Spa+Clinic Team We’re excited to welcome Adeline Er to Team SPA+CLINIC as Content and Social Media Co-Ordinator.
She’s a highly impressive and motivated all-rounder who until recently was a full time chartered accountant and then media marketing analyst who decided to follow her personal passions and work for herself as a wellbeing, nutrition, fitness and beauty website editor, blogger and social media (notably Instagram) powerhouse.
“I decided to make a change at the end of March – that if I want to be successful and build the lifestyle I want, I have to be the CEO of my own life and really take control of my life,” she says.
“One of the main discoveries I have come to is efficiency v effectiveness, the difference, and how it affects my life and business.”
We’re just wondering if there’s anything she can’t do …
Several mornings a week she is a personal trainer for a free community fitness program in Sydney, then goes off to train herself … and then gets down to work!
But luckily for us, she decided to work for SPA+CLINIC as well.
We thought asking Adeline’s advice on keeping our bodies well nourished and on track (and thus our minds) would be a good introduction.
Here she shares her tips about the importance of meal prepping:
PREP PREFECT
If you are still not convinced on cooking enough food to feed a small village, allow me to enlighten you on how can meal prep make your life better and why you should jump on board, too:
- It Saves You Time
Do you want an extra hour each day? By eliminating the need to decide, prepare and cook your meals each day, you will have at least an extra hour. Spending a good 2-3 hours each weekend to plan your meals ahead, cook once, wash once and chop your ingredients once, you will have all your meals sorted for the week. I mean, if Pat Flynn does it, it has to be working.
- Healthier and Better Nutrition
This is a no-brainer because you will be cooking all the meals on your own. Using real, wholesome ingredients and knowing exactly what you put into your food can most certainly guarantee you with better nutrition. You are able to control the sodium and oil usage on your food as well as filling your plate up with healthy greens. #healthyeating checked. You have full control over the portions and ingredients.
- More $$$ For You
Think about that $10 you spend on the bacon and egg wrap each morning and that $12 salad sandwich for lunch daily. Meal prepping means you get to pocket in at least $88 PER WEEK (calculated based on four meals). That’s a new pair of leggings right there or a one-hour personal training session you have always wanted to sign up for!
- Minimises Wastage
Another great thing about meal prepping is you use everything from head to tail and this minimises wastage. Rather than using an ingredient once, storing it in the fridge, forgetting about it and having to chuck it away later, think about how it can be used in multiple meals. Using the good old onion as an example: you can use it to cook your lunch (hello turkey mince stir fry) and for dinner to make a quick chicken mexican salad. With meal prepping, you use the same ingredient for different meals and cook them all at the same time. Say goodbye to wastage and this translates to spending less on grocery each week – refer to Point #3.
- Portion Control
Over-eating or under-eating can both hinder your results or fitness goals. Portion control is something that many struggle with, myself included. Instead of having to worry if you are hitting your daily macro and micronutrients goals, a much better option is to allow meal prep to sort it out and get the portions down pat. How is meal prepping going to do that, one may ask? With the final step of meal prepping being splitting your meals into individual containers, you are able to weigh all your food before putting them away. This allows you to get the portion right once and for all. That #macrolyf. As a result, you don’t have to worry about your portion and know that you’re eating the right food, in the right quantity during the week.
- Say Goodbye to Decision Fatigue
I don’t know about you but sometimes having to figure out what to eat for lunch can be quite a hassle because we are just bombarded with too many options everywhere. That healthy chicken quinoa salad, your favourite Vietnamese rice paper rolls, or the good old pub steak and salad, naked burrito from the Mexican joint next door or grill’d naked burger … you get the idea. The last thing you want when you’re starving at 1pm is to decide what should you have for lunch. Chances are you are probably going to resolve to the most convenient option (read: fast food) and consume a way larger quantity than you normally would. In instances like this, all you want is a quick, convenient, healthy, nutritious and tasty meal without having to make life decisions. With meal prepping, all your decisions are made on the weekend when you write out your meal plan.
- Regulated Metabolism
Meal prepping means when the hunger strikes mid morning or mid arvo, you will be well prepared with something nourishing and healthy which allows you to feed your body regularly and keeps your metabolism humming. Snacking regularly will prevent your body falling into a catabolic state, which results in the loss of lean body tissue (including muscle) and a depression of your metabolic rate.
6 MEAL PREP TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED
Meal prep can be quite overwhelming at the start if you are not used to cooking in bulk. However, there’s nothing these tips can’t fix and I promise you, meal prep will almost be a breeze after you implement these meal prep tips.
These meal prep tips were discovered based on my personal experiences and after all the years of trial and error with meal prepping.
- ALWAYS COOK EXTRA PROTEIN AND FREEZE – GREAT AS “EMERGENCY MEALS”
Whenever I cook my chicken or mince, I don’t measure the “exact amount” required for the week. There’s usually (at least) one extra serving that I will freeze. On weeks that I don’t feel like cooking, I have these “emergency meals” ready in the freezer. All I need is some frozen veggies and rice – et voila! A healthy and balanced meal ready to go.
- ALWAYS START WITH THE DISHES/INGREDIENTS THAT TAKE THE LONGEST
This is my top tip to be an efficient meal prep ninja! In most cases, it’s usually the carbs (such as rice, sweet potatoes, pumpkin) unless your poultry needs marinading. Get these dishes/ingredients started, then you can move on to chopping veggies and fruits. This will most definitely halve your meal prep time!
- PORTION AND STORE YOUR MEALS INDIVIDUALLY SO YOU CAN GRAB AND GO!
Meal prep is an attractive option because you only need to prep and cook once and enjoy it all week long! Why not make it even more convenient by adding the grab-and-go WOW factor. If you are always out and about, portioning them into individual containers will be a huge time saver. It only takes you an extra 5-10 minutes after meal prepping, but makes your life a whole lot easier! Extra bonus: If you are tracking your macros, meal prepping means you don’t need to do the maths daily. Get the majority of your macros sorted via meal prepping and have some extra levy for treats or your favourite food!
- UTILISE THE SAME INGREDIENTS FOR DIFFERENT MEALS TO SAVE MONEY AND MINIMISE WASTAGE
Rather than having a range of different ingredients for your meals (eg, lunch and dinner) be more savvy with the ingredients. For instance, next time you are buying sweet potatoes for the week, consider using it for lunch (roasted?) and dinner (mashed, or cube them to add to a sale, perhaps).
- PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS OF YOUR SMOOTHIE/PROTEIN SHAKE IN ADVANCE. ALL YOU NEED TO DO ON THE DAY IS BLEND!
Smoothies are a great way to fill you up and nourish your body with the macro and micronutrients it needs. To make your life a lot easier, chop up the fruits (or opt for the frozen ones), wash your greens and pack them into individual freezer bags on the weekend. When it comes to the morning itself, add in your favourite protein powder, superfoods powder and liquid of choice. Ta-da – you got yourself a protein and nutrients-packed breakfast! None of that meal replacement rubbish!
- SPICE IT UP, BABY!
Spices are the BEST way (in my humble opinion) to make healthy food taste amazing without all the extra preservatives, nasties and calories! Feeling like Mexican? Load up on cumin and paprika. Italian? Add in some oregano and mixed herbs. Indian? Add those curry powders and cumin into your cooking. So simple, so easy and so delicious!
