Burpees. Mountain climbers. Jump Squats … forget calorie counting! How about you tell me how many repetitions of these exercies I’d have to do if I had that ice cream cone, and I’ll decide if it’s worth it or not! Ha! This is me welcoming you to #30DaysWithJess 2.0!
My Hapa sister Nikki is holding me accountable for the next 8 weeks as we embark on a fitness journey together! We’re on a full blown lifestyle plan that consists of 30 minute workouts, meal prepping, and acronyms like HIIT and LISS! So today I’m sharing with you how I’ve been staying on track by meal prepping and how my new partner My Fit Foods has made that so easy. You can join too with their #PayFitForward initiative!
This week with Joe coming back from Maryland, my schedule taking on two new projects, and Corrine starting a drivers ed program, I was pressed for time to cook and plan! So I prepared a few lunches and dinners here at home, and then I supplemented the other meals for the week with ready-to-go meals from my local My Fit Foods store. The beauty of ready-to-go meals like this is that it takes the guess work out of it for me. I don’t have to think about ingredients, measuring, or macros. I just pack and go- 6 meals a day, that’s a lot of meals.
Think of it this way, our metabolisms are like a beautiful camp fire, and you have to keep feeding the fire with slow burning wood so that it is fueled throughout the day. This is my attempt at giving you a fitting analogy. The fire is your metabolism and the slow burning wood is good, clean, whole foods.
So about every 2 1/2- 3 hours you should be fueling your body with a serving from each of the food groups, and contrary to the no-carb fad I’ve seen, I am a HUGE fan of carbs! It’s our energy and our brain’s fuel! As you see in this week’s preparation photo, along side our MFF meals there is quinoa, sweet potatoes, and fruit. With each of my meals I try to also include a protein, a carb, a healthy fat, and some vegetables. MFF meals already incorporate the ingredients I prepare for myself, so it’s a no brainer to conveniently add them into our plan!
Preparing meals in advance can be a bit daunting, even if you’re only cooking for 3 days at a time like I do. So it makes my life a whole lot easier that My Fit Foods prepares each of their meals with a variety of options for each, even for Corrine! As the mother of a Vegetarian child, it can be difficult to find places that accommodate her, so it’s really nice to have a selection for her to choose from also!
Since our breakfasts were prepped with snack grabs, protein smoothies, and MFF veggie omelets, Corrine and I enjoyed our lunch at our MFF store while we stocked up on meals for the rest of the week. I knew we’d be on the road for the majority of the week, so I got 3 dinners for each of us, some more GF oat bars (also available at MFF woot!) for Corrine, and some peanut butter packets.
Dinner time is my favorite time of the day because it’s the one time we’re all at home and can sit down to enjoy a meal together. I plated up our MFF dinners and even added in some baby carrots and a side salad. I had the almond crusted chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans, while Corrine and Joe savored the shrimp tacos with guacamole. To enjoy some more crunch I tossed in some additional sliced almonds, and I completely recommend you do this and add your favorite ingredients with your next meal!
When we went into our local My Fit Foods store on Friday we were happy to learn that the meals we purchased were a part of the #PayFitForward initiative! Get excited because you too can try our their new dishes AND give back!
Every Friday during the month of September when you purchase a meal from your local My Fit Foods, you’ll get a FREE meal to donate to a participating food bank, or to give to a friend! We volunteer with Earth Angels who participate in Meals On Wheels so we are beyond happy to #PayFitForward each week and spread the love! It’s not only promoting health and wellness, but giving back, and community.
It really does help to involve your family with your health and fitness goals so that you can all do it together. It also really really helps when a friend holds you accountable and checks in with you each week! So grab a friend and create a buddy system! Plus, you can treat them to a healthy meal with the MFF initiative as a thank you for keeping you on track! Win, win!
I hope you join us in #30DaysWithJess 2.0, you still have 3 weeks and if you get stuck on the whole meal planning thing, head on over to your local MFF store and stock up! It’s all about getting your body moving, choosing healthier meal options, and having fun while doing it!
Have a be-you-tiful week!
This post is in partnership with My Fit Foods and their #PayFitForward initiative. We’re proud to share this awesome philanthropic campaign!