We’ve all been there. It’s midweek, you’re juggling work, family, and a dozen other responsibilities, and the last thing you want to do is spend an hour in the kitchen cooking a healthy meal. That’s when the drive-thru or delivery apps start to look like the quickest (and most tempting) solution. But what if I told you there’s a way to make eating well a lot easier, even when life is crazy busy?

Enter: Batch cooking your proteins.

The Power of Batch Cooking

Batch cooking is essentially prepping a large quantity of a food item at once so that you have it ready to go for meals throughout the week. When it comes to proteins—whether it’s chicken, beef, tofu, or beans—batch cooking can be a game-changer for your nutrition. Here’s why:

1. Saves Time and Energy
   • Imagine this: You cook a large batch of chicken breasts or ground turkey on Sunday, and now you have enough protein ready for several meals. This not only saves you time during the week but also spares you the mental energy of deciding what to cook each day. With your protein already prepped, putting together a healthy meal becomes as easy as reheating and adding some veggies or grains.
2. Prevents Poor Food Choices
   • When you’re tired and hungry, it’s easy to reach for something quick and unhealthy. But if you’ve got a batch of cooked proteins waiting for you in the fridge, you’re more likely to throw together a balanced meal instead. A bowl of reheated protein with a side of pre-washed greens or microwaved veggies is faster—and healthier—than waiting for delivery.
3. Portion Control Made Easy
   • Batch cooking also allows you to portion out your proteins in advance, making it easier to stick to your nutritional goals. Whether you’re aiming to increase your protein intake or just maintain a balanced diet, having pre-portioned servings helps you stay on track without having to measure and weigh every time you eat.
4. Versatility in Meals
   • One of the best things about batch-cooked proteins is their versatility. That batch of grilled chicken you made? It can be turned into salads, wraps, stir-fries, or even added to soups. Having a base protein ready gives you the flexibility to mix up your meals without spending extra time in the kitchen.

How to Get Started

Getting started with batch cooking is easier than you might think. Here’s a simple plan to try out:

1. Pick Your Protein: Choose one or two proteins you enjoy and that can be used in various dishes. Chicken, ground beef, tofu, or beans are great options.
2. Cook in Bulk: Prepare your chosen protein in a way that’s versatile. Grilling, baking, or sautéing are all good options. You can even season half one way and the other half differently to keep things interesting.
3. Portion and Store: Once cooked, divide the protein into portions that work for your meals. Store them in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer, depending on how soon you plan to use them.
4. Plan Your Meals: With your protein ready, think about what veggies, grains, or other sides you can quickly pair with them. Prepping these in advance can further cut down on your cooking time.

Conclusion

Life gets busy, and it’s easy to let nutrition fall by the wayside. But with a little planning and batch cooking, you can set yourself up for success. Prepping your proteins in advance is like giving yourself a head start on the week. It makes healthy eating more convenient, less stressful, and ultimately, more sustainable.

There are 2 types of carbohydrates: SIMPLE and COMPLEX

• Complex Carbohydrates or “Smart Carbs” are polysaccharides. Since they have more than 2 sugar groups linked together.
• Simple carbohydrates contain smaller more easily processed molecules known as mono and disaccharides. They contain either 1 sugar molecule or 2 linked together.

Certainly! Here’s a list of some great pre and post-workout snacks to fuel your fitness journey:

Pre-Workout Snacks:

Banana with almond butter
Greek yogurt with granola
Oatmeal topped with berries
Whole grain toast with avocado
Energy balls made with nuts and dates
Apple slices with peanut butter
Rice cakes with hummus
Smoothie with spinach, banana, and protein powder
Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit
Whole grain crackers with turkey slices or cheese.

Post-Workout Snacks:

Protein shake with whey or plant-based protein powder
Grilled chicken or salmon with sweet potatoes
Cottage cheese with pineapple or berries
Quinoa salad with vegetables and chickpeas
Greek yogurt with honey and nuts
Tuna or chicken wrap with whole grain tortilla
Hard-boiled eggs with whole grain toast
Chocolate milk or a protein smoothie
Hummus with carrot sticks or whole grain pita bread
Grilled tofu or tempeh with roasted vegetables.
Remember, these are just some ideas, and you can mix and match according to your taste preferences and dietary needs. It’s essential to find snacks that provide a good balance of carbohydrates and protein to fuel your workouts and support muscle recovery. Stay hydrated, listen to your body, and enjoy your fitness journey

 

If you are tracking your food, this is the BEST way to pre plan.

Try not to get in the habit of tracking your meals after you have eaten them.  Its a guess at best. Your not being proactive with your targets and its just a “shoot from the hip” approach that slows progress.

Pre-Plan and I promise you will see and feel the benefits very quickly!

 

Micah realized that learning to fuel for his super busy, active job was key. And when he got there, his energy was endless!

No more wanting to fall asleep on the drive home.

No more afternoon crashes.

Just sustainable energy all day!

 

 

1. Eat 30 grams of protein for breakfast! You will be surprised how much this impacts your energy, output and focus for the day.
2. Get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep! Less than this and we are sleep deprived. Hit 7 consistently and you will feel SO MUCH BETTER!
3. Eat 3 servings of veggies each day! I don’t care if it’s the same three veggies, just eat them! Your digestion, gut health and mental clarity will drie you to go all in on this!
4. Get outside for at least 15 minutes everyday (even with it’s cloudy)! The difference that this will make on your mental and physical health will be incredible. Give it 21 days and tell me how you feel!

 

1. Random bedtimes and wake times! Your body loves consistency in both nutrition and sleep. Try to get to bed and wake up at similar times both during the week and on the weekends.
2. Caffiene in the afternoon. The average half-life of caffiene is 6-8 hours, so that bang or coffee at 2:00 could be killing your sleep. Although you might fall asleep easily, staying asleep and getting restful sleep is severely effected by caffiene!
3. You’re not getting enough sunshine! Getting outside and letting that sunlight shine on your face, skin, and eyes is creating a wake/cortisol response. Without it, often it can throw off your bodies circadian rhythm and create poor sleep patterns!

You may need Magnesium –

When stress is high or we are training hard our body can become depleted of magnesium. The reason is when cortisol is high your body pours on the magnesium in order to try to “put out the fire” but that can cause serious magnesium deficiency.

Some signs this might be the case for you:
Crappy Sleep
Super Moody
Constipation
Slow Recovery
Constantly craving sugar

Magnesium is used in more than 500 different cellular reactions in your body.

It is crucial for your brain, heart, blood sugar levels and your mood.

Magnesium rich foods are leafy greens, avocados, seeds, legumes, and my favorite….dark chocolate.

Include these foods regularly but supplementing can be helpful too.  I take 300mg and hour before bed.

I love Pure Encapsulation’s
DesBio
Jigsaw Health
Traceminerals
You can also find Calm at most grocery stores locally.

“My co-worker was passed out on the ground after 4 long days of work and I just kept going. I know how I am eating is making a huge difference in my stamina.” -SN

Crazy right! This is not the first feedback we have gotten from clients when I comes to how much better their energy is!

Why “Eat Less, Move More” Isn’t Enough

Lauren Gunter | October 2, 2022

You’ve been told that in order to lose weight, you need to eat less and move more. And that is technically true. However, sometimes you’re doing all that you can to follow that simple rule, and nothing seems to be changing.

 

Even if you understand that way calorie intake and expenditure work, and you trust the science, it’s still really hard to execute for some reason.

 

On Sunday, you stock your fridge with you celery and prepped chicken, and grapes, you signed up for CrossFit, you scheduled food prep and workouts into your calendar like they’re an important work meeting. And yet, by Friday afternoon you have wilted spinach in your fridge, your gym owner is reaching out asking where you’ve been, and there’s not a prepped meal in sight.

 

After this cycle repeats itself week after week, it’s easy to feel frustrated and even a little hopeless. “What’s wrong with me?” we ask ourselves. First of all, nothing. Nothing is wrong with you. You do a lot of really great things like work, raise your family, keep your home clean, support your friends, and while these are all such great things, they definitely complicate the simplicity of “eat less, move more.”

 

We do a lot of things that actually decrease our ability or desire to move, and increase our desire to eat, especially calorie-dense (but not nutrient-dense) foods.

Job – stress, long hours

Family – complaining, constant need for support, can drain you

Sleep – bad sleeper? Waking up, can’t get to sleep

Partner – loves you the way you are and also loves Taco Bell

Take-out – it just saves SO much time

Shame – for eating poorly, so you continue to do it

Kids – you love them, but they’re energetic and take up a lot of energy, especially if child care isn’t consistent

Pain – if you have any kind of injury, moving more can feel good, but it can also increase your pain

Meds – using them to help boost mental health, but certain ones also increase your appetite

 

Every one of you is a complicated person with your own set of obstacles when it comes to “eat less, move more” and that’s why even though that is technically true, it’s not even close to enough. This is why coaching is so helpful, because we want to know the whole story so that we can give you a plan that will work FOR YOU.

 

If you’re not working with a coach right now, a good place to start is identifying what makes “eat less, move more” so difficult in the first place, and start taking action steps with those.

This can looks like:

1. If social situations are the issue: having a tough and awkward conversation with the person who you make bad decisions around. If your partner is constantly bringing you a treat out of the goodness of their heart, explain what your goals are and why, and try to find a solution so they can still show you love, but also help move you toward your goals instead of away from them.
2. If anxiety and worry, or even busyness are the issue: journal for a few minutes before going to sleep to create some separation and resolve from those thoughts so that your mind can relax and fall asleep.
3. If the shame of not being consistent is the issue: keeping a food AND feelings journal. Most of you have tracked your food at some point, stop neglecting logging when you get that Taco Bell, and start journaling your feelings around that eating experience. What were you feeling that made you want to get it? How did you feel while you were eating it? How did you feel after, and why is that? This can be scary, but it will help you start working through some of these shameful feelings.

 

This doesn’t really sound like nutritional advice, so why do those things matter? Because the outcomes make EVERYTHING easier, and when it’s easier, you’re more likely to do it.

 

Having that hard conversation is awkward, but if this person loves you and wants to support you, usually a compromise can be reached. Instead of eating out 5 times per week, decrease it to 3. They still get to eat out, you get two more healthy meals. Being vulnerable is what deters us from doing this, but we often feel more loved and support after. Prioritising your health is NOT selfish.

 

Getting some of those anxious thoughts out of your head, even if it’s just temporary, can help you to relax a little more, get better sleep, and have the energy to make better choices like eating at home, or have more energy to move, like walking to work.

 

Keeping a food journal can help us recognize triggers. Every time I hit a drive thru unplanned, it happens to fall on a day where I had to work late and I leave the office hangry and tired. I feel shame for eating it, and also for not being home with my family for dinner. Once you KNOW this, you can start planning to change it. Spending some extra time with your family in the morning when you know it’s going to be a long day, or bringing a protein bar with you for the car ride home so that your hungriness doesn’t take over and you’re able to think through your dinner choice and eat slowly can help save you hours of stress and hundreds of calories.

 

The changes are small at first, but over time, you’re able to eat a little cleaner and move a little more, AND most importantly, feel better about the choices you’re making. Your body will begin responding to these changes, and the emotional and physical health together are what lead to those bigger changes we’re all chasing.

 

Eat less and move more does still work. But we are all complex, and it takes more than you hitting your macros or going to CrossFit every day to see the changes you are looking for. Look behind your difficulty with eating right or working out consistently. How are you managing your stress? How are you sleeping? What are you doing for recovery? It might actually be these things that are preventing your progress.

 

It may seem like this will prolong the process, but caring for your mental health, sleep, and recovery give you the fuel you need to actually follow through on those nutrition and fitness goals you have.

 

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