it happen.

We all deserve happiness and well being!

 

You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter @natalieedurhamm. I hope to chat with you all again!

Xo,

Natalie 

Total 3-Day Detox

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food." -Hippocrates 

Every few months it's important to take a few days and cleanse your mind and body. We all need it!  Toxins are everywhere... they are in the air we breathe, the food we eat, cleaning products we use... the list goes on and on.  Stress, anxiety, & negativity, also release toxins within our bodies.  It's impossible to live toxin-free, that is why it is so important to take the time to detox.  Every few months I like to follow these seven steps in order to detox my mind & body.  The length of my detox always varies.  It can be as short as 3 days or as long as 7.  You can make it however long you would like but if you are new to juicing I would recommend starting off slow!

Things to avoid while detoxing: 

Solid Foods 

Coffee 

Sodas 

Bottled Drinks 

Alcohol 

Gum 

Smoking 

What to Take in while Detoxing: 

Fresh Juices without pulp 

Water 

Detox Tea 

Hot Lemon Water 

Step One:  Prepare for a Juice Detox.  Try and purchase organic produce while detoxing.  It will help aid the entire process.  I typically drink 6 16oz fresh juices a day during a detox.  I make all of my juices with a Breville Juicer (Not a smoothie maker) and I store the juice in mason jars.   

Step Two: Drink lots and lots of Hot Lemon Water.  There are so many amazing benefits to drinking hot lemon water especially while detoxing! Here are Few of them: 

• Aids Digestion 
• Better than Coffee
• Clearer Skin 
• Weight loss Aid 
• Natural Diuretic 
• Balances PH levels 
• Boots Immune System 
• Helps purify and Stimulate the Liver 
• Flushes Unwanted Materials
• During a juice detox, lemon water helps dissolve mucus and toxins from our cellular tissue!!!

Step 3:  Drink two cups of Detox tea a day when detoxing.  I prefer the Yogi tea... You can purchase it at almost every grocery store.  This tea is fantastic! Perfect for when you've had too much of a good thing over the weekend.  I especially love drinking it when I'm detoxing.

 Step 4:  Take a Detox Bath.  This is personally one of my favorite steps! A friend of mind by the name of Kylie turned me onto this detox bath recipe and I ALWAYS incorporate into my detox process now. Make a relaxing playlist, light some candles, add some rose pedals and enjoy! Go all out... You deserve it!

• Set aside 40 minutes of your day for your bath (The first 20 minutes are for detoxing, the second 20 are for absorbing all of the minerals in the water) 
• 2 cups of Epsom Salt 
• 2 or more cups of Baking Soda 
• 3 pints of Hydrogen Peroxide
• 2 ounces of Ground Ginger (or Ginger Tea Bags for less of a mess) 
• Tea Tree Oil ( I recommend using a small amount of Tea Tree Oil.. it can burn if you put too much)  

Step 5:  Take a break from the internet.  This is such an important step and it's so nice to do this every once in awhile! Spend the time you're detoxing, reflecting on things you are most thankful for in life!  

Step 6:  Write down 5 positive affirmations every morning and every night.  Take this time to reflect on your life.  The things you are thankful for, the things you want to succeed in, your goals, and your ambitions.  We are surrounded by so many beautiful blessings and sometimes we get distracted by our never ending to-do lists.  It's easy to take the small things for granted so use this time reflect and most importantly take this time for yourself.  

Step 7:  Relax your mind and meditate.  Spend a little extra time over these next few days praying, and quieting your mind.  Like I said earlier, toxins do not only come from bad food and cleaning products, They also come from stress and anxiety.  Take a hot yoga class, or before bed spend some time in a peaceful room alone reflecting on your life and the things you are most thankful for! It will make all the difference in the world. 

And there you have it! All the necessary step to a successful 3-Day Detox. Hope you all enjoyed this blog!

If you need recipes for your Juice Detox, You can check out my 50+ Juicing Recipes and My Super Green Detox.  

XoXo, 

Ashley

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

Juicing on a Budget

Squeeze the Most Out of Every Dollar! 

There is a little rumor going around that juicing is outrageously expensive.  Can it be pricey? Well, yes of course it can be... but it doesn't have to be! There are ways to squeeze the most out of every dollar when it comes to purchasing produce.  

Here are my 10 tips on how to juice on budget! 

1. Purchase produce that has a high water content. Fruits and Vegetables that have a high water content tend to produce a lot more juice.  This weekend I juiced 1 medium sized watermelon and it made 6 16oz jars of juice.  Some other items that juice well are cucumbers, celery, apples, pears, and lemons. 
2. Cut back on the berries.  They don't produce a lot of juice and they are expensive.
3. Purchase your produce at a farmers market.  You can also save money by buying in bulk at places like Sam's Club or Costco.  They are now starting to offer organic produce. 
4. Buy produce that is in season. Produce that is in season typically costs less and is usually on sale.
5. Purchase a mint leaf plant (I got mine at Walmart)  I use a lot of mint leaves in my juices and the containers at the store can be pricey.  
6. Plan ahead.  It's easy to get excited when you go the grocery store but if you make a list ahead of time and stick to it, you can cut down the cost of your grocery bill.   
7. Grow Your Own Garden. I by no means have a green thumb but you can save a lot of money growing your own produce.
8. If your produce is about to go bad, juice it and then throw it in the freezer.  You can preserve the juice for a few weeks in the freezer without it going bad. 
9. Keep your produce in the refrigerator, it will help preserve the life of your produce. 
10. Stretch Juice out with sparkling water, coconut water, or ice cubes! It's very tasty and if you like carbonated drinks like diet coke, sparkling water is a great substitution.

 Low Budget Recipes  

 Recipes with minimal ingredients are typically less expenisive.  If you are a new juicer, these might not be the greatest juices to start off with because they are not as tasty as the recipes with a bunch of fruit. Check out my 50+ juicing recipes post for more creative ideas! 

Juice for $1.35 per Glass 

1 Beet, 3 apples, 1 lemon 

Juice for $1.65 per Glass 

15 carrots 

8 Celery Stalks 

2 Apples 

Juice for 1.45 per Glass 

2 1/2 Cups of Kale 

3 Apples 

1 Lemon 

Juice for $1.30 per Glass 

10 Carrots 

2 Apples 

Inch of Ginger Root 

Juice for $1.30 per Glass

1 Beet 

1/4 Watermelon 

Juice for $1.25 per Glass 

2 1/2 cups of Spinach 

3 Apples 

1 Lemon  

*** A Few Things to Keep in Mind***

We invest a lot of our time, money, and energy into things like clothes, shoes, an apartment, maybe a house, a car.... the list goes on and on.  The majority of the time our health is something we put on the back burner because we get so caught up in life.  When you start juicing, consider it an investment for your own health.  Just like with clothes, usually the more expensive the shirt, the better quality it is.  Food works the same way and it is SO important to always remember "benefits over cost" and I truly believe that juicing is one of the best ways to maintaining a healthy lifestyle! 


If you enjoyed this blog you might want to take a little look at "How To Get The Most Out Of Juicing" which will also help with juicing costs and my "50+ Juicing Recipes" blogs. 

Much love, 

Ashley 

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora