Hello from GMHQ (Gym Medic HQ),
It’s been a while…A mix of night shifts, the holidays and busy social calendar has made blogging super difficult, but I’m back!
So over the last month or so, I’ve got serious with meal prepping my lunches as some of you may have seen from my Instagram (@thegymmedic). With everyone’s super busy lives it’s important to fuel your body with the right food. Whilst treats every now and then are no biggy, meal prep enables you to make healthy decisions for the majority of the week! So what’s not to love. Along the way I have learnt a few lessons and so I thought I would share them with you….
- TUPPERWARE IS EVERYTHING
Seriously. I’m obsessed. Having enough Tupperware is SO important for meal prep. It means that you prep for the whole week at once which saves lots of time. I’m currently using the MEAL PREP HAVEN range, but any old Tupperware will do… Just remember, if it might leak, put it in a plastic bag. No one wants a soggy handbag, and trust me I’ve been there.
2. GREENS
Oh my days. My tip with salads is to put it in the morning or evening before you are going to eat it. This is because it quickly looks sad and wilted 😦 Also remember avocado oxidises to a brown colour quickly when exposed to air, so either smother it with lemon/acidic fruit juice of your choice or put it in daily too. This only takes a few minutes so still worth prepping the rest!
3. Protein
I usually prep chicken as my protein. When refrigerated, this will keep for about 5 days (up to 7). This is the most time consuming part of cooking a meal, so being able to do this on a Sunday night for the week will save you all lots of precious time. I like to flavour my chicken with salt free spices including cayenne pepper. (A lot of spice mix’s main ingredients are, salt so make sure you look at the label of what you are buying).
4. Carbohydrates
I alternate between rice, quinoa and brown pasta weekly. Again you can flavour these to keep things interesting! Choose whichever carbohydrate works for you. A whole grain carbohydrate (like the ones listed above), gives you the advantage of the energy being released slowly. This will avoid that post lunch slump that many of us know all too well. This can be cooked on Sunday and kept for 5 days. **Disclaimer – be careful with rice, as in some circumstances if reheated it can cause stomach upset. I avoid this by just eating my lunches cold!
In addition to this at the beginning of the week I roast lots of vegetables including sweet potato, pepper, mushrooms, courgettes and butternut squash to add colour and flavours to my meals.
4. BREAK THE FAST
Sometimes I have to meal prep my breakfasts if I am going to the gym in the morning. I often prep boiled eggs, smoothies or overnight oats (my fave) the night before so I’m ready to go in the morning. It’s hard enough getting up early for the gym, so why not make it that little bit easier the night before! Stay tuned for some recipe ideas that I love.
I hope the tips have been useful and comment below with any questions or ideas you have.
It’s SO easy to meal prep, and so worth the effort. I’m at the beginning of my fitness journey, so let me make the mistakes so you don’t have to!! Whatever you are prepping, whatever your goals, if you can batch cook it you will save time in the long run 🙂
Over and Out
THE GYM MEDIC 🙂
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