Please be sure to also view today’s Transformation Nation (click here) and Inspiration Nation (click here)
Welcome to EDUCATION NATION where we will share a specific meal prep / clean eating related topic with you each day!
Today is all about how “defining your meal prep style“! Contrary to popular belief there is no RIGHT or WRONG way to prep your meals. It’s your food, and you prep it based on your cooking style and the time you have to dedicate to it. The key is prepping RIGHT foods, and we have taken that guess work out of the equation for you by providing you with a FREE meal plan!
Even still, for today’s EDUCATION NATION, we have summed up two basic Meal Prep styles for you. But, before we jump into those, we also dispel common meal prep myths!
MEAL PREP MYTHS:
Meal Prep does / is NOT…
- Eating the same meals all day! Don’t get it twisted we enjoy a variety!!
- Eating boring salads and plain chicken and turkey meals! There’s more to eating clean than this!! Let us show you diva.
- Eating bland foods with no sauces, no spices! Nope we enjoy our homemade sauces and low sodium (but full of flavor) spices and seasonings!
- Take more time than cooking your meals individually. Estimate the amount of time it would take for you to cook 5 meals per day for 7 days. How many minutes does it take you to prepare each meal? Multiply that by 5 meals a day. Take the product of that multiplication and multiply it again times the 7 days of a week. Compare that number to how long it takes you to prep your meals at one sitting? Eye-opening right? Meal PREP saves you time!!!
- More expensive!! Healthy food is NOT more expensive! Let’s just say you ate Mc Donald’s every day! And for argument’s sake let’s say each meal at Mc D’s is $10, that’s a reasonable average, right? If you ate 5 meals a day at Mc D’s diva that’s $50 a day! $50 a day * 7 days a week is $350. Now that’s an expensive habit! So, how much did your groceries cost? Compare that price tag to the $350. Meal PREP saves you money!
Meal PREP TRUTHS!!
Meal Prep is…
- Prepping your food ahead of time so that you are prepared for your day / week. Emergencies and changes to your daily schedule happens. Meal prep is being ORGANIZED and having those meals with you or near you to avoid the drive thru!
- A money saver. See #5 above, and think about if you had more expensive tastes, eating out every day can really add up! Think about the vending machines, the lattes, gas station store trips. Those should all be excluded this week. Eat to your plan. Save your money and lose your weight! Lastly, by cooking your food for the week or a few days at a time, YOU ARE ACTUALLY EATING IT! Not letting it spoil in your fridge. That is another money saver!
- A time saver! Yes it’s just really convenient to have your food on hand with you. You become your own personal and BEST drive thru! Drive on thru your kitchen and get your 5 meals for each day! Stop spending time every day of the week wondering what you’re going to eat! Stop cooking every single day. Your work week will go so much smoother when you plan your meals on your day off!
- Like going to get your hair braided. Lord knows I hated sitting in that chair for 3, sometimes, 5 and girl one time 10 hours at a time! But guess what, once I spent that time in the chair, I didn’t had to fuss with my hair all week. Nope, not once! Girrrrl, that’s MEAL PREP! You shouldn’t have to do anything to your food but warm it up throughout the week! (Make sure you have the RIGHT containers! (click here)
During our 30 day challenges we offer new, tasty, low sugar, low carb meal plans EVERY week! Week 1 of our 30 day challenge is always a SUGAR DETOX, where we have seen divas lose as much as 14 pounds in the first 7 days! The plan provided here is not a SUGAR DETOX meal plan, but it is a low sugar / low carb plan.
If you would like to learn more about our 30 day challenges, please visit our programs page here on this site. We recommend starting with Program #1 (click here to learn more) or leave a comment on this page for immediate assistance.
If you haven’t already, Join this FREE “12 Day Meal Prep-mas” Challenge diva, you will be glad you did!!
Click here: CHALLENGE REGISTRATION
DIVA ASSIGNMENT:
Complete the following assignment to qualify for free prizes awarded at the end of this 12 day challenge.
- Share your thoughts in the Comments below about the Meal Prep Myths and Truths shared above.
- Read the “What Kind of Meal Prepper” post on our blog from our, Free 7 Day Learn How to Meal Prep Fabulously” challenge, to determine your meal prep STYLE, share your style in the comments. (Minimum or Maximum) (click here)
- Yesterday was grocery shopping, today is meal prep! Start preparing your foods for the week based on your style (Minimum or Maximum)
- Having the right meal prep containers can be the difference between spoiled food on Day 3 of your meals, or even spilled food in your lunch bag. We encourage you to use microwave and dishwasher safe containers that are guaranteed to last. We offer a brand we endorse in our DIVA SHOP (click here)
- Share this post or meal prep styleon FB, IG or Twitter using hashtag “#FFFitmas“
- Remember we start eating our meals tomorrow! If you haven’t already taken your measurements and weight DO IT NOW! Record it on your FREE MY BODY stats template provided on Day 2 (click here). If you plan to be in the running for FREE prizes, please also take a picture of your toes on the scale and of your body measurements (a pic of the measuring tape on your body for each body part) BEFORE tomorrow! Your body will change during the 1 week you are eating clean. Use this old post from our 30 day challenges we hosted back in 2015 for a quick guide (click here)
- Grab a mason jar! Label is NSV for NON-SCALE VICTORIES. Make sure that all during the week when you encounter an NSV like, I prepped my meals for the 1st time in a long time or I worked out today! Or I feel lighter, Or I drank my gallon today. Add a slip of paper to your NSV Mason jar!! Let’s track our NON-WEIGHT related progress! They are JUST as important! WHY?? Cause the scale is like a BAD BOYFRIEND that’s why!! You get what I’m saying?? If not visit Day 2 (click here)
Live fab this holiday,
Nicole “Coach Twy” Twyman
“Who Says Fitness Can’t be Fabulous?”
You can reach out to me here:
Twitter: @fitfynefabulous
Instagram: @fit_fyne_fab
Facebook: Nicole “Coach Twy” Dyer-Twyman
Private Diva Group: Fit, Fyne & Fabulous Divas
P.S.: If you would like to learn more about our full 30 day meal prep challenge offerings, please visit: 30 Day Meal Prep Support
I’m Nicole Twyman, a native New Orleanian, who has lived all across the US! Although, my small family of 4 currently calls Los Angeles, CA home. I am a proud 40+ year old mom of a wonderfully energetic and theatrical daughter, and a handsome, scholarly athlete!
While I have worked in corporate America as a certified senior project / program / portfolio manager for Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Procter & Gamble & IBM, my passion is service. It has always been my desire to live a life of service to others; which I took every opportunity to explore as an active member of many of my church’s ministries and of my public service sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.
Well, now I am over the top excited to have the opportunity to serve divas through my very own ministry, Fit, Fyne & Fabulous.
Alright FFF, my NSV jar is ready. I am a minimum and maximum meal prep diva! I use to be only a maximum when I first started. Because I did not want to have to get back in the kitchen in the middle of the week. It use to take me 7hrs each Sunday. But after a month and a half of that. I became a minimum meal prep Diva. So I mix it up depending on the activities of the weekend. Now I can whip up some stuff like nobody’s business. In the beginning, I was just getting use to the recipes and all the ingredients. But now I am a pro. I love it! It is apart of my life now. #FFFitmas
The student has become a master and is teaching others! AWESOME!!!!!
Going to prep my meals while Watching my RAIDERS kick some Buffalo butt!!!
going to the store now! with my list in hand
hahaha, did your team win?
I have determine that I prefer Maximum Meal Prep. I don’t mind eating the same food during the week it keeps me focus however; I do try to mix up a few meals during the week for variety. My work is draining so the less I have to do afterwards the better.
I agree sis!
I’m going to try maximum meal prep for this week! I know that meal prep will work for me, because I did it before with another group, but after the 30 days I fell off track! I’m looking forward to this week’s meal prep as well as getting my mind right to stay on track. I will be doing the 30 day, I just need to sign up and prayerful it will become a lifestyle.
I saw your sign up diva. We are glad you are sticking with it!
I will do the minimum meal prepping and I love the mason jar idea.
Though I will start using the minimum prep process, I will combine both meal prep forms. The example used to debunk the “eating healthy is expensive” myth was good from the standpoint of someone who eats out regularly, but I disagree. Even when planning and prepping my meals in advance, fresh and healthier foods are more expensive than the more processed ones. For this reason, during the Spring and Summer I try to grow my own vegetables.
I’m a minimum prep person. Love the mason jar idea
I’m both depending on the meals and my week! Also love the mason jar idea!
Good Evening, I am both a minimum and maximum prep Diva. My prep depends on my schedule for the week. I also love the Mason Jar idea.
Been going with the minimum prep. Will look to move on to the max preping as I witness the time saved when just have to warm up. I like to switch it up. Healthy eating can be expensive depending on where you shop. Coach Wanda hipped me to shopping at a health food store tending to be more reasonable than purchasing those items in major food chains. Absolutely LOVING how GREAT the food tastes and gaining these recipes under my belt!
I am a minimum prep, and love the mason jar idea!
Thanks again!
I am a minimum food prepper! I think this works for me because I have a family who i cook for and I have taught them how to eat clean. Also, I have to prep lunch and my snacks while I can make breakfast and dinner really quick.
Am I missing something. I recieved several recipes yesterday, but couldnt find the shopping list. What did I miss. I’m so confused.
I’m a minimum food prepper as well… But have a desire to maximum food prep. I’ve realized that reading and following the recipe takes me longer to prepare meals. Since completing the Oct 24th challenge, I realize I can prepare the meals much quicker after I’ve made it once. So, I may be on the path to becoming that maximum meal prepper! ☺️
I agree that this plan does save you money. I’m no longer eating out or going to fast food places because I’m out and about, hungry and unprepared… It’s been 1 month 1/2 since I ate out and I don’t miss it!
I totally agree it saves time and money, it also takes the guessing out of “what’s for dinner” question. Nothing like coming home from work and dinner is already done!!!
I use both ways to meal prep as it just depends what is currently going on BUT I have to say I prefer to use maximum preparations to prep veggies and minimum prep to prepare proteins. However, I have to add that maximum food prep has surely saved me on several occasions when I had a really busy and was away from home all day. No fast food compares to the food prepared at home!
Right now, I think I’ll do Maximum Prep until I get used to this and learn what truly works for me.
While shopping for my meals I couldn’t find Sugar-Free Tomato Sauce for the non carb spaghetti. Sugar is in everrryyything) So I reached out to one of my friends to see if she knew where I could find it, she suggested I try fire roasted tomatoes.. OMG!! Deeelish! Great alternative and low sodium I purchased it from Whole Foods. I think I’ll add it to my spaghetti squash next time!!
Stay healthy divas! XO
I finally made a recipe with zoodles and it was AMAZING!! I didn’t even miss the pasta and I LOVE pasta!! Such a great alternative!!