Packing the Fridge
When I first started competing I completely underestimated how much time I'd spend in the kitchen. Having to eat every 2-3 hours (no less than 90 minutes in between meals and no more than 3 1/2 hours between meals) it felt like I was always back in the kitchen cooking my next meal.
One of the best practices I learned early on was to prepare as much as possible all at once. That might mean you find yourself in the kitchen for 3 hours at a time...but the payoff is on the back end. What you plan, prep, cook, and store NOW you won't have to plan, prep, cook and store LATER. It really is worth it.
I find that I do a lot of my cooking on Sunday. In our house Sunday is a quiet day. It's a day that we don't really go anywhere. We simply "chill" and enjoy family time. It's a great time for me to cut up my veggies, steam them, bake my chicken, broil my flank, boil my eggs, bake my potatoes, and cook my rice. I'll also prep my awesome hot hubby's food. He's trying to eat clean too - and told me he'll do it AS LONG AS I prepare it for him. Children.
There is a balance though. Last year I tried to do too much at once. I'd prepare so much that by the time I got to the bottom of the container I had to throw it out or chance it being spoiled. I used to pre-cook my fish too. I no longer do that. Completely stunk up the fridge and never stored very well. Blah - just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. I absolutely LOVE fish - but only when fresh. I learned that one the hard way.
So this is what I would suggest. Prepare enough food to last you for about 3-4 days. Prepare your chicken plainly - nothing on it. That way when you need cooked chicken for a recipe (like the recipes I post on Recipes for Gals in Figure and Bodybuilding) you'll be able to add the necessary spices needed at that moment. I do this ALL the time. Works great. Same thing goes for the veggies (asparagus, zucchini, green beans, onions) and flank. It's all ready to go at a moment's notice.
IF I use seasoning when I make things in advance, I'll lightly dust it with any one of my plethora of Mrs. Dash spices.
If any of you want to know more how I prep my food, let me know. It's basic, but I know when I first started eating this way I really didn't know the options. There are many. I'm happy to share what I've found simplest. Just ask!
When I started losing all my weight, so many people in my neighborhood asked me "how". I'm thinking of one neighbor in particular that would say, "Jenny, some day I just need to come over to your house and see what you have in your fridge." It's so funny now thinking back on that. She actually DID do that. For her it wasn't a matter of "hearing" it; she needed to "see" it. Some people are more visual. She wanted to see what I ate, how I cooked it, and how I stored it.
As I continue on my own journey, I'm slowly de-cluttering the less healthy sauces, marinades, and dressings in my fridge and replacing them with their healthier counterparts. I was brought up in a home where we DID NOT waste. We used up what we had. I'm still of the same mentality, so I have a really hard time throwing away perfectly good foods - even if they are less healthy. ha ha! Some of them might never get used up, and I'll just have to let them die a slow death. Once they are expired, they're tossed. But until then they hold their special little spot in the fridge. I can't wait for the day that EVERYTHING in my fridge is clean...except for maybe the occasional planned CHEAT - which if you ask me is worth a shelf all of it's own.
Happy Clean Eating!
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