Monday Motivation/Meal Prep Monday

Good morning folks!!

It was an absolutely fabulous weekend here!

Saturday morning, we got up early and went to Stillwater, Oklahoma for the Lake McMurtry 12k trail run. I've lived in this area all my life. I've been to Lake McMurtry on more than one occasion but I never knew that the trails there existed and how pretty the area was. Hubs and I have never run a trail race/run officially. We didn't have a goal time in mind. Our plan was to run/walk and just enjoy nature. That's exactly what we did. We started out toward the back of the pack. Most of the other runners passed us early on. The trail started out fairly wide but quickly narrowed. We were meeting the 25k and 50k runners at times. There were quite a few steep declines/inclines and the trail was dry as we hadn't had significant rainfall for a while. It could be slick and treacherous in places if it were wet/muddy. It was an out/back course which I didn't mind because it looked quite different on the way back than it did on the way out. I stayed fairly close to hubs for the first 4-5 miles but I ran ahead on mile 5 and walked most of the last mile as I was following 2 walkers. This was the longest run I've done in several weeks and I didn't want to do too much, too soon so I didn't mind the walking. I lost some endurance and conditioning while I was recovering. Initially, I felt out of shape but then I got warmed up and felt better. Overall, it was a good experience and I'm so glad we did it! Hubs has a little bit of pain in his knee but he did great too!! 

 

 

After the run, we had lunch then did our weekly grocery shopping. It was a beautiful day so I finished putting the groceries away, took a shower and then we sat on the porch for a while. It's been so long since we did any front porch sitting that I forgot how enjoyable it was!

 

Yesterday, I got up and did our taxes. Yeah, I know! Nothing like waiting until the last minute but I wanted to prolong the inevitable as long as possible. We sold a home last year so I was dreading the outcome. The damage was bad enough but it wasn't as bad as either one of us expected.

 

When that was done, I did a little closet clean out. Then I tackled the weekly meal prep.

 

I don't have time to cook during the week, so I do weekly food prep on the weekend, usually Sunday. I try to start making my meal plan on Thursday or Friday. I usually try to plan at least 2 protein choices. I try to fix things that will make multiple servings. And I use my crock pot when I can because its a huge time saver!!  Ideally I will shop on Saturday and prep on Sunday.

 

I have a subscription to Emeals.com and I'm currently on a low calorie, 2 person plan. I get some of my meals ideas from there. I also find good ones on Pinterest. And we've got our favorites that I rotate. I don't do anything that isn't easy because I simply don't have time! One of my favorite, go to meals is what I call "dump chicken".  I put 1.5 - 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crockpot with whatever seasoning you choose (taco seasoning, Rotel tomatoes, salsa, barbeque sauce, soysauce w/brown sugar and garlic, etc) and cook on low 4-6 hours. This will make several meals. It can be shredded for salads or lettuce wraps.

 

I also use steamer bags as often as I can. They are another huge time saver because they don't take long in the microwave and there is no clean up. Birds Eye steamer veggies and Minute Rice steamable brown rice, found in the freezer aisle make meal prep a breeze! I try to prep at least 1 starch (brown rice, quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes) and 2 veggies. Sometimes, I will chop raw veggies for hubs lunches or lettuce for mine, too. I always fixe hubs sausage egg muffins. They are so easy and he loves them. I typically spend 2-3 hours meal prepping including clean up. I keep my trash can on one side of me and a bucket on the other for veggie scraps. Those go out to a compost heap. So, that's how I do it. I find that if I don't do a good job of meal prepping for the week, we make poor choices during the week. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Weekly meal prep--upper left: turkey sausage egg muffins; upper right: jalapeno turkey burgers, roasted sweet potatoes; lower left: balsamic mustard pork chops, zucchini ribbon salad; lower right: grilled pesto chicken, grilled mixed veggies

 

Until next time--get up, get out, get moving and be awesome today!!

 

Your friend,

 

Theresa

 

Do you meal prep?

What's on your menu this week? Ever tried Emeals?

 

 

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