Does Meal Planning Save You Money?

My grocery budget had gone insane at the beginning of this year. Partly because prices are up but mostly because I don’t pre-plan my shopping anymore, or meals, or really have time to cook. I have a toddler and work full time, I’m barely making it.

In an effort to get back on track, I was wondering if pre planning would have a real impact on my grocery budget.

I decided the month of May to make a plan, and let me tell you, meal planning is hard. And I’m someone who loves planning, cooking, and food shopping. And it was hard. 

One reason people’s budgets are crazy is because there is no plan. If you wait until the last minute to figure out food, you will probably spend more than you should and eat out because it’s the easier option.

I love reading those articles about how people meal prep or show the weekly budgets and what meals they make. ‘I fed my family of six on $100 for the week!’. Ugh so inspiring and a little hard to believe. 

So much work goes into tracking that! A lot of times though, they are stay at home parents so they have more time to plan and make every single meal. It also seems to be like it’s their full time job as they cook 3 meals a day from scratch. It’s a lot of work to cook healthy food and eat well in general.

WEEK 1

I tried to make my plan and it took me a couple hours over 2 days to make my plan for the first 2 weeks of the month, choose my recipes, and make the list of what I need to buy at Trader Joes. I was exhausted before I even went to the store. 

I made sure that I would have time to do some cooking during the weekend and planned what I needed to buy on Saturday morning.

These are the meals I came up with to feed 2.5 ppl (toddler doesn’t eat much and everything is currently ‘yucky’):

• Fish tacos w/ slaw and pineapple salsa/ rice and beans
• Sausages, potato salad and sauerkraut 
• Penne with lemon, asparagus, peas and TJ artichoke sauce
• Buckwheat bowl with beans, sweet potato, onions, peppers and lemon- tahini dressing

Trader Joe’s groceries purchased 

Total: approx. $43-48 (I forgot to write down how much the asparagus was):

• GF battered fish $11.99
• Slaw $2.49
• Black beans $1.09 x2
• Tahini $3.99
• Sweet potatoes $1.78
• Peas $4.49
• Asparagus $?
• Lemon .98
• Potatoes $3.79
• Chicken sausage $4.29
• Sauerkraut $4.49

Groceries I had at home already:

• Buckwheat
• Frozen onions and peppers
• Rice mix
• Corn tortillas
• Condiments like mayo, oil, vinegars, mustard
• Penne
• Artichoke sauce

So right off the bat looking at this, I spent the amount we spend on 2 meals eating out ($43 and that’s cheap!) and got 10 servings of food. That’s pretty good!

And even if I had to buy the remaining ingredients I had at home that probably would’ve only been another $25 which is still cheaper than if we ate out 10 servings of food!

I prepped some ingredients at various times like cooking the buckwheat and saving it in the fridge for the next day or roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven when I had time. And some other meals like the fish tacos I made everything at the same time since my evening was more free. 

But since my time is limited, I had to schedule my cooking time for the weekend and made sure I had recipes that were relatively easy to throw together. The buckwheat bowls left a little to be desired because I created it off the top of my head, left out some ingredients I had wanted to add and realized afterwards it needed something salty like a feta cheese or olives.

I am also a fan of shortcuts so I used frozen onions and peppers that I had on hand and just warmed them in the pan for the bowls. And instead of making rice and beans from scratch, I had a boil bag of a rice mix I used and threw some beans in there. As good as my beans? No. But I worked with what I had to save time. 

That wasn’t so bad for one week….but what the hell was I doing for the other weeks?

I realize that it would be exhausting and like a 3rd job to cook everything from scratch and frankly, most of the weekends are busy or my toddler is sick from daycare.

I used to meal prep hardcore before having a kid and it WAS my 2nd job. I weighed things, pre packaged meals, cooked for 2 hours at a time…I really don’t have the time or energy to do that anymore. We have to know our limits and when to give some things up.

We’ve been getting meal deliveries for the last year to make my life easier but that is a little expensive and there is never a plan of when we get those vs. when I cook, so sometimes they overlap. That’s also why my budget has been crazy too, sometimes I had too much food on hand and it would go to waste and other times I had nothing and had to eat out. 

I planned to have a meal delivery (Blue Apron) the next weekend so I didn’t have to shop.

And we got a meal delivery (Eat Fit Go) the weekend after which freed up time that weekend to cook.

WEEK 2

I went to Stop n Shop the next Thursday and make a meal plan for the beginning of that week mostly based on what I had that I can use and only purchase a small amount of things:

• GF lemon and blueberry muffins
• Beef and bean chili with TJ GF cornbread
• Noodle stir fry with edamame and shredded carrots

Stop n Shop groceries I purchased:

• Blueberries
• Lemon
• And the rest of the list….I don’t remember because I threw out the receipt so I couldn’t even track how much I spent. Hot mess express. 

Groceries I had at home already:

• Noodles
• Edamame
• Condiments like coconut aminos, toasted sesame oil, and olive oil
• Frozen blueberries
• Ground Beef
• Beans
• Broth
• Diced tomatoes
• Onion and garlic
• TJ cornbread mix

Made the noodle stir fry and my toddler ate it up the first night saying ‘yummy yummy’. Mom happy dance! By day 3 it came back in the container from school. Toddler problems. 

After he kept me up all night, I managed to find the strength to make the lemon and blueberry muffins from a recipe I found on Instagram. They weren’t great and he refused to eat them. Froze most of them in hopes that he changes his mind in a few weeks. But probably I would just eat them. A partial fail. I don’t remember what happened the rest of the week cuz I was just trying to survive. Ah, life.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I ended up spending a little less that month on food from the planning. I continued it in June as well (didn’t cook as much though) and noticed that there was less food waste. Before, I was buying things in the hope I could use them and then ended up throwing it out because it went bad before I got to it. 

I’ve been meal planning with an actual paper calendar so I can see everything for the month.

1. A couple days before the month begins, I sit down with my calendar and put in all the dates I know we are definitely eating out, busy, or weekends I have no time to cook. 
2. then I mark the days I WILL have time to cook and work around that
3. On the back of the calendar I write out what I have in the freezer we can use, pantry, dairy, and fresh ingredients. I try to make a plan based on that first before I buy other things. 
4. Then I write down all the recipes I could make with what I have and what I would like to make, and start plugging them into days
5. I look at 1-2 weeks and come up with a plan
6. I make a list of things I need to buy at the market

Ex. I know I can cook on Sunday morning before my husband leaves for work, so I will go to the market on Saturday so I have everything ready to put together and cook on Sunday. That will cover me for Sunday dinner and leftovers for lunch Monday. If I have time I cook 2 meals that will also cover Monday night dinner and Tues lunch. 

Or Ill make a big soup that will cover me Monday-Friday lunches and all I have to worry about is dinner for all of us. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Planning your month does make a big difference and helps you curb spending and reduce waste so I highly recommend it. It also does take a lot of work. I’ve been consistent since May, some months are better than others, but I feel less stressed about food when I do it.

And one day, I will be able to be the meal prep Queen again.

Do you meal prep? Have you ever tried tracking and found that it saved you money?

** Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment and share. It helps me know I’m not just talking to myself **

Meal Prep: Tips And Tricks Part 2

I know, I know, that last post was a bit overwhelming. It seems like a lot but once you get into the swing of things, it’s not so bad. You get into your groove and sashay around the kitchen shoveling food into containers and labeling like a BOSS. Or, you drop stuff on the floor, can’t find your containers, and lose your shit at all the dishes you have to do now. We have our days. It’s ok. 

After all my meals are planned, I begin my actual prep for the week. I try to get the bulk of stuff ready to go on Saturday, so I just have to mix and match my foods into the containers they go on Sunday.

Some of my go-tos

 

So if I went to BJs and came home and already broke down the chicken all I have to do is go to that container and measure out the ounces I need for each meal. Yes, I have a food scale which gets used A LOT on the Transform App. Bought it from Amazon for cheap and it’s great–here’s the link: Food Scale

Like I mentioned before, if I have time on the weekend and we do our shopping on Saturday, I prep some of the stuff so they are ready to go on Sunday when I cook and that way I have a bit less work to do. I always start with the following:

1. Break down rotisserie chicken
2. Cut bell peppers and put them in container
3. Cut onion and put in container
4. Roast cauliflower rice and broccoli (if I have fresh)
5. Make pot of brown rice

At this point, I have my go-to meals so I tend to use the same ingredients for multiple days. It makes shopping and prepping a lot easier. On Sunday, I start by browning my ground turkey and while that’s cooking, I open the cans (black beans and corn) which are used in multiple meals, and bring out stuff from the fridge so it’s on the counter ready to go. If I didn’t have fresh broccoli and cauliflower now is the time I start microwaving the frozen steam packs–each ones takes about 5 minutes and they cover at least 3-5 meals.

1. Brown ground turkey
2. Open cans
3. Take out extras from fridge (salsa, lime juice, marinara, shredded cheese, etc)
4. Microwave steam packs (broccoli, cauliflower rice)
5. Take out measuring cups/ spoons and containers
6. Take out spices I need for my meals
7. Start assembling containers

 

Extra canned corn or peppers you won’t use? Freeze them!

Some of my meals consists of onions and peppers and I like to cook them instead of eating it raw–I also cook it with the chicken that way all the flavors meld together–but I’ve also seen people just throw each thing into a container. Since I’m cooking it, it does take longer and because I have specific measurements I have to do each meal separately. If I wasn’t following the Transform App I would definitely throw it all in the same pan then divide it between the containers which would probably cut my meal prepping time in half. The meals I do choose from Transform App are usually ones you can throw into the container without much cooking (as long as all the ingredients are prepped beforehand).

 

Once the containers are filled I label each one with some tape and a sharpie–it’s all very official–and I check it off my list. When all the meals are done and I’ve cleaned up, I make my oatmeal containers for breakfast. At least one of my snacks for the day is grab and go so it’s usually protein powder and Rice Krispies treats, almonds, cheese stick or granola bars on the side. It’s something I don’t have to put a lot of effort into and is quick to grab the morning of as well.

I’ll say that most Sundays I can churn out Sunday-Tuesday without a problem. If a meal that I’m making for one of those days repeats on Wednesday or Thursday and I have enough of the ingredients out, I make that container as well and label it. Any leftovers on Sunday go into separate containers so I can use when I cook for the rest of the week. I usually schedule what I’m eating later in the week based on what I have leftover and in the fridge. I try not to have to go food shopping during the week since the closest store is a bit overpriced and it’s too much to go food shopping after work, work out, do other errands AND cook. That’s a long day. 

Hopefully this all helps some people who are feeling overwhelmed about meal prepping. It is a bit daunting, especially when you have to measure everything, but once you find your own stride, it should be a lot better. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below—thoughts, ideas, I’d love to hear from people!

If you follow these steps, you should be OK:

1. Have a plan
2. Stay organized
3. Use meals for multiple days so you don’t have to do extra work
4. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and off your groove, take a break and prep the rest of it tomorrow
5. Have designated prep days–mine are Sunday, Monday, Thursday

Meal Prepping Tips And Tricks: What To Eat And How To Do It

Recently people have been asking me about meal prepping because, if you look at my Instagram feed, it consumes my life. Mostly, they’ve been asking if I can pack meals and deliver it to them. If I had a big enough kitchen, I would totally do that instead of my current job.

I figured I would share some tips and tricks I’ve learned in the last 6 months and also share what my typical purchases and preps are. I’ve always had a lot of food containers but prepping for two people at least 3 days ahead of time showed me that I didn’t. So the first thing is to invest in containers that you actually love. Ones that don’t spill in transit and that aren’t too big to carry around. I HATE carrying around containers. I usually carry my meals in my bag because I also HATE lugging around 2 bags (especially in the winter when I’m freezing and barely want to be outside). I take the train to work and

My beloved oatmeal containers by Sistema. So convenient to pack ahead of time

walk a lot so I need things that fit in my bag–that usually includes 2-3 food containers, a travel coffee mug and a small shaker bottle–also my usual wallets, keys, 6-8 lipsticks/glosses, charger, tissues, pen, small planner, etc. It’s a lot.

 

Once you have those containers sit down and plan the upcoming week. I consider my start of the week as Sunday, so I start thinking about cooking on Thursday or Friday. It’s a lot easier if you’re solo and you don’t have to cook for a whole family, trying to please everyone throws you for a whole other loop, but meal planning is also easier if you’re not on a program because you don’t have to count out specific measurements. But always look for meals that can carry over as leftovers. I don’t mind eating the same thing for 4 days, I hear some people are picky about that but just consider all the time and money you’re saving and get over it!

Write out the meals you plan on making then figure out the ingredients you need. I write everything out on a paper then cross off when I confirm I have it already in the kitchen. If you’re like me and you’re on a budget, then you have to compare prices at different

What my desk at work looks like every day

stores. It’s a lot of extra work but I got it down to a science now. I usually shop at BJ’s Club and Stop n’ Shop–I love that both their apps have coupons you can load right onto your card so there’s no more clipping. I look at the coupons first then go to the circulars for that week and compare pricing at my local stores.

 

We try to do our shopping on Saturday that way I don’t have to leave the house on Sunday and can focus on the actual cooking. But sometimes I start the cooking on Saturday, shop on Sunday, and then finish the prepping Sunday afternoon/evening. It depends on how much we have going on during the weekend.

When I started the Transform App, the first few weeks was trial and error—determining what meals we liked to eat, what was easiest to make, the amount of 1 ingredient we would need for the week. At first I tried to make a lot of different meals during the week which would leave me with leftover foods that would spoil because I wasn’t making the same meals. Then I started only making 1 or 2 new recipes each week and made sure to use ingredients that I already shopped for and used. Once we had a list of the 10-15 meals we constantly ate, it was A LOT easier to shop at the store.

Protein powder and meat are the biggest investments. For powder, shop around until you find the one you like that will also not break the bank–there are some expensive ones out there! There’s a brand I like but at $68 a bag, it’s not practical. I found a powder on Amazon that is super cheap and made for women (my hair and nails look amazing btw)– Nature’s Bounty-Amazon . I usually end up drinking 1 shake a day and then the powder goes into smoothie recipes or oatmeal for the most part.
Meat is expensive and I found that BJ’s Club is the best for that. Supermarkets also have sales on meat and if you have the space in your freezer I would definitely recommend stocking up during a cheap sale and freezing it. We don’t have the space so I can only hoard 2 packs of ground turkey at a time. I’m obsessed with the rotisserie chicken at BJs. For $4.99 you get a whole bird that can give you at least 3 days worth of meat. I break it down when I get home and put it in a container, then anytime I need chicken I just take from there. In the beginning I was getting chicken and ground turkey then it would take me an hour just to prep the meats which was such a waste of my time.

Vegetables are the easiest and it makes me so sad I don’t have a farmers market close to me. Or a garden so I can grow my own. One day. At first I was buying fresh and breaking down the cauliflower and broccoli then cooking it. That took a lot of time. I’m obsessed with those steamable veggie bags–they make meal prepping so easy, are typically cheap, and a lot of different brands are doing them now so you can always find a sale. I always have steamable bags of broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and cauliflower rice in my freezer for when I need quick preps. It takes about 4 ½ minutes in the microwave and while that’s going I can prep other things. Super convenient!

Fruits are mostly used in the smoothies or my oatmeal so I buy a bag of strawberries and blueberries from BJs and that usually lasts about 1-2 months (depending on how often you use it). The first month of shopping I took a big hit on my grocery budget because I had to stock up on big things like oatmeal, protein powders, peanut butter, and frozen fruit but the trade off is that it usually lasts for 2 months so it’s not too bad when you break down the cost.

Things I buy at BJs Club (starred are weekly or biweekly) :

1. Rotisserie chicken*
2. Ground turkey*
3. Frozen blueberries
4. Frozen strawberries
5. Brown Rice
6. Jars of salsa
7. Peanut butter
8. Quaker 1 minute oats
9. Feta cheese crumble
10. Shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
11. Jarred marinara sauce
12. Almond milk*
13. Peanut butter powder
14. Cans of black beans
15. Rice Krispies
16. Almonds
17. Quaker Chewy bars
18. String Cheese
19. Franks Red Hot

Things I buy at Stop n Shop or the local grocery store:
1. Fresh fruits: apples, grape tomatoes, bananas
2. Fresh herbs: cilantro and green onion
3. Fresh vegetables: cucumber, sweet potato, onion, avocado, baby spinach, bell peppers,     zucchini
4. Frozen steamable bags: broccoli, cauliflower, cauliflower rice, snap peas, green beans
5. Shredded cheeses
6. Laughing cow cheese wedges
7. Deli turkey and cheese

Some of my favorites: BJ’s rotisserie chicken, ground turkey, steamables and rice

And the most important thing to putting these meals all together are: SPICES.
If you spice your meals properly then you don’t need to cover them in heavy sauces. I used limited amounts of salt and have increased the use of my other spices and I don’t even miss the salt. Also, I use hot sauce on everything–Franks Red Hot is my go-to because it’s not too spicy, just gives it a kick.

When I’m browning my ground turkey these are the spices I use to give it a little kick before adding it to my specific meals. There’s no measurements (if you read my previous posts you know I’m a pinch of this and a dash of that kinda girl) because it’s how you feel—maybe you like a lot of paprika, maybe you hate it–who am I to tell you how to live your life

Spice mix for ground turkey (sprinkle it over the turkey while it’s cooking in the pan):
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Paprika
Chili powder
Cumin powder
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Cayenne pepper

Next post I’ll be breaking down the actually meal prepping. This was just set up, people!

Eating Right: What I Learned About Meal Prepping In The Past Year

Below I’ve listed my typical meal prep before I started the Transform program with Chris and Heidi Powell and what I eat now on the program. I still have some adjusting to do since my husband officially moved in a few months ago so I’ve been running out of meals earlier in the week when I cook. It takes some getting used to when a pot of rice used to be 5 servings for one person but now it’s only 3 servings total for both of us (boys eat a lot!). And meat for two people? Insane! I don’t know how people feed families over 4 people..it’s so expensive…pb&j for everyone!

I’ve been trying to prep myself for the week AND also feed my husband. The poor thing has had to eat a lot of these Transform meals since making two of something is easier than creating a whole separate meal. I just increase the carbs and protein for him. Sometimes I make a crock pot of something and that lasts him for a few days so I can just focus on myself. But that guy lucked out—he lost  about 10 lbs. 2 months after I started the program—HE WASN’T EVEN OFFICIALLY ON THE PROGRAM!
That just shows how much food really does impact our bodies. We can work out for 3 hours every day, but if you’re shoving donuts in your mouth and eating carbs late at night, then all that work is for nothing. I’m still learning how to perfect meal prepping and making sure that I’m eating the right things but I sure have come a long way from 2 years ago when I thought I was doing OK. This last 6 months have brought me to a whole new meal prepping level.

BREAKFAST
Old Way: Before prepping: usually just coffee at 8am then I would have my first snack at 10am.
New Way: I now have oatmeal M-F and then treat myself to a fruit smoothie and toast

Oatmeal, Monday-Friday

with peanut butter on the weekends. When I began prepping, I tried changing up my breakfasts so I had half the week oatmeal and the other half a ground turkey sweet potato skillet meal but then I realized I was OK with oatmeal 5 days a week so why add more work to my prep on Sunday for no reason? The turkey meal took more time and used up my meat which I could save for lunches and dinners.

SNACK
Old Way: I would pack 2 snacks for the day, like a small zip lock bag of pretzels and animal crackers. And if I had more time and I wanted to be fancy I would have cut up vegetables and have a cheese stick or snack bar. None of that was very filling probably since it was low on protein.
New Way: I now eat 2 snacks while I’m at work and it’s usually a protein shake with almonds, cheese sticks or Rice Krispies Treats–depending on if it’s a low or high carb day.  When I can actually make it to the deli I like to do a couple turkey and cheese roll ups. If If I have more time on my meal prepping day, I make a bigger meal so I’m having a larger snack and lunch during work and then I’m not tempted by all the donuts and treats going around because I’m so full. I realized on this plan that although I was eating 2 mini snacks during the day before, they weren’t very filling which is why I was always starving by the time I got home at 4:30pm and then ate very naughty things.

LUNCH
Old Way: Make a vat of chili (with meat or just beans) and it can feed you for days. Add some rice to your chili and I had lunch. That’s my favorite way to save money on food. Or pasta with cheese and sauce or soups. But it’s very hard to transport soup to work. I have done well recently with freezing the soup servings into plastic cups and then slipping (or breaking) them out of the cups and transporting it solid to work. Less spillage.  Sometimes I would make a small salad and add some grilled chicken to it.
New Way: I follow the Transform App meal plan and eat meals according to my allotted macros and whether it’s a low or high-carb day. I never feel bloated, I’m always pretty full, and even though I’ve increased my protein intake and decreased my pasta/rice (which has increased my grocery budget), I think it’s worth it. That means less mini-snacks in between my other snacks. Typically I’ll have some ground turkey with

ground turkey, broccoli, marinara and Parmesan cheese: one of my frequent go-tos

marinara sauce, broccoli and Parmesan cheese (low-carb) or I’ll have chicken with black beans, corn, salsa and rice (high carb).

DINNER
Old Way: Usually it’s leftover from the night before–chicken or ground beef, vegetables, rice or salad. Or some soup again–usually from a can which is full of sodium! Rice, potatoes, and pasta were usual contenders because they’re the easiest to make for dinner since I was starving early on in the night when I wasn’t eating my high protein snacks.
New Way: Going on the Transform App made me realize I ate too many carbs for dinner so I’ve transitioned to a more low-carb meal at night and upped the protein intake. I feel so much better going to sleep at night since I eat all my heavy stuff earlier in the day and then I’m not starving at night. Typically I make that ground turkey with marinara that I listed for lunch or my other favorite, Taco Salad–ground turkey, onion, salsa, lettuce, olives, shredded cheese, and avocado. And hot sauce. On everything.

So, if you’re finding meal prepping daunting, don’t fret. It takes a while to get a rhythm. Some weeks I have a really good prep and I have 4 days worth of food in under 2 hours, and other weeks (like this week) I lose my shit on Monday when I’ve barely made 2 days worth of meals and I also have to squeeze in my workout, wash the dishes, and do all the other little household things and it’s already 7pm. In those cases you have to realize that you have to let something go in order to keep your sanity–so I moved my workout to another day in the week. I felt a little better but sometimes you just have to focus on what you can do and don’t beat yourself up so much. We’re all still learning.

Meal Prepping: My 2nd Job

More meal prep talk! I began intensely meal prepping last year because of Chris and Heidi Powell’s book Extreme Transformation. They really emphasize the idea that if you are prepared for your meals then you typically eat healthfully and mindfully and…it can

The book that started it all last year

also taste good! I think what throws people off when trying to change their lifestyle is they take what is written and force themselves to eat things on a meal plan they don’t like without realizing that they can swap things out and customize to what they actually like to eat. On the other hand, if they get a blank meal plan they freeze and don’t know what to make or what they like to eat and then give up. I think it’s a good idea to look at several plans and tailor it to what you want to eat.

Once I started realizing that it’s not about following someone else’s plan to a tee but making it my own, it was easier to weed out all the recipes I wasn’t interested in: like cottage cheese, yogurt and eggs. Bleh. In some cases you can just swap out a particular ingredient like, if you don’t fancy mushrooms in your stir-fry you can add asparagus. But that requires thinking outside the box and the people who think they have to follow that meal plan to the letter are the same people who measure out the exact amount of things for a recipe and don’t deviate. My husband is like that–he’ll sit and dice each piece into exact measurements and if it says ¼ teaspoon of chili powder you know that’s what you’re getting–it drives him crazy when I throw in a handful of this or add some more of that. I’ve been cooking since I was 12. Sometimes you gotta go with your gut feeling.

Most of my recipes are based on other recipes that I’ve changed or added extra to because, in most cases, if I have 90% of the ingredients I’m making it. What am I gonna do–run to the store every time I need 1 lime or a box of penne? No thank you. And some people just think they can’t do it if they don’t have everything on the list which then means they’re going to the store every day for some ingredient or another. Who has time for that! Most of my planning comes from what I currently have in the fridge that I need to eat before it goes bad or whether or not I have meat like ground turkey or chicken or if I have to use beans for my protein (meat’s expensive and we’re on a budget!). A recipe calls for broccoli but I have cauliflower. Swap! Need black beans? I’m adding red beans! That’s how I roll.

I must say, since I’ve been following the Powell’s meal plan (which is rooted in Macro-science), I feel great. I’m less bloated and gassy and never feel gross after eating a meal. And ladies, when you have a boyfriends or husband and you’re still trying to keep the romance alive, it’s nice not to have to hold in your gas because you don’t really have any when you eat right! It’s never fun and it’s never sexy sitting on the couch saying to yourself “Don’t fart…hold it in. Oh he wants to cuddle? Damn, I can’t move from this position!…don’t make any sudden movements…” (you know what I’m talking about. Don’t pretend. We’ve all been there).

My meals for the following 3 days are always planned and I have flexibility on the weekends—especially Saturdays which are reward days for me and that makes my husband happy since we can eat pizza. But meal prepping also means carrying around a bunch of Tupperware all the time BUT that also means I never get to the point where I’m hangry and want to murder people….like out of my mind hungry…once I hit that point, get out of my fucking way.

It’s also like having a 2nd job–when I was following the plan 100% it was my job to meal prep and to work out. By the time I got home from work, worked out, showered, and cooked…it was 9pm. I really can’t imagine what that would feel like with kids pulling at you all hours of the day. I don’t know how people do it and I say kudos to them. I do know how the celebrities do it though: nannies and chefs. One day…