meal prep 101

AT E
L TIM
THE
'S
U NER
E GI N ID E
B GU from
HEATHER
BLACK
fitness &
nutrition

HEATHERBLACKFITNESS.COM | @HEATHERBLACKFIT | ©2017 HEATHER BLACK FITNESS


why should i
meal prep?
Exercise is awesome. Not
only can it make you look
great naked, but it can also:
-Put you in a better mood
-Boost your energy
-Help you sleep better
-Enhance your sex life
-Mitigate disease and
chronic health conditions
-Improve your social life
-Help control your weight
Notice I didn’t put weight
loss at the top of the list.
That’s because it’s not the
best way to lose those
extra pounds. If you are
simply trying to lower the
number on the scale and
don’t care about any of
those other awesome
benefits I just mentioned,
change your diet and your
battle is all but won. 
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MEAL PREP 101
Don’t believe me? Think
.
about this: you run for an
hour and burn 550 calories.
You’re feeling great so you
decide to treat yourself.
You order a small
hamburger from Wendy’s.
No fries, no soft drink, just
“Both physical
the hamburger. By itself, activity and diet are
that burger is 570 calories. important to weight
You might as well have just control, but if you
stayed in bed. You can’t
outrun your fork.
are fairly active and
ignore diet, you can
Losing weight is simple, but still gain weight.”
it isn’t easy. You just have to
-Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the
eat fewer calories than you nutrition department at the Harvard
burn. The hard part is School of Public Health
knowing what to eat and
when. That’s why being
prepared is so important. 
 MEAL PREP 101 Stay on track.
Set yourself up for success! If you
already have a healthy meal ready
to go, you’re much less likely to hit
up the drive-thru on your lunch
break. 

Save money.
Prior to my meal prep days, I
looked at my bank account and
added up all the times I ordered
pizza, or got fast food, or ran into
the convenience store for a soda
and a candy bar. Those seemingly
small expenses add up to a big
chunk of your monthly budget! If
you buy your groceries and prepare
them ahead of time, you will have a
lot more money left in your bank
account to reward yourself with
things that don't make you gain

benefits
weight (new outfit for the gym or a
massage, perhaps). 

Don't stress.

of meal When you’re trying to eat healthy,

you can put a lot of pressure on
yourself to eat the right thing in

planning
the right amount at the right time.
If you have planned your meals
ahead of time, you’ve eliminated
that struggle for the entire week! 

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 MEAL PREP 101

Take the
following foods
out of your
kitchen and
donate them to

step a local food

bank:

one:
-Potato or corn chips
-Cookies
-Instant foods (cake mixes,

make
mashed potatoes, stuffing mix)
-Chocolates or candy
-Soft drinks
-Dried bread products (bread

room crumbs, croutons, etc.)

-Crackers
-Fruit snacks

for the
good
I once listened to a podcast where Jillian
Michaels said to throw away all the junk food
in your house. "Don't even donate it. No one
needs to eat that crap,"  was her message. I
disagree. There are genuinely starving people

stuff
who would eagerly dig that junk food out of the
trash can if it meant they weren't hungry
anymore. If you are reading this, however, I can
bet you are not one of those people. Give that
food to someone who needs the calories.

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 If you want to have a
healthy kitchen, first you
need to get rid of the crap. If
it’s there, you’ll eat it. As a
mom of 4 boys, it is a
constant battle to avoid the
junk food. I know first-hand
how hard it is to resist a
package of Oreos if it’s
constantly staring you right
in the face. Eliminate the
obstacle and set yourself up
for success!

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 I was the nerd who loved buying school supplies
MEAL PREP 101 before the first day of school. I loved labeling my
notebooks and organizing all my folders and
making sure my handwriting was perfect on all
of my binders. So for me, getting all my tools
ready for meal prep is like the first day of school
all over again!

If you want to be
ahead of the
game, have the
following items at
the ready on meal
prep day:

-Good set of pots and pans

-Good set of knives

step -Spatula
-Blender
-Food scale

two: -Measuring cups

-Meal containers
-Small cooler for meals on-the-go

gather -Shaker bottle for protein shakes

and drinks
-Food processor

your
supplies For a list of items I recommend, click
here for my Amazon Meal Prep 101
Shopping List

5 HEATHERBLACKFITNESS.COM
Issue 27 | 234
step three:
time for a
sit-down.
Of all the advice I give my
clients, this seems to be the
hardest to swallow: get rid of
the alcohol in your house. If fat
loss is your goal, alcohol is a
gigantic barrier.

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whyyy shouldn't
i drink alcohol?
Alcohol is the first energy your
body burns. That means if you
have alcohol in your system, your
body is going to process that as
energy before it burns the
calories you take in from
carbohydrate, protein, or fat. If
it’s not being burned, it’s being
stored.
Alcohol has almost twice the
calorie content or carbohydrate
or protein. And because it’s so
concentrated, you can quickly
drink a large amount of calories
without even realizing it.
Alcohol might be liquid courage,
but it also loosens the inhibitions
that kept you from eating that
plate of nachos when you were
sober. And because the calories in
alcohol don’t provide much
nutrition, you’ll probably be
hungry.
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When you drink alcohol, you
lower your testosterone. Even
for ladies, testosterone is a fat
burner. Testosterone is what
helps your body gain muscle
mass. If you drink alcohol,
you’re inhibiting your body’s
ability to lose fat and gain
muscle.
Have you ever felt awesome
after a night of drinking? Is it
really easy to roll out of bed
and go to the gym? Not so
much. Alcohol makes you feel
like crap, and that doesn’t
exactly make exercise sound
like a good idea.  and you’ll feel like
MEAL PREP 101
In short, ditch the
alcohol. I challenge
you to quit drinking
for 21 days. See how
much better your
body feels and how
clear-headed you
are. If you want to
go back to drinking
after that, fine, but
you’ll see your
weight creep back up
crap again. Totally
not worth it.
 MEAL PREP 101

step four:
spice it up!
Nothing is worse -Garlic powder sauces, or whatever, please
than boring, -Ginger powder feel free to use the freshest
rubbery, -Onion powder ingredients you have time to
flavorless chicken -Oregano, dried prepare. For the sake of time
and tasteless -Thyme, dried management, I have included
veggies. Spices the most efficient options.)
and low-calorie For the fridge:
sauces will be a -Pre-minced garlic Now that you have prepared
lifesaver. Here are -Hot sauce your environment
some ideas for -Sriracha for making awesome meals
your flavor -Light soy sauce and living a generally awesome
-Lemons life, time to fill that fridge and
arsenal.
-Limes pantry with healthy food that
For the spice rack: -Fresh basil* will make you look and
-Sea salt -Fresh rosemary* feel better, inside and out.
-Freshly ground black *frequently found pre-
pepper packaged in produce section The next page provides a list of
-Cumin items to stock up at home. It's
-Chili powder (For those who balk at the idea not exhaustive, but it's a great
-Smoked paprika of pre-packaged, pre-minced, place to start. 
-Cayenne powder pre-dried herbs, spices,

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 MEAL PREP 101

meal prep 101

shopping list
vegetables nuts, oils, & seeds
Spinach Brussels sprouts Extra virgin olive oil Natural peanut butter
Kale Beets Virgin coconut oil Natural almond butter
Broccoli Butternut squash Chia seeds Almonds
Zucchini Snow peas Flax seeds Walnuts
Asparagus Edamame Pumpkin seeds Unsweetened shredded coconut
Carrots Green beans
Celery Lentils
Bell peppers herbs & spices
Sea salt Fresh ground black pepper
fruits Cumin Onion powder
Bananas Tomatoes Chili powder Oregano, dried
Apples Avocado Smoked paprika Thyme, dried
Grapes Grapefruit Cayenne powder Fresh basil
Blueberries Cantaloupe Garlic powder Fresh rosemary
Strawberries Oranges Ginger powder
Watermelon Pineapple
Kiwi
sauces & condiments
protein Hummus Pre-minced garlic
Fresh salsa Hot sauce
Chicken Shrimp
Apple cider vinegar Sriracha
Eggs* Canned tuna
Balsamic vinegar Light soy sauce
Lean pork Ground turkey
Dijon mustard Olive oil cooking spray
Bison Lean ground beef
Lemons Fresh ginger
Salmon
Limes Honey
*eggs are not freezable, FYI

healthy carbs supplements

Brown rice Fish oil
Quinoa ZMA
Oats Whey protein powder
Sweet potatoes Creatine
Low-carb tortillas *for more information about these
supplements, read this post on my website

dairy
Almond milk A printable version of this list is available here!
Coconut milk
Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese

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 how to cook
your food
Your best options are to steam,
bake, grill, or just eat your foods
raw (except the meats, duh).
If you douse your food in oil
and sautée it on the stove you'll
add a lot more calories to an
otherwise healthy meal.

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 QUICK TIP:
One thing you don’t have to prep that will make a
huge impact on your health:

DRINK.
MORE.
WATER.
I guarantee if you replace your sodas and juices
and sports drinks with water you will feel a million
times better and generally like your life more.

You've probably heard to drink eight The National Academies of Sciences,

8-ounce glasses of water per day, but
there's not much science behind that
recommendation. How much you
should drink depends on a lot of
variables such as body size, gender,
activity level, and how many water-
rich foods you are eating.
Pace yourself and drink plenty of
water throughout the day. If you chug
a bottle of water after realizing you
haven't had anything to drink all day,
you won't give your body time to
absorb it and you'll pee most of it out.
Engineering, and Medicine
determined that an adequate daily
fluid intake is:
about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) for men
about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) for women
These recommendations cover fluids
from water, other beverages and
food. About 20 percent of daily fluid
intake usually comes from food and
the rest from drinks.

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 MEAL PREP 101 Not sure what to
make? Here are
a few places
you can look for
meal prep
inspiration:
                  is a godsend.
Pinterest
Pinterest is the source of all
that is good in this world.
Pinterest and I are soulmates.
Did I mention I love Pinterest?
Search “meal prep ideas” and
open your eyes to no less than
infinity different posts,
websites, and boards devoted

step to providing you endless meal

options.
     Couple
Fit               Cooks:
             This

five:
YouTube page has lots of ideas
for meal prep and cooking, and
it’s all wallet-friendly!
Reddit:
              A great source for

get
pretty much anything you ever
want to know about, Reddit has
several communities with
helpful advice for meal

inspired
prepping and planning. Start
here:
r/fitmeals
r/EatCheapandHealthy
r/mealprepsunday

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Issue 27 | 234
feel like you’re
too busy?
I’m not going to go too deep into this
one, because there’s a simple answer:
if it’s important to you, you’ll make
time for it. Everyone is busy. Stop
coming up with reasons why you
can’t prepare healthy meals for
yourself and your family and start
coming up with strategies for making
it work with your lifestyle.

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 THAT BEING SAID...
If the idea of spending your afternoon calculating
macros and plotting calories doesn't seem like
your cup o' tea, one of my custom meal plans
might be your answer.

All you'll have to do is fill out a quick assessment

form and I'll take it from there. You'll get a meal
plan, shopping list, and recipes tailored to your
specific needs, lifestyle, and goals.

Reasons why a custom meal plan is a great idea:

Takes out the guesswork.
You'll know that what you're eating each day
will help you reach your goals.
Saves time searching for meals that fit your
needs.
Saves money buying unnecessary foods.
Your grocery list is already written for you with
exactly everything you'll need.
The recipes are included, so no more hunting for
ideas.
If you're interested in my custom meal plans and want
more information, click here to visit my website.

14 HEATHERBLACKFITNESS.COM
 MEAL PREP 101

final tips &

advice
Make it a routine. Spend an hour or
two every Sunday making your meals
To learn more
for the week.  about meal
Make it enjoyable. Put on the football planning and
game, put on some music, watch that
movie you’ve been wanting to see on prepping, and for
Netflix while you’re prepping. lots of nutrition
Whatever you need to do to make
meal prep seem less like a chore and
and fitness advice,
more like a choice.  please visit my
Don’t get overwhelmed if it takes website.
longer to meal prep the first few times
you try it. Once you get the hang of
Sources:
things, your whole process will go -Precision Nutrition “Kitchen Makeover Questionnaire” 2016
-Reddit  “Meal Prep 101- Your Complete Guide to Meal Prepping”
much smoother and quicker.  by u/hxcjosh23

Keep at it! Take a picture of it. Pat -Bodybuilding.com “5 Ways Alcohol Hinders Fat Loss” by David
Robson
yourself on the back. Be proud of  -The Telegraph-Why Exercising for Weight Loss Just Doesn’t Work,
Max Lowery 
yourself for getting ahead of the game! -Mayo Clinic "Water: How Much Should I Drink Every Day?" By
Mayo Clinic Staff 
Plus, if you don’t Instagram it, it didn’t
happen.  *this document contains affiliate links

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