Sunday: Food prep day

It's Sunday today and if there's two things I have to get done today it's:

1.  My workout

2.  Prepare my food for the week

Every sunday I spend a couple of hours getting ready for the week ahead.  Why?  Well every morning I pack a cooler containing my food for the day.  That means 2 snacks, lunch...and sometimes dinner if I know I'm going somewhere after work, like shopping or running errands.  I myself like to minimize the amount of time it will take me to put this together in the morning.  So, in order to minimize prep time during the week, I do most of my preparation on Sunday.  I have a few food basics that are a must for me, so these things are almost always on my grocery list, and then I come home and "prepare" them.

1.  romaine hearts (3 in a bag) - chopped, washed and put in a tupperware

2.  green peppers - washed, cut - but not chopped so they stay fresh

3.  Cucumber - 1 peeled but not cut (to keep it fresh)

4.  celery - 2 bundles, washed and cut in half and put in ziplock bag

5.  lean protein (chicken or lean beef) - clean, trim fat, thin coat of olive oil, lots of spices and grill or bake;  put in tupperware in fridge

When I wake up Monday morning, it literally takes me under 10 minutes to eat breakfast and prepare my cooler.  I pull out a tupperware, throw in some lettuce, celery, cucumber, chicken and maybe a spoonful of crumbled blue cheese.  I put 1 tablespoon of low fat ranch in a small container with a lot of red wine vinegar (this way I can have more dressing without adding calories or fat) and my lunch is done.  I put 2 apples in the cooler with 2 pieces of string cheese, and those are my 2 snacks.  

By preparing in advance, I ensure that I am eating healthy every day.