Nested to fast lifestyles and processed living, fitness routines are hard to keep especially nutritious diets. Enter the Batch And Bite, with which you have no excuse to eat well and quickly. Proper Meal Prepping By doing meal preps, you know that what you are eating is in line with your fitness goals – whether it be weight loss, muscle gain, or just maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
We at fitfine24 know the importance of exercise and nutrition cannot be balanced. In this guide, I will take you through the steps to help you plan, prep, and store your food in order to make achieving your ideal body more attainable.
Batch Cooking is The Crux of Success in Fitness
One of the best ways to stay on track with your nutrition is through meal prep and batch cooking. There are innumerable reasons as to how it is beneficial for a fitness enthusiast.
Prevent overeating and hitting your calorie goals with portion control: Meal prep in advance to aid with proper serving sizes.
Do you sometimes eat junk because you feel like there are no healthy options or you simply do not have the time to cook?
If you prepare in bulk you save time during the week to do the things that really matter like working out and recovery.
Economical:Less eating out translates to saving some cash, so with meal prepping you’ll be able to maintain your budget on food and still have healthy meals.
Nutrient Timing:With a meal you are in full control of how much of which foods go into it — This becomes especially important when you are trying to achieve optimal macronutrient ratios for muscle gain, or fat loss.
Learn About Batch And Bite for Your Fitness Routine
Also, Check out The Ultimate Guide on How to Crush It With Fit Food Prep!
Organize Your Diet Accordingly to Fitness Goal
Step one — define your fitness goals for meal prep
If Muscle Gain: To facilitate recovery and muscle growth, you will want to eat more calories in the form of protein-rich meals.
Weight Loss: if your goal is weight loss, you want to choose low-calorie meals with high nutrient-dense foods that will help reduce calories without leaving you significantly hungry.
Third Stage:WEIGHT MAINTENANCE While you are maintaining the hard-won condition of your body, there is an important balance — your diet should contain a reasonable share of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.
In order to support the body in repair and recovery, you need proteins, carbs, and fats as a macronutrient base. If you are still unsure as to what that is, there are loads of online calculators to help steer you in the right direction.
Batch Cooking Essentials
Certain tools are a must when it comes to Batch And Bite! Just a word of advice, ensure you have the below essentials.
A Good Set of Meal Prep Containers: Make sure to use a BPA-free and air-tight container that is freezer and microwave-friendly.
Food Scale (read: measure your food appropriately to meet your caloric/macronutrient needs)
Equipment:Slow cookers, sheet pans, and a blender can all be wonderful tools for cooking in bulk.
Create a nutrient-rich grocery list: Stick to buying lean meats, healthy fats, whole grains, and fresh veggies.
Cook in Bulk
Batch cooking is when you cook a lot of meals at the same time. Normally this can be done on a weekend where you fast, and prepare your meals for the entire week in around 2 hours. Some examples of meals we can prepare in large quantities are
Grilled Chicken Breast:This is a solid protein that you can have as part of a salad, in some sort of wrap, or by itself.
Quinoa or Brown Rice: These complex carbs are portion-friendly and lend themselves well to other veggies/proteins.
Advanced Diet Dish:Veggie Stir Fry – Bring some nutrients in with broccoli from the freezer and bell peppers and zucchini.
Hard Boiled Eggs: The perfect little protein fix on the fly.
Over-nigh-oats: They are just oats soaked in liquid and left overnight to absorb all the nutrients or flavors of your choice.
Store and Portion Your Meals
The next thing to do after cooking your meals is to store them properly. Divide your meals up in containers and you have meals to go for the week Portioning according to fitness goals — A Guide
You could consume slightly bigger meals for muscle gain with a higher protein (e.g., 5-6 oz of chicken, 1 cup of quinoa, loads of veggies)
When it comes to weight loss, eat smaller portions of nutrient-dense food (such as 3-4 oz. of chicken, ½ c quinoa, and double veggies).
Weight Maintenance:Follow this by eating balanced meals with lean protein, fruits, and vegetables in moderation.
Specific: Idea, Date Specific/Category (meal type ex. breakfast)Labeled Container One-pot freezer meals are great for that, here are some of my favorite one-pot meals to make two rounds and freeze.
Have Some Snacks and Drinks Ready to Go
Prepare Some Snacks and Beverages — You should also consider prepping a couple of snacks and drinks every week in addition to your main meals. Prepare some healthy food in advance Make sure you have some nourishing treats ready to replace a chip attack. Here are some ideas:
Oat, nut butter, and protein powder Protein Balls
Veggies and Hummus:Slice cucumber, carrots, and celery and serve with hummus for a fibrous snack.
Ziplock bags:For smoothie prep, portion out frozen fruits and greens in ziplock bags, then blend with protein powder and almond milk.
Touch Batch Eat Prema: Recipe for Meal Preparation!
This quick 7-day meal plan is based on the diet of fitness models and bodybuilders intending to either lose fat or build muscle. Downsize portions according to your individual needs.
Breakfast
Overnight oats Almond milk Chia seeds Berries + scoop protein powder
SPINACH TURKEY SAUSAGE & BELL PEPPER EGG MUFFINS
Lunch
Grilled Chicken & Quinoa Salad With mixed greens, cucumber and lemon vinaigrette
Turkey and Sweet Potato Bowls+ Avocado + Salsa
Dinner
Brown rice salmon: side steam on steamed broccoli + squeeze of lemon
Vegetarian stir fry:tofu, broccoli, and bell peppers with a side of soba noodles.
Snacks
To counteract that pint of ice cream:Greek YogurtA palm full of almonds
Cottage Cheese:Served with cucumber slices or carrot sticks.
How We Batch Cook Successfully
Keep it Simple with your Recipe Choices: Keep those meals super simple Bulk dishes of simple proteins, roasted vegetables, or grains make for quick meals.
Season with Aromatics:Season your food with aromatics such as basil, cilantro, and parsley or spices for flavor — e.g., cumin, turmeric, and chili powder — without the calories.
Switch Up Menus: Rotate menus regularly to prevent food monotony. Eating something new each meal keeps variety into the mix and nutrient profiles varied as well.
Conclusion
However, one of the best fitness tipsto stay on track with your fitness journey is mastering Batch And Bite. The desire to stick to a weight loss, muscle gain, or just healthy eating routine will always be made easier (and the times you do eat badly) and will gradually not be as delicious when you can dedicate one day/night of regenerative food supply.
In fitfine24 we say Batch And Bite, makes you light. Make use of these meal prep strategies will have you coming at your goals from all angles without wasting your time or money.
