Hello and welcome to my summer post on MEAL PREPPING!

Every summer, I work for LSU developing curriculum and teaching teachers about that curriculum. I spend the entire month of June in front of a computer from 8 am to 5 pm. I'm exhausted by the end of the day, and my summer doesn't really start until it's over. Then I usually take a vacation with my family at the beginning of June. And I come back to finally get two weeks of summer before going back to school! It's crazy. 

So I meal prep. I make freezer meals that I can easily pull out of the freezer and dump in a slow cooker or on a sheet pan instead of having to spend every day fixing dinner. My meal plan in particular is for 7 weeks and takes into account my vacation and my first two weeks of school. 

I am also doing the Ultimate Portion Fix from BODi (Beachbody and Autumn Calabrese), which if followed correctly it provides enough food for that day, sometimes more than enough. I am trying to lose weight so I am following the plan according to the formula and I am working out daily. This meal plan is for the UPF Plan A which is between 1200-1400 calories a day. So my weekly plans cover all these containers and foods. 

The daily plans include all containers for that day, with snacks; however, sometimes I don’t eat all the containers. If I’m not hungry, I won’t eat it. And let me just say I am not a registered dietician, or expert in diets and health and can only plan according to my knowledge of UPF. 

I plan every detail. From shopping list to how to prepare the freezer meals to how to get ready each week of the plan. 

And this is how my meal prep goes: 

For the massive Freezer Meal Prep day, I schedule a Walmart Grocery Delivery for some time that morning or the Saturday evening before (click here for referral link; you'll get $20 added to your account when you join Walmart Plus!). Walmart plus is $12.95 a month or $98 a year and in my opinion totally worth it. I get access to unlimited free home delivery, free shipping from website, Paramount Plus subscription, a fuel discount of 10 cents per gallon at Murphy and Exxon, Scan and Go at the stores, Walmart Rewards, and more. 

So when I get my groceries, I can store them or if it's early enough on Sunday (my meal prep day) I get started. 

Then all I have to do is start prepping the meals. 

Most meals go in the storage bags. Some go in the foil pans. I have labels made so I can easily stick on the bags and pans and know what's inside. They are waterproof labels from Avery. All information is in the download. 

Then, for each week I defrost what is needed. I also purchase fresh fruits and vegetables each week for breakfast, snacks, or lunch. So each week I do have minor meal prepping to do. I usually meal prep on Sundays. I make sure to have a clean kitchen and several meal prep containers ready. Depending on what I’m prepping, this could take an hour or more. I prep everything into containers. Unless it’s a single piece of fruit (if I don’t want that fruit cut), like an apple or banana that I can just grab when it’s time for a snack.

And that's it. You can grab my meal plan at the link below. It includes the labels and also a template to make your own. 

Some common meal prep questions: 

"But what if I'm not hungry for what I meal prep?" 

Then I don't eat it. I'm not stuck with this plan. There are some days I want Raising Cane's so I go and get it. 

"But what if I have an event to go to?"

I go to it. I eat the food there. I enjoy myself. I'll have leftovers later. 

"What about healthy eating choices? What if there aren't any at the event?"

So what? Eat and enjoy. A well balanced diet is eating what you want, in moderation.

"Can I drink alcohol?"

Heck yeah. Drink and be merry. 

"What if I don't follow the plan exactly? What if I don't want all the containers?"

Then I don't eat it. Food is not the enemy. Food is not in control. I am. I decide what I want, how much I want, and when I want it. I just use this plan as a guide. I don't actually use the containers to measure every piece of food. As long as I am making healthy choices the majority of the time, I'm good. I've already lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks and I feel great. So much healthier, lighter, and my IBS is under control. I've also eaten cookies and ice cream and have had no regrets. 

Click the pic below to gain access to my 7 week Freezer Meal Plan. 

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Jessica

Good evening to you!! I just wanted to share how I've been prepping for the coming year other than working in my classroom. I don't know about you, but the beginning of the school year can be super BUSY and I often forget my lunch at home and end up spending money I don't have to Waitr something. Or do the same thing when I get home because I'm too exhausted to fix dinner so I'll just grab something unhealthy like chips or brownies. Does this happen to you?? (If not, what is your secret?!?!?!?)

So I like to meal prep in advance to help me get into the swing of things. I have another meal plan on my blog {CLICK HERE} that I posted many moons ago. These are done in the same way. 

If you want to skip ahead to the meal plans, here they are: 

Freezer Meals Part 2 - Two Week Meal Plan

Freezer Meals Part 3 - Two Week Meal Plan

For those that don't know, two years ago, Carly had a troubling checkup. She has diabetes on both sides of her family, so the doctor was a bit worried about the amount of sugar she was ingesting and concerned she could develop diabetes. So we cut the carbs. And did it help!! We both found ourselves with increased energy, we were sleeping easier, hunger was less, and it wasn't hard to eat things we were supposed to be eating rather than junk. Now, there are times when we go off the low carb lifestyle (like when we go to Disney!!) or like this entire summer (oops), but we always manage to get back on track. 

But just so you know, not all of these meals are Low Carb - I've made notes on the ones on what needs to be changed to make it low carb.

And now we come to my meal prep!! I accumulated over 20 easy to put together low carb meals from the Internet and placed them in two easy to follow documents, complete with a shopping list and instructions on how to meal prep. I also have a sample menu plan for two weeks. They are in two documents, each for a two week plan. Depending on how many people you cook for, you may have to multiply or divide the number of ingredients needed. 

First, look over the shopping lists and determine what you already have and what you will need to purchase. Make sure to look over the meals, too. 

Then go shopping!! Or do what I do and Walmart Grocery Pickup everything!! 

I bought for the entire month!! So this is about $160 worth of groceries from Walmart. I also had a lot of the spices and baking supplies already. 

Then you start prepping!! 

I usually make the simple freezer meals first, such as the ones where I don't have to brown any meat, and set up the bags by writing the name of the dish and the instructions. 

I also save time by using frozen chopped veggies, such as PictSweet Seasoning Blend. I hate chopping vegetables (onions!!) so I save time and sanity by buying frozen ones. 

I also like to purchase some frozen sides, such as riced cauliflower and broccoli so that it's easier to put together a complete meal after a very tiring day at work.  

Halfway through meal prep!! Slowly running out of freezer space but that's okay. I played Tetris as a child. 

I also like to purchase some steaks that we can air fry quickly one night and serve with a side of leftovers. 

And Real Good Foods makes frozen family size pizzas!! SCORE! 

For lunch, I like to pre-pack some tupperware dishes for the week with protein packs and a few hot lunches. I use Oh My Keto's sausage dip stuffed peppers and some frozen broccoli (heated, of course) as some delicious, easy to pack and travel, hot lunch at school. 

The protein packs I like to place some pickles, almonds, cheese, and pepperoni. Sometimes I'll throw in some olives or deli meat. I also love Shrewd Food Protein Croutons*. They are delicious as a crunchy snack and a topping for salads. 

These sausage dip stuffed peppers are SUPER EASY to make and they freeze beautifully. 

A side of broccoli is so simple to add to your meals, and there's a ton of fiber. Topping with some Everything But the Bagel seasoning adds huge layers of flavor to the dish. 

Take out the freezer meals the night before and defrost in the fridge. The next morning, line your slow cooker with a Reynold's Slow Cooker Liner* Dump the meal and set the cooker to the time and setting according to the instructions. 

When you get home at the end of a long day, you'll have dinner all ready!! And clean up will be a breeze since you've used a liner! 

Here is the Cheeseburger Meatloaf with a side of Caulimash and broccoli.  

And who can forget dessert?!?!!? These peanut butter chocolate chip bars from Keto Is Life are divine and super easy to make. 

Okay so here you go! 

Click the titles to be taken to the Google Doc. 

Freezer Meals Part 2 - Two Week Meal Plan

Meals include: 

Low Carb Blueberry Muffins

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Cream Cheese Pancakes

Sausage and Cheese quiche

Low Carb Waffles

Low Carb Chili with cheese, sour cream, and pork rinds

Slow Cooker Shrimp Chowder

Butter Ranch Pork Chops with caulimash

Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Parm Meatballs

Slow Cooker Melt in your Mouth Chicken

Cheeseburger Meatloaf with caulimash

Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas 

Crab shrimp and artichoke casserole

Cheesy Low Carb Bread

Creamy Broccoli Bake

Freezer Meals Part 3 - Two Week Meal Plan

Meals include: 

Stuffed Breakfast Biscuits

Low Carb Breakfast casserole with sausage and cheese

Sausage Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Sheet Pan Pancakes

Sausage Dip Stuffed Peppers

Cheeseburger Meatloaf with caulimash

Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas

Meatballs alla Parmigiana

Mississippi Roast

Crack Chicken on "Eggos"

Make Ahead Freezer Burgers

Protein Snack Pack

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Cheesy Bread

Spanish Caulirice

I made both of these together for a full month. Though to be honest, we will have plenty more leftovers than the two week daily meals provide for, so it's more like five weeks.  

I've included ideas for sides and desserts, and sometimes we like to have the same meal (such as cheeseburger meatloaf) multiple times and it's easy so I prepare it double. 

I hope this can help some of you out! Enjoy!

*Tech and Teachability is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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Jessica

Freezer meals are the number one best way to get ahead of things in your life. They are super simple to make and easy to prep as well. If you've had a super busy week like me, these are a life saver!

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Jessica

Happy Saturday Everyone!

It has been a long and busy week but I hardly feel tired at all! I've seen two movies, did laundry, made a ton of freezer meals (read more about that HERE), wrote some more curriculum, fixed the schedule, did more laundry, and dishes, and learned all about Engineering.

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Jessica

Hi guys!! I am having such a fun October so far! Enjoying pumpkin spice and flavored everything.

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Jessica