IF YOU DO NOT PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL!

So i know A LOT of you are settling with new schedules at work, school, etc etc and I know that it IS HARD to keep a clean eating habit when you're super busy and it could be the real culprit of your results! But always remember if you DO NOT PLAN, you PLAN TO FAIL. by planning your meals out you are also saving time for that dilemma of what to eat that occurs during the day, and you are less likely to eat junk if you have everything ready set to go. :).

So here are some ideas of what you could do to make it a little more convenient & save some money in your pocket (because you wont be buying that lunch special chinese or a take out lunch ;))

1. TUPPERWARE, WATER BOTTLES AND ZIP LOC BAGS WILL BECOME YOUR BEST FRIENDS! They REALLY help to keep your food fresh throughout the week
2. PICK A PREP DAY, COOK EVERYTHING AT ONCE.
3. WRITE OUT YOUR MEALS & GROUP THEM. ex: make the same meals for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and make the same meals for Tuesday & Thursday. So you dont end up cooking like 4204873929 things!
4. MAKE ALL YOUR CARBS ON PREP DAY. you could put your quinoa, rice, pasta, etc in zip loc bags/ tupperware and heat them up on the day of.
5. DIVIDE your meals into the RIGHT portions ON PREP DAY! this saves you A LOT of time at night during weekdays!
6. THE GRILL WILL BE YOUR OTHER BEST FRIEND! especially for those of us who work late! the grill will cook things much faster. Fish in particular. If you choose to grill up chicken slice them up so they cook faster!
7. USE "CLEAN" INGREDIENTS! e.x : extra virgin olive oil, sea salt etc CHOOSE MINIMALLY PROCESSED and WILD CAUGHT.
8. PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER IN ONE BAG BEFORE YOU GO TO BED. so in the morning you can literally just GRAB AND GO. no fussing around. =)
9. SLICE UP EVERYTHING ON THE SAME DAY! our fruits, veggies, etc so you can just throw them in, cuts down prep time on the day of.

Some Ideas for breakfasts (you can easily have these on the train or sneak them at work lol):
1. Cereal + almond milk --> prepare your cereal on prep days, divide them onto the right portions, leave them in a tupperware, pour your milk into water bottles so you can have it on the road!
2. Greek Yoghurt + cottage cheese + fruit --> measure up your greek yoghurt + cottage cheese + slice up your fruits and put them together in a zip loc bag.
3. Shakeology is always a win! =) you could put one scoop in zip loc bags so its ready for you in the morning, a shaker cup helps. you can also divide your almond milk / oj or whatever it is you use into empty water bottles.

SNACKS:
1. PB + J Ezekiel sandwhich --> you DO NEED to make these the night before unfortunately! otherwise it gets too soggy! but hey at least you have everything else ready right?
2. STRING CHEESE --> behold to all of you cheese lovers out there! these are super easy to "prep" lol tear it up and thrown it in your bag!
3. FRUITS! --> those of us who are still in school or feel sleepy during the day, BRING APPLES. it will WAKE YOU UP! bring two - three types of fruits. Bananas is another good one and ITS QUITE so you dont need to feel awkward.
4. EDAMAME --> divide them into portions ON PREP day. put them in a ZIP LOC bag. its another quite snack + it really does fill you up!
5. SHAKEOLOGY! =)

LUNCHES & DINNERS:
Lunches - Salads are your best friend! And no I'm not talking about leafy salads! On your PREP DAY, MAKE ALL YOUR CARBS AT ONCE. use some of it to make your lunches, divide it into the rightful portions! THEN you can make some brown pasta/quinoa/brown rice salads! THERE ARE TONS AND TONS AND TONS of easy recipes out there! measure up your proteins to (fish, chicken, tempeh, TVP etc) and throw them into your salads! the BEST PART about these are YOU DONT NEED TO HEAT THEM UP and THEY STILL TASTES GREAT! refreshing AND healthy!
DInners - The GRILL is your BFF. its FAST, EASY AND TASTY =) again if you made all your carbs on prep day, you could solely focus on grilling up your veggies/proteins only and it usually takes no longer than 5 mins! Those of you who have to have dinner on the road, wraps make a GREAT option, you can eat them cold! and make them on your PREP DAY!