A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO MEAL PREP OOKING A NEW YOU HACKS

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO MEAL PREP OOKING A NEW YOU HACKS

HOW TO MAKE H E A L T H Y = Y U M Not everyone learns how to cook healthy food when they re young. If you re like us, you grew up eating microwave dinners and boxed foods at nearly every meal. Even if you ve tried cooking healthy meals before, these cooking tips can help make your life easier! The following information will help you learn to cook and prepare your plant-based foods so that they actually taste good. These tips will help you enhance the foods' natural flavors, improve their taste and increase not only your adherence to your plan, but also your variety of eating overall. This is important to ensure long term health & fitness improvements and optimal nutrition.

Flavorings, Condiments, Herbs & Spices You can add flavor and spice without adding extra hidden calories by using fresh, natural ingredients like: Garlic Rosemary Basil Sea Salt Sage Lemon Juice Use these while cooking to replace heavy cream sauces and dressings. If you re afraid of using raw ingredients or never have before, you can buy prepared spice combos like Mrs. Dash (which includes no sodium) from the spices aisle that come ready to sprinkle on food for added flavor. You can also flavor your food by using any of the foods on the following page.

Real Food Reset Approved Flavorings Balsamic Vinegar -- use sparingly because of its sour taste; just a drizzle should work, and is usually best paired with a drizzle of olive oil on salads Chili Powder -- use sparingly because of its hotness! Cilantro Cinnamon Curry Powder Garlic -- great for cooking almost all vegetables; start by sauteeing the garlic in a drizzle of olive oil or coconut oil first on medium heat for 3-4 minutes Ginger Lemon Juice -- always use a little on raw kale; the acid in the lemon juice helps to break down the firm cell walls of the kale, tenderizing the kale to make it slightly softer and sweeter Mustard Natural Ketchup -- check the labels for no added sugars! Nutmeg Oregano Parsley Pepper Rice Vinegar Rosemary Sage Salsa Sea Salt Soy Sauce -- get the lower sodium kind Thyme

Eat Unlimited Non-Starchy Veggies Non-starchy veggies are a great addition to any healthy diet because they are low in calories and high in fiber so they will help fill you up without affecting your weight. Veggies are also an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Enjoy any of the following unlimited vegetables and remember to get 5+ servings per day. A great way to do this is to make big salads regularly! You can also make soups, veggie roasts, and side dishes to ensure you get enough servings. Alfalfa sprouts Artichokes Bamboo shoots Bean sprouts Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Celery Cucumber Eggplant Fennel Green Beans Kale Mushrooms Onions Pumpkin Radish Shallots Spinach Tomatoes Watercress Zucchini

How To Cook Veggies As far as cooking vegetables, we recommend baking or steaming, but it s also okay to roast or saute them with 1 tsp oil. On the next page you'll find specific instructions for how to roast, steam and saute your veggies. 5 easy recipes anyone can make to spice up veggies or salad: 1. Saute with 1 tsp coconut oil, 1-2 tbs soy sauce, 1 clove garlic 2. Marinate in 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tbs chopped rosemary, 1-2 cloves garlic, juice from ½ lemon 3. Flavor steamed veggies with Mrs. Dash (tomato basil & garlic, onion garlic & herb, etc) 4. Add crushed garlic, fresh basil, sea salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil then roast veggies 5. Add 2 tbs bruschetta, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper to salads

How To Cook Veggies - Saute/Steam How to saute vegetables: Our #1 tip to making vegetables taste absolutely delicious without much effort, and hands down the easiest, quickest way to cook them is by using a cast iron pan. If you don t have one, you can use any ol regular pan but cast iron is great because it won t leach any chemicals or the non-stick coating into your food. Plus you get an added boost of iron in your diet. Just throw ½ tbs - 1 tbs oil in your pan, saute garlic and onion first then add in veggies and seasonings of choice. Of course you can always skip the garlic and onion, but if you use them it s best to cook those first. How to steam vegetables: If you have a legitimate steamer, great! Throw some water in that bad boy and stop reading this page. However, if you don't, here are a couple tricks of the trade: Place a piece of aluminum foil with holes poked in it on top of a pot of water, place your veggies on the foil and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until fully cooked. You can improvise by just using a pan with a matching lid. All you do is add a bit of water to the pan, place the vegetables in the water and place the lid on top. The steam inside the pan will cook the veggies in 5-10 minutes.

How To Cook Veggies - Roast How to roast vegetables: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare vegetables (brussel sprouts, zucchini, carrots, onion, etc) by washing and chopping, then place in an 8 x 10 pan. Drizzle with 1 tbs oil and seasonings of choice (garlic, rosemary, sea salt, etc) and bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Grains When cooking rice, quinoa or the like - it helps to first rinse with water to remove any excess starch. Follow the directions on the package for water to grain ratios and cooking times. Instead of cooking your grains in water, try a homemade or store bought vegetable broth, adding herbs and spices to add flavor without added calories.

Meal Prep Tips Always chop veggies & fruits first thing after buying, before putting them away (TIME SAVER TIP: Buy them pre-chopped & prepped at the store!) Store healthy foods in ziploc bags or tupperware containers so they re ready to go, or freeze them in bulk if it s more convenient for you (TIME SAVER TIP: Buy prefrozen fruits & veggies you can simply heat up on the stovetop or throw in a smoothie!) Keep healthy foods in your line of sight and on countertops (TIME SAVER TIP: Always keep a fresh supply of Apples, Oranges, Bananas, Berries, Celery Sticks, Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes, etc. on your eye-level shelves and counters) Stick to mostly plant-based, real organic food options when possible; buying in bulk at stores like Costco can help cut down on cost Locate a grocery store nearby that serves fresh, premade (veggie-packed) meals and/or healthy salad bar options for the days you don t feel like cooking (Try Whole Foods, Sprouts, Vons, Ralphs, etc.) Avoid buying pre-packaged goods like yogurts, cereals, granolas, etc. and stick to all-natural plant foods instead (skipping the middle aisles at the store helps make this simple!)

Final Thoughts The most helpful thing you can do for yourself is to avoid food temptations in the first place (at least as much as possible). Avoiding temptation altogether is the easiest and fastest way to succeed. It s like the old saying, Out of sight, out of mind. This is tricky at first, but it gets easier the more you do it. For starters, always keep tempting foods out of the house and your work spaces. If this isn t possible, or if someone else is the one buying these trigger foods, politely request that they keep them out of sight or in a hard-to-reach place, like the top shelf. You can explain to others why you have this request politely: I m trying to make healthier choices for myself and I would love to have your support. The point is to eliminate all objections & obstacles you have for following through with your goals. Meanwhile, weekly meal prep will help make your new eating behaviors as easy as possible during the transition. When it comes to Meal Prep, it's a good idea to set a "Sunday Ritual" where you restock your healthy foods and cook at least 3 days of healthy meals ahead of time. Bulk prepare your meals by cooking up a big batch and storing preportioned servings in tupperware containers for the next 3 days ahead. If you work a full-time job, you should also always prepare your next day's meals the night before so you can "grab & go" in the mornings. Remember, YOU have to make it easy for yourself to succeed!!