Carol Jacobson Coaching

08/31/2022

02/24/2021

Soon!

It's hard to believe that we will be hanging out together soon! We cannot wait to share the great times!! Love, love, love these fun appetizer plates!

10/16/2020

Instant Pot Chili
Whether you cook it slow or fast, this hearty, flavorful chili recipe is ideal for meal prepping or when you don’t want to wait hours for a bowlful of yumminess.
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
This simple slow-cooker beef chili recipe is everything you are hoping for. The meat becomes fall-apart tender, and develops deep and satisfying flavor.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword chili
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 4 hrs 41 mins
Total Time 4 hrs 56 mins
Servings 6 servings, about 1 cup each
Calories 300 kcal
Author Beachbody
Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1½ lbs. extra lean beef chuck, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes, no salt added
• ¼ cup tomato paste, no sugar added
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• ¾ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained, rinsed
Instructions
1. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over high heat.
2. Add beef; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-high.
3. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
5. Place beef mixture in a 3-quart slow cooker.
6. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well; cover. Cook on high for 3 hours.
7. Add beans; cover. Cook for 1 to 1½ hours, or until beef is tender.
Recipe Notes
To make this recipe in an Instant Pot (programmable pressure cooker), follow these instructions:
• Turn 6-quart Instant Pot to high sauté setting.
• Heat oil to hot.
• Add beef; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until browned.
• Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
• Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
• Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, salt, pepper, and beans. Follow manufacturer’s guidelines for locking lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
• Follow manufacturer’s guide for quick release, and wait until cycle is complete. Carefully unlock and remove lid, taking care that there is no remaining steam.

P90X/P90X2 Portions
½ Vegetable
1½ Protein
½ Tuber/Legume Carb
½ Fat
P90X3 Portions
1½ Protein
1½ Carb
1½ Fat
Body Beast Portions
2 Vegetable
3 Protein
½ Legume
1½ Fat
Container Equivalents
1 Green
1 Red
1 Yellow
1 tsp.
2B Mindset Plate It!
Add a side salad or more veggies to make a great lunch option. For dinner, omit the beans and add a side salad or more veggies.

And while you’re at it, make this healthy take on classic corn bread
Classic Cornbread
Classic cornbread can be loaded with butter and sugar. This healthier recipe calls for wholesome ingredients and cooks up crispy and delicious.
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 34 mins
Total Time 46 mins
Servings 16 Servings (1 slice each)
Calories 87 kcal
Author Beachbody
Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin organic coconut oil
• 1½ cups cornmeal
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
• 1¼ cups buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp. raw honey
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Heat oil in medium ovenproof skillet (or an 8-inch square baking pan) over medium heat; heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside.
3. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; mix well. Set aside.
4. Combine buttermilk, honey, and egg in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.
5. Add buttermilk mixture to cornmeal mixture; mix until just blended. If it seems too dry, add 1 to 2 Tbsp. of buttermilk.
6. Pour the batter into prepared skillet; smooth top evenly.
7. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and top is lightly browned.
8. Cut into sixteen slices; serve hot or warm.

P90X/P90X2 Portions
½ Grain Carb
P90X3 Portions
1 Carb
Body Beast Portions
1 Starch
Portion Fix Containers
1 Yellow
2B Mindset Plate It!
Enjoy as an occasional treat. Be sure to track it.

Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs
Throw all the ingredients for these turkey meatballs into a crock pot in the morning, set the timer, and indulge in a warm, hearty meal that night.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword High in Protein
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 6 hrs 2 mins
Total Time 6 hrs 22 mins
Servings 6 servings, 3 meatballs each
Calories 212 kcal
Author Beachbody
Ingredients
• 1 lb. raw 93% lean ground turkey
• ½ tsp. sea salt or Himalayan salt, divided use
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup whole-grain panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (28-oz.) can crushed whole tomatoes
• 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Instructions
1. Combine turkey, ¼ tsp. salt, pepper, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, and cheese in a large bowl; mix well with clean hands.
2. Roll mixture into eighteen 1½-inch meatballs. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add half of meatballs; cook, turning occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until meatballs are browned on each side. Place browned meatballs in a 3-quart slow cooker.
5. Repeat with the remaining meatballs. Set aside.
6. Add onion to same skillet; cook, over medium-high heat, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
7. Top meatballs with cooked onion, tomatoes, oregano, and remaining ¼ tsp. salt; cook, covered, on low temperature for 5 to 6 hours, stirring once or twice.
Recipe Notes
To make this recipe in an Instant Pot (programmable pressure cooker), follow these instructions:
• Turn 6-quart Instant Pot to high sauté setting.
• Heat oil to hot.
• Add meatballs; cook, turning occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until meatballs are browned.
• Add onion, tomatoes, oregano, and remaining ¼ tsp. Follow manufacturer’s guidelines for locking lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.
• Follow manufacturer’s guide for quick release, and wait until cycle is complete. Carefully unlock and remove lid, taking care that there is no remaining steam.
• Serve immediately.

Container Equivalents
1 Green
1 Red
1 tsp.
2B Mindset Plate It!
Add more veggies to this protein as part of lunch or dinner.

10/08/2020

5 Reasons to Get Healthy and Fit Now
When it comes to getting healthy — losing weight and getting fit and strong — you’re probably thinking of the visual benefits: “I’ll fit into smaller clothes! No more belly pooch! I’ll finally have muscles!”
But the benefits don’t stop there. No matter how far away your “after” feels, regular exercise and losing weight — even a small amount — can positively impact your overall health and well-being.
You may notice changes in your sleep patterns, energy levels, and even your mood, just to name a few.
So, if you’re ever tempted to throw in the towel, keep these benefits front of mind:
1. Better Sleep
Sleep and weight loss have a mutually beneficial relationship. Losing weight and being more active can help you sleep better.
In turn, getting more sleep can help you fight cravings and keep your hunger hormones in check. It can also help boost your willpower so you’ll be ready to get out there and do it all over again tomorrow.
Lack of sleep is all too common — more than a third of American adults regularly get less than seven hours — and skimping on sleep is linked to all kinds of long-term health issues.
“Poor sleep leads to fatigue, which decreases motivation to exercise and resist overeating, which leads to more weight gain or at least failure to lose weight,” says Patricia Salber, M.D. and editor-in-chief of The Doctor Weighs In.
Bottom line: Getting healthy and fit can help you sleep better, which can then kick off a cascade of healthy decisions and actions throughout your day.
2. Less Stress
Collective stress levels are rising, and it affects our work life as well as our physical health, according to the 2015 Stress in America survey.
While losing weight won’t magically make your stress disappear (hello, work deadlines and cranky toddlers), exercise is a known stress-buster, so think of your daily workout as a natural chill pill.
Like sleep, stress can affect your weight, and vice versa: “Chronic stress can lead to weight gain,” says Salber. “Chronic stress causes levels of cortisol, an important stress hormone, to be chronically elevated. Cortisol stimulates appetite and drives us to crave foods high in sugar. These foods seem to counteract the stress sensations, providing temporary relief of the unpleasant feelings. So, they rightfully deserve the term ‘comfort food.’ If you are overeating because of chronic stress, you must address the underlying cause of weight gain — the stress — and not add to stress by trying to lose weight through diet alone.”
Find an activity or workout you love, and it’s a win-win for your body and mind.
3. Less Joint Pain
Excess weight puts additional force on your bones and joints, which can impact your ability to work out as you might like.
“When you increase the number of pounds on a body, it’s physics,” says Heather Bartlett, M.D., a board-certified family medicine physician and founder and owner of The Bartlett Medical Clinic & Wellness Center, a direct primary care clinic in Columbus, Ohio.
“Most people psychologically think if they’re gaining weight, their body must be adapting to the weight. It’s not true.” The body “can’t provide the support it needs to function properly, and that translates into pain,” Bartlett says.
The good news is that for each pound lost, there is a four-pound reduction in the stress put on the knee joint, according to 2005 research published in Arthritis & Rheumatism. That means that shedding 50 pounds of body weight would eliminate 200 pounds of pressure.
According to that study, over the course of the thousands of steps taken each day, this would yield a meaningful reduction in force on the knee — which could translate to less pain and discomfort while working out.
And a 2017 study published in Radiology found that losing even five percent of your body weight could reduce the breakdown of knee cartilage — and losing 10 percent was associated with even less degeneration.
4. Better Mood
A diet high in processed carbohydrates (read: sugar) is disastrous for your endocrine and nervous systems, says Bartlett.
Moving toward a diet with healthier sources of carbs can lift your mood since healthy fats and lean protein take longer to digest, thereby eliminating sugar crashes that can lead to mood and energy fluctuations.
And a diet that includes a healthy balance of carbs, protein, and fat doesn’t just provide the fuel your body needs to perform at its best — it frees you from the emotional stress that can come from making unhealthy food decisions.
At the beginning of a weight-loss program, Dunston asks patients to check off any issues they’re having — and she includes plenty that seem unrelated to weight.
She says her patients are surprised that the benefits of weight loss reach from head to toe, inside and out. “It affects everything,” she says.
The journey to lose weight can be empowering, and that self-confidence boost can positively affect all aspects of your life — family, work, and home.
5. More Balanced Hormones
Losing weight can support your hormones — including the hunger hormones that influence hunger and satiety.
“Fat is not just decoration,” says Kyrin Dunston, M.D., FACOG, who also lost 100 pounds and kept it off. “It’s metabolically active and produces hormones and inflammatory chemicals that alter the way your body functions,” she explains.
“Fat makes estrogen,” Dunston explains. “A lot of women will report that when they lose weight their periods become lighter, less painful, they have decreased PMS, decreased breast cysts,” she says, adding that this is the direct result of the hormonal balance that comes from shedding excess pounds.
Healthy levels of thyroid hormones, cortisol, and other adrenal hormones, and insulin are also linked to weight loss, she adds.
Hormones get a bad rap (who hasn’t used “hormones” as an excuse for an outburst or bad day?), but these essential messengers carry important info throughout the body.
Keeping them in balance can feel like your body has 4G service instead of just a couple of bars.
The Bottom Line
We know, we know: Getting healthy — and all that it entails — is easier said than done.
And we’re all too familiar with the excuses that we come up with to avoid getting started.
But a healthy body isn’t built in a day, or a week, or a month — with small changes here and there, consistency, and motivation, you can start a ripple effect that will put you on the path to better health for the rest of your life.

10/05/2020

WORKOUT FROM HOME

When you’re stuck in the house — for whatever reason — it’s tempting to flop on the couch and binge-watch TV for a couple of hours (or more!) to avoid the fact that you’re stuck at home.
But it’s vital to your physical and emotional health to stay active. Here are five fresh takes on how to stay active at home.
1. Set Small, Simple Goals
Don’t underestimate the power of a simple workout to help keep you healthy and happy.
“Staying motivated can be tough, but I’ve learned a simple and effective concept: Action leads to motivation, not the other way around. Getting going is the hardest part, but once you do, the motivation will follow,” says Tara Van Dam, ERYT, mindfulness and meditation instructor, and owner of Wholistic Joy Wellness, integrative coaching.
Van Dam recommends setting a small goal, such as starting with 10 minutes of yoga or meditation a day and then building on that goal.
Van Dam believes that you are more likely to stay committed when you experience success with a moving target.
Brianna Conley, RYT, NASM CPT, and former NFL cheerleader, says that she stays motivated when setting micro-move goals.
“If I tell myself to ‘just get in shape and workout this summer,’ I’ll probably fail,” she says. “But if I tell myself, ‘commit to two weeks of eating no fried food and working out every day,’ I’ll crush that goal.”
Build on each success and consider adding time to your workout each time you achieve a new goal.
Beachbody On Demand offers various programs that range in intensity and time; some classes are as short as 30-minutes, which is easily doable for an afternoon sweat-sesh!

2. Take Short Active Breaks
Taking short active breaks from your WFH routine can keep you motivated and refreshed.
If you’re the type who sits down to work and forgets to get up and take breaks, set a recurring alarm on your phone or set your smartwatch to remind you.
Here are some ideas for an active break:
• take a walk around the block with your pet or on your own
• play with your kids or pets for 15 minutes
• complete a small, specific cleaning task that you keep meaning to do, like emptying the dishwasher or throwing away the trash. (Bonus: You get to check things off your “To Do” List at the same time!)
“It is not about getting an insane workout in every time I move; some days it’s simply about feeling alive through any kind of deliberate movement. I try to make it fun, too,” says Van Dam. “I have a set of free weights at home and will pull those out during a yoga flow, or even while I’m watching ‘MasterChef’.”
3. Meditate Daily
Meditation is an activity that takes barely any effort and staying active starts with a better connection to your emotional self.
A 2018 study showed that a short, daily meditation practice can help boost your mood and lessen anxiety.
“Mindfulness helps us to find meaning in the simple things. As we find meaning, we experience more joy, and with more joy comes energy and motivation,” Van Dam says. “Meditation increases productivity so much that even by taking an hour out of your day to meditate, the remaining hours have better productive output.”
“Meditation is trending because people are tired of living in a rat-race that feels meaningless. It’s not enough anymore to just go through the motions. People want a purpose, and a great way to get mindful is through meditation,” says Conley.
There are different types of meditation that you can do; if you prefer guided meditation, Unstress features 21 days of 10-minute meditation sessions led by top meditation teachers.

4. Work(out) From Home (WFH)
If you’re committed to staying active at home, it helps to create a dedicated workout space.
Conley transformed her garage into a home gym complete with weights, rubber mats, and mirrors.
“For many clients, I find if they have an organized and dedicated workout space, they are less likely to be distracted during a workout and more likely to actually do a workout,” Conley says.
The combination of streaming workouts and online groups can provide motivation and support without you ever having to leave the house.
“Home workouts are different to gym/studio workouts, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be beneficial,” says Van Dam.

5. Maintain Healthy Relationships
OK, so this one isn’t exactly a physical activity, but it does take active work to make sure your relationships are healthy and fulfilling for you and your loved ones.
Unfortunately, it can be easy to take your loved ones for granted, especially when you’re around them 24/7 and everyone is busy focusing on their own tasks and work.
If you’re isolating with a significant other, consider making that person your accountability partner.
“Accountability partners are so important. When you tell someone about a goal, you are already more likely to achieve it. But if someone is there to ask you about your progress and encourage you, that can be a game-changer,” says Conley.
Especially during, but not limited to, a pandemic, “be the positive support and cheerleader for your partner,” suggests Van Dam. “Staying healthy and active is super hard. Why not help each other out with kind, uplifting words of encouragement?”
Acts of kindness for others can increase your own happiness and can help maintain a positive and supportive environment for both of you.
“I’ve been more open to playing video games because I know my husband enjoys that. He’s been more open to cooking meals with me because he knows I appreciate that,” says Conley.
Staying active at home — outside of everyday chores and tasks — is new for many of us, but it doesn’t require a huge investment or elaborate planning. Small steps and a positive mindset will help get you to your goals.

10/01/2020

Healthy Habits to Start Your Day Right

The way you start your day can either set you up for success or make you wish you stayed in bed.
In other words, when it comes to rising and shining, it’s important to get things right from the very beginning.
That’s why BODLife contributor Daisha Graf put together seven healthy habits that will get your day started on the right track:

Healthy Habit #1: Don’t Hit the Snooze Button
Keep your phone out of reach, so you have to get out of bed to shut off your alarm.
It might sound brutal, but breaking up with your snooze button will make a huge difference in your morning routine and let’s face it — some of us need all the help we can get.

Healthy Habit #2: Let the Light In
After you’ve gotten up, open the curtains and let natural light in as soon as possible: Getting those sun signals to your brain will help your body wake up all on its own. (Thanks, nature!)

Healthy Habit #3: Skip Social Media
Don’t open the ‘gram, or any social media for that matter, in order to stay productive and present.
We’ve all gone down that social media rabbit hole where you think, “I’m just going to check this one thing…” and then 30 minutes have gone by.
Resist the urge.
You can do it.

Healthy Habit #4: Drink Water
It replenishes the water you lost during rest…rehydrate.

Healthy Habit #5: Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Dense nutrition – protein, carbs & fats

Healthy Habit #6: Be Prepared for Your Day
Do no fuss prepping your lunch to go or what you will wear

Healthy Habit #7: Exercise
A quick 30 minute run or indoor workout will set your day off to the right start.

DM me, for my morning routine.....LOVE & LIGHT

09/29/2020

Cleanse vs. Detox: What’s the Difference?
No doubt, you’ve heard of juice cleanses, sugar cleanses, and detox diets.
And if you’ve ever tried to break a weight-loss plateau, beat the bloat, or get back on track after a little too much mac and cheese, someone has probably suggested doing a body cleanse or detox diet (also known as a detox cleanse) to get things going again.
Cleansing and detoxing get a ton of hype — do a Google search for “detox” or “cleanse” and you’ll get millions of results.
Turns out you can pretty much cleanse or detox almost every aspect of your life, not just your body!
You could use them end toxic relationships, block toxic trolls on social media, or do a “digital detox” to break your screen habit. A noble idea, that last one, but you’ll have to pry my smartphone out of my cold, dead, Pinterest-addicted hands.
When it comes to body cleanses and detoxes, the amount of info out there is overwhelming.
But doing a cleanse or detox diet is more than just unfriending a bully or unplugging your iPad. It can affect your health and nutrition, so it’s important to dig deeper to figure out the truth behind the hype.
There are key differences between a cleanse and a detox diet, but people tend to use the two terms interchangeably, which makes things even more confusing.
So what’s the difference between a cleanse and a detox?
What Are Toxins?
When people talk about body cleanses or detox diets, they talk about the dangers of “toxins” a lot, but usually in a very non-specific way: “Toxins are all around us! Your body is filled with toxins that need to be flushed out!”
But what exactly are these “toxins”?
Toxins are potentially harmful substances we come into contact with every day — pesticides on your produce, pollutants in the air, unpronounceable ingredients in processed food, or heavy metals like mercury and arsenic in the soil, to name just a few.
You’ve probably also heard that foods like gluten, dairy, and refined sugar are “toxic” — but unless you have an allergy or intolerance, you don’t have to swear off bread forever.
While anything can be toxic if you consume too much of it, the occasional handful of cookies won’t turn you into a biohazard.
But in our modern world, many of us are constantly bombarded by toxins in the air, in food, in our cleaning products, everywhere — and those toxins can add up.
Newsflash: Your Body Detoxifies Itself
Assuming you don’t fall face-first into a radioactive swamp, your body is equipped to deal with most toxins.
When you inhale, ingest, or absorb toxins, your liver and kidneys work to flush many of them out — and they’ve been doing this long before cleanses and detoxes came about.
But if you’re constantly hammering yourself with environmental toxins and skimping on nutrients and proper hydration, your body’s natural detoxification system can be inhibited.
“Your body wants to get rid of the unhealthy stuff, but if you keep eating more junk, you’re not going to be able to get the other junk out,” says Denis Faye, M.S. and Beachbody’s executive director of nutrition. “It’s like clogging a drain.”
It puts your liver and kidneys under a lot of pressure — and that’s where cleansing comes in.
What Is a Cleanse?
There are two Beachbody cleanses: 3-Day Refresh and the 21-day Ultimate Reset.
These programs don’t just eliminate junk from your diet — they also focus on fueling your body with nutrient-rich foods that support your natural detoxification processes.
“Fluids, fiber, and phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables can go a long way in terms of supporting your wellness and your body’s natural systems,” Faye says.
By stripping your diet down to the essentials, you’re giving your liver and kidneys a chance to do their job more efficiently.
While you’ll probably shed a few pounds in the process, the real goal of the Beachbody cleanses is to reshape the way you think about nutrition.
The 3-Day Refresh is a 3-day cleanse that could be a good way to jumpstart a healthy eating plan or help your body recover from a not-so-virtuous weekend. This is the one I am doing….I will happily share my results when complete.
What Is a Detox Diet?
Detox diets (or detox cleanses) also eliminate unhealthy grub from your diet, but they often require a super-restrictive diet consisting of a small number of foods that claim to have “detoxifying properties.”
We can get behind eating healthy foods that help your body detoxify itself, but some of the detox diets out there sound like straight-up torture — do you really want to drink lemonade laced with cayenne pepper for 10 days straight or eat cabbage soup at every meal?
The thing is, those foods won’t actually flush your system.
“‘Detox diet’ is kind of a misnomer, because food is not going to detox you,” Faye says. In other words, it’s still your liver and kidneys doing the cleaning — not the food itself.
And if a diet is too restrictive, your body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to carry out its natural processes.
One way of looking at the difference between a cleanse and a detox is that detox diets usually focus on “out with the old” in the short term.
But cleanse programs also address the “in with the new” aspect.
Good cleanses can help you form new eating habits that support your body and help you stay healthy (and non-toxic!) for the long haul.
Bottom line, don’t just accept the latest buzzy trends at face value — the devil is in the details: Do your homework, find out what the hype is all about, and make sure it’s serving your goals of living a healthier life.
(Pro Tip: It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before you make any significant dietary changes, especially if you’re on any medications or have an ongoing medical condition.)

09/27/2020

Why Meal Prep?
“Be prepared.” It’s a slogan that’s stood the test of time because the relationship between looking ahead and successfully meeting one’s goals is undeniable. When it comes to what you eat and how you eat, preparedness matters if you want to reach your nutrition and fitness goals. (Pro tip: New to clean eating? Then a good place to start is at the beginning: Clean Week with Megan Davies is a seven-day nutrition and fitness program that gives you all the tools you need to start losing weight, getting in shape, and kick-starting healthy habits that last a lifetime.)
What Is Meal Prep?

Amy Shapiro, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. of Real Nutrition NYC, defines meal prepping as preparing, cooking, or packaging food for three to four days in advance so you know exactly what and how much you are eating.

Having a healthy meal ready to enjoy can help you say no to unhealthy food choices. Tempted to go through the drive-thru on the way home to save time? No point when you’ve already got a delicious meal at home waiting for you.

Taco truck pulls up in front of the office again? No sweat — you’ve already packed a hearty lunch you’re looking forward to. Someone brought donuts to the office? Satisfy your snack craving with these meal-prep snack ideas.

Research shows a link between the amount of time people spend on prepping food at home and the quality of their diet. What’s more, meal prepping can be a great time-saver.

“I think of meal prepping as a way to put lunch, breakfast, or even dinner on autopilot for the week,” says Atlanta-based dietitian nutritionist Marisa Moore, M.B.A., R.D.N., L.D. “You do all of the major chopping, cooking, and cleaning on one day.”

How to Meal Prep, Meal Planning, Meal Prep Ideas, Meal Prep Containers

How to Meal Prep
1. Start Small
Planning ahead and prepping your meals can be a great way to make more healthy choices and avoid temptation. If you’re not used to batch cooking, start with prepping one or two days’ worth of meals at a time.

“I recommend starting small with meal prep for a couple reasons,” says Moore. “It can take a couple hours to get through the chopping, cooking, and cleaning [for a week’s worth of meals]. If you try to do too much too soon, you may be overwhelmed and not want to do it again.”

Moore adds that starting small will allow you test one or two recipes to see how you like them and just how much of them you actually eat. “You wouldn’t want to make too much food and end up wasting it.”

2. Stock Up on Kitchen Essentials
You don’t need a ton of fancy kitchen equipment to make healthy meals at home. Here are some basic kitchen tools you might find helpful if you don’t have them already:

Portion Fix meal-prep containers
Bento-style meal-prep containers
Pyrex meal-prep containers
Mason jars
Chef’s knife
Measuring cups and spoons
Cutting board
Spatula
Sauté pan, small saucepan, baking sheet
Mixing bowls
Slow cooker or Instant Pot (optional)
Blender or food processor (optional)

3. Pick a Day to Meal Prep
Moore recommends starting on a Sunday or Monday. Sundays often work well since most people have a little extra time.

She adds that people also tend to be more motivated to engage in healthy behaviors at the beginning of the week. “Meal prep is a great way to carry that enthusiasm throughout the week with just a little effort up front.”

Meal prep tips, how to meal prep, meal planning

4. Come Up With Meal-Prep Ideas
Planning your meals for the week doesn’t have to be complicated. It might seem a little daunting at first, but it’s surprising how many different meals you can make with just a limited number of ingredients.

Beachbody offers free meal plans that have already done all the heavy lifting for you. Most are five days long, and there are vegetarian meal preps, vegan meal preps, grain-free meal prep, no-cook meal preps, and more. The meal preps are categorized by calorie level, and most include step-by-step instructions and a grocery list.

If you’re not ready to commit to a full meal prep just yet, keep it simple. LA Life Chef Seth Santoro suggests no-fuss combinations like chicken, brown rice, and broccoli for dinner, and salmon, roasted carrots, and spinach for lunch. To add flavor without calories, stock up on herbs and spices.

Once you have your meal-prep recipe list, check your pantry and fridge for ingredients, make a list, and then you can head to the store prepared. And if you’re the type who tends to wander aimlessly around the aisles, here are some ideas to save time, money, and your sanity:

5. Batch-Cook Staples to Use Later
Once you’re comfortable meal prepping, Seth Santoro recommends preparing staples — like rice, oats, lentils, and yams — in bulk. You’ll return to them again and again, and they can take the longest to cook. “You can make a pot of rice, use some now for a meal, refrigerate a portion, and freeze a portion to be used later,” he says.

How to Make Meal Prep Easy:
Include some no-cook recipes in your meal prep. Snacks like Shakeology and foods that don’t require cooking (like salads and overnight oats) can help save time in the prep process.
When prepping, use the oven to cook several things at once. Veggies can generally roast together, and there’s a reason sheet-pan dinners are becoming so popular — no muss, no fuss.
Don’t shy away from the Crock-Pot or the Instant Pot. They’re super time-savers — just add ingredients, set, and forget. While it’s doing the work on one recipe, you have time to focus on another.

Credit Beachbody Blog: A Beginners Guide to Meal Prepping - Grant Stoddard