Coach Kenzie’s Top 5 Meal Prep Tips

Five Meal Prep Tips from Coach Kenzie

Tip 1: ALWAYS Make Extra Protein!

Protein is typically the component of a meal that takes the longest time to cook. Whenever you are cooking chicken, beef, tofu, fish, etc., be sure to cook extra. This will make preparing lunch salads and dinner stir-fries a breeze – and will significantly reduce your cooking time throughout the week.

Tip 2: Prep ONE Slow Cooker Meal Each Weekend

Make this a habit. This is one of Kenzie’s favorite meal prep tips as it leaves you with 6-8 servings of a slow cooked meal that you can eat or freeze for the week. The best part? After 3-4 weeks of doing this, you’ll have a “freezer stock pile” of meals to choose from when you are too tired, or time is too tight to cook. Try to make these meals “complete” – or, almost complete, so you don’t have to add too much to the meal when you’re ready to serve it.

Some examples…

• Moroccan Chicken Stew with Apricots, P2/P3 (pg. 133 of Always Delicious)
  • Served with quinoa and salad with dressing (or hummus with veggies)
• Slow Cooker Chili, P1 (pg. 249 of Always Delicious)
  • Served with salad with dressing
• Beef, Bean, and Barley Stew, P2/P3 (pg. 235 of Always Hungry?)
  • Served with salad with dressing

Tip 3: Get Breakfast Out of the Way

Prep breakfasts ahead of time. You want to start your day with a satiating, nourishing meal – and, having something prepared ahead of time will increase the likelihood of you starting your day off on a great foot. Some of our favourite prep-ahead recipes include…

• Chia Pudding, P1 (pg. 108 Always Delicious)
• Waffles (Kenzie loves to serve with 1/3 cup fresh fruit, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, and 2 tsp of melted peanut butter)
• Egg muffins (smoked salmon, or spinach & feta)

Tip 4: Prep Snack Packs!

Make a few pre-portioned snacks for the week. There is nothing worse than getting HUNGRY and realizing there is nothing but chips or cookies available… Help yourself have fuel when you need it with pre-portioned snack packs that you can grab-and-go whenever you need. Some of Kenzie’s favourites include…

• Grape and cheese container (in the fridge)
• Homemade trail mix (in the cupboard)
• Dark chocolate almonds, pre-portioned (in the cupboard)
• Waffle “muffins”. Prep our waffle recipe and cook in muffin tins for 15-20 minutes at 350°F, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes clean. You can flavour these by adding cinnamon, (sweet), cheese (savoury), or putting a dollop of peanut butter into the center of each muffin (delicious!)

Last Meal Prep Tip (Tip #5): Prep or Buy 2-3 Quick Flavour Boosters

Developing flavour can take time – so, it’s best to have a few quicker “prep boosters” to add to a meal. We recommend you look at Always Delicious pg. 283 – 307 and Always Hungry? pg. 259 – 273 for some delicious quick sauces.

Some of Kenzie’s favourites are…

• Pesto (great for a pasta meal with: chickpea pasta with pesto and pre-cooked chicken!)
• Hummus or Guacamole (great for snacks, or to use as a “dressing” for salads or grain bowls)
  • We have a great recipe for hummus on Page 290 of Always Hungry?
• Olive oil & lemon juice (so easy, and a great way to add flavours to dinners or salads)