Peanut butter cookies

So, we have been discussing healthy and diet for a few posts so let’s have a fun one shall we? Peanut butter cookies, you can smell them from a mile away and everybody LOVES them. I have a recipe that bakes a little flat with crisp edges and a soft middle. The perfect peanut butter cookie to satisfy any craving! 

Peanut butter cookies

2 sticks of softened butter 

1 cup of creamy or crunch peanut butter 

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar (plus more for rolling)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour 

Preheat oven to 350

Cream together butter, brown and white sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined, scraping down the bowl with each addition. 

In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients. 

Combine wet and dry just until dough forms. Scoop into 1oz balls, roll in sugar, and press criss cross with a fork. 

Bake for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool for 3 minutes before attempting to consume. 

For thick chewy cookies, chill dough for 1 hour before rolling. 

*fun add ins before baking: mini chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, Reese’s peices, chocolate sprinkles, dried cranberries, m&ms, and more. 

*for chocolate peanut butter cookies, add a few spoonfuls of Nutella or sundae fudge before chilling. 

Remember, it’s all about balance, have a cookie or two, just not the whole tray (but I won’t tell if you do eat the whole tray 😉)

Happy baking! 

The meal prep princess 

Snacks

Hello all, today’s installment talks about one of my favorite things ever. Snacks. I LOVE snacks of all shapes, sizes, and textures! Snacks can also be sneaky and tricky, without realizing it we can sit and eat a whole family sized bag of potato chips and not even realize it until we have hit the bottom of the bag. But I do have some solutions for successful snacking! 

The snacks I love the most would have to be pretzel sticks, dried fruit such as pineapple and mango, freeze dried strawberries, fresh fruit of all kinds, baby carrots and celery, gluten free crackers with tuna, babybell cheese with grapes, yougrt and granola, cottage cheese, dark chocolate, rice crisps, pickles, olives, I really could go on forever and ever about snacks. But apart from snacking right is watching the portion! 

Always pre portion snacks, this has saved me time and time again and it’s handy for keeping in your lunch bag for mid afternoon hunger pains. I bag things like pretzels and dried fruit in zip lock bags. Dose them out in serving sizes, 1/3C of dried pineapple has about 130 calories. Dried pineapple is more calorie dense then fresh pineapple so watch out, however it is good to raise blood sugar and it’s better then eating a bag of candy. Fresh fruit and veggies I pack into small deep to-go’s and stash them in the fridge for breakfast as well as snacking. 

Follow your hunger cues, when you are reaching for a snack, think to yourself “am I hungry enough to eat an apple” if yes, then you are hungry and should eat, if no then your mind is bored, you aren’t actually hungry. Try not to snack in front of the TV if at all possible, because I have a tendency to eat snack after snack if I’m watching tv, so I try to keep my hands busy instead by sketching, playing with a stress ball, crochet (which was an epic fail I should add). 

Always try to have a snack after a workout, something lite, with healthy fat and protein, turkey, a handful of nuts, an avacado and egg on toast, fresh fruits with Greek yougert are all excellent picks! 

Also eating small meals throughout the day keeps your blood sugars level and can help you fight fatigue and help curb the cravings for the junk food. Eating several small meals a day also helps promote weight loss, and better overall health. 

Happy snacking! 

The meal prep princess 

Why diets fail

Today I want to touch on an important topic that seems to be buzzing all through my social media pages. The dreaded “get your summer body diet!” Ugh *insert serious eye roll* I have seen articles boasting the successes of drinking apple cider vinegar every morning, ketosis, the military diet, beach body diet, it works! (No it doesn’t). I swear there is a pill, shake, wrap, quick fix solution for everything. Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news but weight loss isn’t a “quick fix” it’s not a “3 day miricle detox diet” or my favorite “loose 10lbs your first week!”. No. No. No. No. NO!  

We will discuss BMI, BMR, and calories in another installment but healthy weight loss is 1-2lbs a week, 1lb = 3500 calories that have to be burned off to loose just 1lb. 

The biggest reason diets fail is because people set the bar wayyyyy to high and set unrealistic goals. A goal of “I’m going to run 5 miles a day” isn’t a great beginner goal, because after the first few days they get tired, give up and are back to square 1 all over again. Make a realistic obtainable short term goal this is a goal that can be achieved within 1 year, for example “I will only have fast food once a week” or “I will do 30 minutes of exercise 3 days a week” or “I will only get a fancy coffee drink on Sunday, and drink regular black coffee (or with half and half if you are me) the rest of the week” those are easily obtainable goals that even a beginner can accomplish and feel good about accomplishing. Weight loss and good health are all about baby steps and climbing the ladder to success. 

Once you have your short term goals figured out, set yourself a long term goal which is something that is accomplished in the long term, not next week or even this year. For example “I will loose 20lbs this year (short term) and I will maintain and keep it off by eating healthy and exercising regularly (long term goal)” 

Diets also tend to fail because people get into this mindset of “oh I can’t eat anything good anymore” eating healthy is not a punishment! We as Americans are addicted to food that is seriously not meant to be eaten! As I said in “how it all began” I used to eat a lot of fast food, then I started eating clean and the first few weeks I really really wanted to hit up the drive through because “I deserve it” but I maintained my willpower to achieve my short term goals and after 2 months I no longer wanted that kind of food. Trust me, after a few weeks of eating what humans were made to eat fast food won’t taste good, it won’t taste right anymore. Keep the faith and believe in yourself above all things, you deserve more than eating out of a paper bag. 

Slip ups are bound to happen, we are all human and we all make mistakes. Another reason diets fail is because one little dietary misstep or a skipped gym day leads to “I’m just a failure, I can’t do anything right, I might as well give up” don’t give up!!!! Tomorrow is a brand new day and a day to get back on track, never give up just because of one bad day or even a bad weekend. You can do anything you set your mind to. I promise over time things will get easier. 

Believe in yourself, love yourself, and don’t give up! Remember, it’s not a diet it’s a lifestyle change. 

Love

The meal prep princess 

Meal prep basics part 2

Okay, you survived meal prep basics part 1. Welcome to meal prep basics part 2! So you have all of your fresh delicious food ingredients in your fridge, now what? Let’s get cooking of course! 

The most important part of meal prepping is following S.O.S which stands for “sanitation, organization, and safety” first off you want to completely sanitize all food surfaces with a spray or Lysol wipe, empty the sink of all dishes and give that a good wipe down, make sure your dishwasher is empty (trust me you will be filling it up by the end of this) keep your Lysol wipes handy and nearby for cleaning up after preparing raw poultry, beef, fish, and pork. 

Organize yourself accordingly, I take my largest bowl I own and put a grocery bag liner in it and that becomes my garbage bowl, keep it nearby for handy disposal. Prep all your fruits and vegetables first, chop everything for a stir fry, wash and thoroughly dry all salad mix, fruits and veggies. Box up your fresh fruit snacks or veggie snacks. Next I prepare my starches like rice and quinoa, I cook them according to the recipe I am using, then I spread them on lined sheet trays to cool in the refrigerator. Once that’s done I move on to protein items, I cut, clean and cook all my chicken breast at once (unless it’s for a specific recipe) same with beef and pork. Stick to the recipe!!!! 

Now safety, this is where it gets just a touch complicated. Foods if not eaten right away have to be cooled as fast as possible to avoid too much time in “the temperature danger zone” which is the ideal temperature for bacteria to grow this range is 41-135 degrees F. With that in mind, don’t leave things to cool at room temperature if you can help it. Take your chicken off the hot pan and put it in the cooler right away, for soups, stews, and chilis take the pot and submerge it in a sink full of ice water, stir every few minutes until cold (replenishing ice as needed) then portion, cover, and refrigerate. If things are still a little warm after they are portioned, leave the lid cracked to allow steam and heat to escape. Use a separate knife and cutting board for all raw meat, do NOT flip the cutting board over to cut veggies on, that is how salmonella happens. Completely wipe the space with a Lysol wipe and get out a clean knife and cutting board before moving on. 

Reheating is pretty self explanatory, microwave, throw in a pan, and heat well… 

Congratulations! With these simple tricks and tips YOU are now ready to begin meal prepping like a pro!! I believe in you, you can do it! Now there are no extra dishes to wash during the week, no more running out on lunch break for a cheap gross fast food burger, make all your friends and family jealous with all your fabulous and tasty food and the best of all? You get to eat a HEALTHY well balanced meal every single day, snacks included! What’s not to love? 

Cook fearlessly! 

The meal prep princess 

Meal prep basics part 1

Okay, for anyone who has ever been on Pinterest I’m sure you have seen pages upon pages of beautifully boxed and portioned prep meals all lined up on the counter in neat nutritious perfection. It’s a little intimidating I know, actually it’s a lot intimidating especially for a first timer. But relax, I have all the tips to success (after many weeks of trial and error). 

The most important part of prep is your list! There will be 3 lists. 

List 1: decide ahead of time what you are going to make. Since I prep for 2 people for the week I make 3 different dishes of 6 boxes of each item. Once you have decided what to make, find your recipes if need be. It can be as easy as a chicken ceaser salad, or as complicated as tamales. But I try to prep things that are fast, keep well over a period of time, and reheat well if need be. 

Things that prep well are: salads (dressings always on the side, or else things get soggy) pastas with sauce, shredded pork, chicken or beef, chicken breast, roasts, chili, stew, wraps (condiments on the side for the same reason as above) egg cups (recipe will come later) fresh fruits and vegetables too, yogurt parfaits (granola on the side) cutie orange fruit, peel on bananas, pomegranates, almost anything can be prepped beforehand with some assembly required. 

Things that don’t prep very well: runny yolk eggs, avocado, most fish (salmon actually preps pretty well), fried or crispy anything (trust me it will get soggy) sandwiches on soft bread (if you are going to do a sandwich, make your “filling” and keep the bread and condiments separate and assemble when you are ready to eat) pre cut apples tend to get brown no matter what you do with it so better to eat out of hand. 

List 2: now that you know what you are making write down all of your ingredients (and quantities) then, go into your pantry and find what you have and don’t have (I cross things out as I go) there is nothing worse then getting home after a big grocery hall and realizing you forgot or ran out of something and have to run back to the store. 

List 3: re-write your final grocery list. Write it out with the layout of your local grocery store in mind trust me this will save you boat loads of time and steer you away from temptation. So mine is written out as produce, deli meat, raw meat, canned/box items (by aisle, I have my local store layout memorized by now), frozen, dairy, and finally non-food items (toilet paper, “to-go’s”, etc) 

A note on “to-go’s” this is what all of my finished meals come packaged in. They are disposable cheap Tupperware containers that I can wash and use again (or throw out if they get gross or I forget them in my car for 2 weeks). I use the square ones for my meals, small deep ones for fruits and vegetables, and bowl types for stews, soups, and chilis. 

Now comes the legwork, when you get to the store stick to your list! I cannot stress this enough. I pre-plan all of my snacks before hand and write down what I’m getting. I used to go to the store and grab a box of cookies, or candy, or things I just didn’t need that were unhealthy or a waste of money. Stay strong, it all pays off, you might want those cookies now but in a few months you won’t even give them a second glance. Be prepared to spend around 30-60 minutes at the store depending on your haul. Try to go as early as time will allow, my local store doesn’t re-stock throughout the day so in order to get the best produce and meat I have to beat the Sunday crowd. Plus if your store doesn’t carry something, this gives you time to adjust your recipe or find a substitute (I have googled substitutes from my phone numerous times right there in the store) once you are finished, treat yourself to a cup of coffee (we have a Starbucks in my local store) this perks me up and prepares me for my prep day ahead. 

Now throw it all in your car and hurry home. Put away the frozen and perishables like meat and produce. Now grab your first list with recipes and read them over again before you begin to make sure nothing has to marinade for an hour, has to sit, bakes for 4+ hours etc. 

The next step is actually prepping, this will be a separate post so you don’t get overwhelmed by reading a novel of tips and tricks, trust me prep is easy once you get all of the above done. Stay tuned. 

Love

The meal prep princess 

How it all began

Salutations and welcome! After many months of spamming my friends facebook feed with my meal prep pictures, general fitness routines, and general body positivity they have encouraged me to start a blog! My goal is to share all of my secrets and help others feel their very best in the body that they have.

lets back up a few months….

I was living the dream, my fiance and I had just finished a whirlwind move, my job was really taking off, and we were getting married soon! However, I noticed that my health wasn’t doing so well….I was getting out of breath walking up the stairs, my joints were always hurting, my psoriasis was constantly flaring up (its an auto-immune disease), my migraines were worse then ever, and my blood pressure was constantly through the roof! I finally looked at myself in the mirror and said “I can’t live like this anymore” so I took a long hard look at my lifestyle. I was eating fast food 4-5 times a week, I drank soda by the gallon while I was at work, and I assumed “working out” was working my 10 hour shift at the restaurant (#cheflife)

I knew changing would be hard, but I had to do it for myself and my health. I started slow and cut soda and my beloved sugar laden coffee drinks out of my diet and switched to water (zero calorie flavor packets literally saved my life during this time) Then I changed my diet, I began meal prepping every Sunday for the week ahead and with that I made myself some ground rules for success….

1) Do not drink your calories (that means no more soda, juice, or sugary coffee drinks)
2. No fast food. No exceptions. (If it came out of a window, I did not eat it)
3. No mindless eating (I learned the difference between hunger and boredom)
4. Drink water (proper hydration is key)
5. Watch your portions (American portion sizes are almost 2x bigger then we should be eating)
6. Eat slowly. Savor your food. (Don’t just inhale a meal, take your time, follow your hunger cues)
7. Get up and get moving (gym routine 3-5 times a week during the winter, outdoor activity in the summer)
8. Don’t eat your feelings (I was using food as therapy, I had to change my whole attitude about food at this stage)
9. Don’t starve (this is so important, I will talk about BMI, BMR, and calories in a different post)
10. Be kind to yourself always (we are not perfect, setbacks happen, never beat yourself up, just re-focus and try again. Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint)

After I had my meal prep system down, I started a gym routine 3-5x a week with cardio every day as a warm up. I alternate leg days, arms and chest, abs, and rest days (which are important too!)

I started November of 2016 weighing 156lbs…my heaviest ever…I was technically in the overweight category…

Now its getting into March of 2017 and I am 130lbs which is 26lbs lighter! I went from barely making it through 10 minutes of elliptical cardio to 30 minutes without breaking a sweat. I went from craving sugar, chocolate, soda, cake, candy, and french fries every single day…to not even wanting them (I actually get sick when I eat fast food now but we will talk about that later)

It was hard, this has been one of the all time hardest things I have ever done. In the beginning I would want to cry because I wanted a Coke so badly….but I persevered, I kept going, I refused to give up, and now here I am in the best health and shape of my life.

I never called it a “diet” I always referred to things as “lifestyle changes” and now I want to help people live the healthiest life they can live. I want to give people the motivation to achieve their goals and be successful with their journeys. I did it, and I know you can too! I believe in you! Ask yourself “am I ready to change” if the answer is “yes!” then let this blog aid you in your journey to the best version of you.

-Love-
The Meal Prep Princess