Hey there reader!
I hope you had a nice week! Can you believe it's Friday? I know I say this all the time, but honestly, I can't believe how fast time goes.
The other day a reader asked if meal prep could help her eat more fruits and vegetables. She went on to say she doesn't do a good job preparing vegetable sides with dinner and is not one to grab an apple at lunch.
I can relate! I've never been one to eat celery sticks for a snack or steam up broccoli to go with dinner.
Before meal prep, I would say I was vegetable and fruit challenged.
So, my answer is yes - meal prep absolutely can help us eat more fruits and veggies.
I have two types of recipes that have been powerhouse fruit and veggie game-changers for me. Without these, I'd never get in the recommended daily amount. Can you guess?
Yep, green smoothies and mason jar salads.
Once I added smoothies and mason jar salads to my meal plan, I started to eat more than enough fruits and vegetables - I get in the required amount by 1:00 pm every day. That never happened before.
And I can tell the difference immediately.
- My stomach is not bloated.
- I am more regular (sorry for the TMI).
- It's easier to manage my weight.
- I have more energy and focus.
The list can go on but let's just say I always feel my best when I have a green smoothie in the morning and mason jar salad for lunch, and I make both a priority in my meal plan every single week.
So what does this have to do with meal prep? Well, you can prep both meals ahead of time for the week.
You can prepare any green smoothie recipe into a smoothie freezer kit.
This means putting individual smoothie ingredients into a freezer bag and freezing until you're ready to blend it up. Sometimes I'll make 2-3 weeks' worth of freezer smoothie packs, so I don't have to think about it all month.
I purchase large bags of organic fruit and greens, chia seeds, and unsweetened coconut milk at BJ's Wholesale. If you have a wholesale store membership, definitely check there for the best prices on organic smoothie ingredients.
Here's a tutorial on making freezer kits.
My two favorite smoothies are:
Or get creative with this green smoothie tutorial.
Now let's move on to mason jar salads. If I had to pick a favorite meal prep recipe, it would be mason jar salads. They are easy to make, last all week long, and are FILLED with all kinds of veggies and lean proteins.
Before mason jar salads, the only time I'd eat a salad would be at a restaurant, and now I eat a salad every day. If you're looking to get more veggies in your diet, I strongly recommend adding mason jar salads into your meal plan.
I know some people don't like the thought of eating the same thing every day for lunch, but honestly, it doesn't bother me at all. I enjoy it and look forward to my salad every day.
Of course, if I get bored, I can always switch it up. Regardless, I like to plan out my lunches, so I'm not reaching for random leftovers when I'm hungry.
Here's my mason jar salad tutorial that includes instructions along with some recipes.
My two favorite mason jar salad recipes are:
Of course, there are other recipes and ideas to sneak fruits and vegetables into your diet. Still, I think the best way to increase your fruit and vegetable consumption significantly is through green smoothies and mason jar salads. You won't need to count on random vegetable sides or an apple to get in your daily fruit and vegetable, and everything else you make will be a bonus.
After reading this email, if I have you inspired to get more fruits and veggies in, then take some time to prep smoothie kits or mason jar salads to eat next week; if you want to do both, then great.
And if you want to add more veggies to your week, then pick 1-2 additional dinnertime recipes that are veggie-heavy like this Chicken and Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner or this Stuffed Pepper Soup.
Of course, the key is to have it ready for the week, so block out time on Sunday to get some meal prep done.
I'd love to see some pictures, so if you can share them in our OYS Facebook Group.
Talk to you soon!
Tammy Overhoff
Organize Yourself Skinny
PS. One thing I do for when I do want something different for lunches is I order a Daily Harvest Box every couple of months to stock my freezer with individual organic (gluten-free) soups, harvest bowls, and flatbreads. I also love their bites. You can read my Daily Harvest review for more information or if you want to order a box, then here's up to $40 off for new subscribers.
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