A story of life after Thanksgiving Day in America…..
Meal prep and move on! Prep for the week and get it done!
That’s what I told myself on Sunday 25th, after three (3!!) days of Thanksgiving food and left overs (thankstaking!). It wasn’t funny. I have never seen so many different kinds of pie in my life. I had “chocolate chip pie”. Chocolate chips in a pie! I didn’t know there was such a thing. Americans are wonderful people. DE-LEE-SHIOS as it was (oh my GOD was it just), it was time to move my eating into a new week. I was getting high on sugar. MEAL PREP!
Meanwhile, I had the MOST delicious home-made apple pie courtesy of my dear friend Liliana, a “friendsgiving” endeavour. Sorry….I digress….focus Titi!!
For the uninitiated, meal prep (preparation) is the “process of planning and preparing your meals in advance“.
We all do it in some form or the other but there is an art to it, a “methodology”. It can be complicated or simple, depending on your approach. Whichever way, I find it helps make my week effective – saves time leaving the house, saves money (property taxes won’t pay themselves!), keeps my nutrition on track as I know exactly what’s in my food (picky eater alert) AND keeps my overall fitness in check. Friend, if your aim is to eat at a certain time of the day, and to monitor how and what you eat, meal prep may just be for you.
Typically, I make a few “base” dishes that I can combine depending on my mood (picky blah blah). I throw in spinach and other raw salads here and there. I swear I can eat the same thing every day if I’m left to my devices, so yes, meal prep is for me. This week I made baked beets and used the beet greens in black beans, sweet potatoes, quinoa and brown rice with peas, minced turkey and a diced celery/apple salad, amongst others.
I do love to cook but I know there are many who don’t. There are many meal-kit delivery services available providing pre-portioned food and recipes right to your doorstep. Or maybe you want to consult a nutritionist and get a meal plan…or you get someone to cook for you in your own home….where there’s a will there’s a way! Oh, that was the title of my last blog (LOL). You can read that here.
Meal prep can be applied to anything. ANYTHING. Your own in-home project. Tackle it like a project manager! How so?
From a Project Management perspective……
- I plan the menu for the week – breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Research “healthier” options or benefits of ingredients for optimal input – project initiation, planning and design.
- I decide what I’m cooking (carbs, protein, vegetables) and what day/time. I set aside at least 2 hrs, more if baking – agree schedule, determine the critical path
- I write my grocery list and shop – budget, task allocation….
- I get cooking!Project execution! I’m one of those people who will happily and “quickly” chop by hand.
- I pack it all up! Deliverables are completed, stacked in pretty containers because, well, presentation matters.
- Planned, prepped, produced, packaged and pleased, I’m ready for my week. The 5 ps of Project meal prep! Plan for success. You too can survive life after pie.
See? Yeah, see cover photo 🙂
La la la la la……happy customer. I’ll just go for a quick walk “around the block”….if you’re working from home, I suggest you do the same. If you aren’t, I still suggest you do the same! It’s so easy to work long(er) hours from home, sans commute. More hours hunched over a desk or staring at a screen….and stretch!
#starthealthstayhealthy #mealprepforthewin #wintheweek #projectmanageanything
This is how I #smilefit 🙂
Big shout out to Thanksgiving Day though! The fourth Thursday of November (if you’re in the US). A day that strikes fear in the hearts of turkeys across the land. A holiday that started as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year (thank you Wikipedia). Now it’s more famous as the day before “Black Friday”. I was thankful that I got invited to two Thanksgiving dinners! I guessed what was in store so I got in a run that morning. I can’t beat the system, that’s just me.
Toodles
Ttx
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T is for Titi 