Meal Prep for Week 1 of 21 Day Fix Extreme

You know how every time you watch the Food Network you get hungry?

You're looking at food, thinking about food, "tasting" the food as they describe it.  How could you not get hungry? I know I do! Yet, we do this to ourselves everyday when we don't have a meal plan.  We spend our days thinking about what our next meal is going to be. Do I have the ingredients? Do I have to stop at the store? Maybe I'll just pick something up? This opens the door to making food decisions when you are hungry. In my case, that NEVER ends well.  I LOVE meal planning because it takes the thinking out of my meals. I do not have to wonder what I am eating for dinner, or my snack, because all I have to do is check my meal plan.

I am a planner, list maker, and organizer extraordinaire!

I also know, that there are not many other people that love making meal plans. Haha! So, I want to share with you what I planned for this week and how I prepped. :)

First, some background.  I chose to do 21 Day Fix Extreme for several reasons:

1. This program was just released, so I HAD to try it!
2. 21 Day Fix (the original) will always hold a special place in my heart because this is where I started. This was my first program that I actually followed the way it was supposed to be followed, and it was the first program that I EVER completed. EVER.  How could I not give the Extreme version my best shot?
3. I just finished Insanity Max:30 and I am ready for a new challenge!

21 Day Fix Extreme comes with a specific eating plan that focuses on balance, portion control and clean eating.  The original 21 Day Fix comes with portion control containers, and lists of foods "allowed" for each container. The Extreme version is the same, only it "cleans" up the food lists a bit, and eliminates the treats.  21 Day Fix Extreme also comes with the Countdown to Competition Plan that Autumn Calabrese uses when she is preparing for a competition. I am going to try to follow her Countdown to Competition plan.  It's a lot of protein, but I want to prove to myself that I can do it! Using the lists of foods provided and the number of each container you are allotted, you make your meal plan. Some people can just wing it and keep tallys throughout the day of each container they have eaten.  I cannot do that. I must plan. I must know that I will not only have green (vegetable) containers at the end of the day.  Plus, I LOVE food. Making a meal plan allows me to sit down, plan out my week of meals, including the grocery and prep list, and then I don't have to think about food any more. 

**I will be sharing my complete meal plan after I have tested the menu this week!**

Meal Prep takes this to a whole new level! The best part of meal prep is not only do you not have to worry about what you are eating for your next meal, you don't even have to make it! It's already done for you, ready to heat and eat!

Do you have any idea how much time you could save if you meal planned and prepped? A LOT!!!! I spent 3 hours on Sunday prepping my food for the week. 

I made:
*double batch of turkey chili
*double batch of hearty beef and butternut squash soup
*hard boiled eggs
*asparagus
*washed/sliced 3 packages of strawberries
*sauteed mushrooms and onions for omelets and steak
*sliced peppers and onions for Chicken Fajitas

This means only one round of dishes. One round of chopping. One round of clean up. Everything is portioned and prepped, so all I have to do now is check my meal plan and pull out what I am eating. So simple.  It makes it so much easier to eat healthy because it's already done and ready! Plus, it saves me SO much time during the week.

Have I sold you making a meal plan yet? ;)