A consistent food preparation, storage, and organization strategy is essential in executing our nutrition plans successfully.
1 | ENVIRONMENT
The first piece in executing a consistent prep strategy is to create and consistently maintain an optimal environment in the kitchen and pantry.
Essentially we’re looking to create a professional kitchen feel in our kitchen. Clean, organized, and full of quality whole foods. Quality storage containers for dry and cooked foods are a must. A best practice may be to remove tempting foods or foods that directly conflict with our goals.
2 | SCHEDULE
Secondly, we schedule a block of time in our week when we’ll complete the cooking portion of our prep. How we spend our time is a great indication of what our priorities are. If we truly care about making incredible, whole food easily accessible then we’ll take the time to prepare and store it into our schedule. It should become a non-negotiable element of our week.
3 | STORE & ORGANIZE
Third, we store protein, carbohydrate, and fats separately. This allows for maximum flexibility and freshness throughout the week. We organize our prep in a way that makes sense based on our situation.
Below are suggestions for preparing our Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats.
PROTEIN | FUNDAMENTALS
Cook protein sources (the sources that need cooking) in bulk between 1-2 times per week. Add variety to the preparation methods to keep things fresh!
Meat sources can be grilled, smoked, seared, sautéed, baked, boiled, air-fried, pressure cooked, slow cooked and more.
With variety in seasonings and preparation methods, we’ll never get bored.
CARBOHYDRATES | FUNDAMENTALS
Carbohydrates are fairly easy to prepare. Certain carbs (white rice, quinoa, potatoes etc.) can be cooked in bulk using a pressure cooker and stored easily. Follow a similar pattern to protein as far as preparation frequenc. 1-2 times a week is usually sufficient. Fruits can be frozen or fresh are are very simple to have on hand.
FATS | FUNDAMENTALS
Fat sources (nuts, butters, and oils) are very similar to carbs in that they are easy to store and have on hand. Organize and plan how to use them.
In summary, we must first start with environment. Optimize it based on our unique needs. Second, we schedule our cooking/prep timeframes. Third, we store and organize our prep in a way that works for us.
When these three fundamentals become a habit, we’ll be well on our way to success in our nutrition.