This past week, I’ve been focusing on setting myself up for success. As we all know, eating healthy, or making it to the gym, can easily fall through the cracks by simply talking ourselves out of it. I do it all the time. However, when I have food ready to go in the fridge, or if I lay my clothes out the night before: success. I created this 3 day meal prep to be flexible, easy, and delicious.
One the challenges about ingesting enough vegetables for me, is the actual eating part. I spend so many hours in the car, and while salads are one of my favorite ways to get a bunch of raw veggies, they can be tricky to eat on the go! For this 3 day meal prep, I whizzed up a bunch of yummy greens to create a cold gazpacho, which can be enjoyed at a sit down meal, or simply by drinking it straight from the jar. Again, think about your schedule, step by step and set yourself up for success.
I’ve also included a chickpea “no egg” salad as part of this 3 day meal prep. As always, feel free to adjust to your needs and preferences. Tuna salad, traditional egg salad, or any kind of sandwich would be great options here. The key is easy, and make-ahead. So find an option that works for you.
We’ve all heard it a million times, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. My suggestion? Prep it before you need it, no matter how easy it is to throw together. Once you have breakfast ready, you’ll be more likely to eat it, instead of running out of time and skipping your morning fuel. Pancakes are of course my favorite way to start the day, but often unrealistic. So portioning out the makings for protein shakes tends to be my daily breakfast. I use two kinds of fruit, often frozen blueberries and bananas. I put these in a jar and top it off with a bunch of fresh spinach. The whole thing goes into the freezer, then when I’m running out the door, I add in coconut milk and a scoop of protein powder and blend. Not a bad way to start the day!
As far as healthy snacks go, I try to keep in simple. When I’m chopping veggies for the gazpacho, I cut a few extras to munch on later. Raw almonds, and dried fruit are great, as are hard-boiled eggs. Lately I’ve also been making my peanut butter protein bars (pictured below). You can find the recipe here: peanut butter protein bars. And again, set yourself up for success by portioning out snacks ahead of time!
3 Day Meal Prep
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
BREAKFAST:
Protein Shake:
- 3 cups fruit of your choice
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- Milk
- Protein powder
LUNCH:
Green Gazpacho:
- 4 celery stalks
- 2 cucumbers peeled
- 1 bell pepper
- 2 green onions- diced
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic- minced
- 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Freshly ground pepper
- Drizzle of olive oil
Chickpea “No Egg” Salad:
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas- rinsed
- 1 tbsp avocado mayo
- 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp mustard
- ½ celery stalk- diced
- ¼ cup pickles- diced
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dill
- ½ lemon- juiced
- Sprouted bread or hearty crackers
SNACK:
- 6 Hard-boiled eggs
- Raw almonds
- Dried fruit
- Fresh fruit
- String cheese
- Raw veggies- carrots celery, cucumbers
Instructions
- Prepping all of these meals takes less than 45 minutes. Here we go:
- Make hard-boiled eggs: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add eggs. Boil 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest 10 minutes in the hot water. Rinse under cold water to cool. Peel and separate into 3 containers. Season with salt and pepper.
- While the eggs are cooking, wash your veggies for the gazpacho. Peel and chop, adding a few extras for snacks. Add everything into your food processor or blender and pulse until chunky. Divide into 3 containers. Jars are my favorite for drinking.
- Rinse your blender or food processor. Add in the ingredients for the chickpea “no egg” salad. Pulse until chunky. Separate into three containers. Divide sandwich bread or tasty crackers into three bags for dipping, scooping, or sandwiching.
- For the protein shakes, divide fruit into three jars. I like frozen blueberries, strawberries, and banana. Use what you have. Top the jars off with a bunch of fresh spinach. Freeze. When you’re ready to drink, add a cup of coconut milk, and a scoop of your favorite protein powder. Add water as needed to thin. Blend.
- Divide your snacks into three bags or jars. Use a combination of raw nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Wash an apple, cut up any fresh fruit you have on hand. Add to the fridge in your snack section.
- Tip: save all your glass jars from jams, pickles, sauces. Give them a good wash, soak off the labels, and use for all your meal prepping needs! Buy a lunch box, and a small ice pack. Now you have all the tools to conquer your week, and fuel to keep you going!
