Tag: momlife

Easy Meal Prep Ideas – Lunch

Easy Meal Prep Ideas Lunch

Lunch prep saves me on so many occasions when I start to feel hungry and need to eat a meal. I can be very indecisive (Libra tendency) when it comes to what I would like to eat (Just ask my husband when we are trying to figure out what to eat for dinner), so it is best for me to have some “go-to” items in my kitchen, or on the go that I will eat and not be tired of it. Some of my easy meal prep ideas for lunch are listed below.

  1. Greek Yogurt – I tend to pick up the singe serve packages. I like to catch them on a sale at my local supermarket when they are 10 for $10 when I can, or I usually pick them up from the membership store (i.e. Costco, BJ’s, Sam’s). In addition, I get the smaller tub of plain Greek yogurt so I can add fresh or frozen fruit to them. I also add granola to my yogurt for a nice crunch and additional sweetness.
  2. Fruit/Cut Veggies – These are easy foods to add on to leftovers from the fridge, or to pair up with some cold cuts or rotisserie chicken.  My fave fruit to have on hand – apples, oranges, clementines, melons, peaches/nectarines, plums, berries, pineapple, mango, grapes, cherries. My fave veggies for snacking – cucumber, bell peppers, celery, shishito peppers, grape/cherry tomatoes, carrots.
  3. Rotisserie Chicken – Whether I’ve prepared chicken at home or I’ve bought chicken from the supermarket, I love to have this on hand so that I can eat it warm or cold with veggies. I pair it with cut veggies, with a fruit salad, or I make a chicken quesadilla.
  4. Cold Cuts – I love to have cold cuts on hand to make quick sandwiches with either whole wheat bread, rolls, croissants, pita bread or tortillas. I also will roll up the meat (turkey or ham) with cheese to pair with my veggies or fruit. It is an easy way to get in some protein with your meal.
  5. Chips/Crackers/Pretzels – I love to have a salty crunch with my meal, and in moderation, it is fine to have chips or crackers or pretzels. I always portion out my snack and put it on the plate with my meal, or in a small bowl to pair with my lunch. This helps with my portion size, and when I have finished that portion, I ma not as likely to go back again to fill this container again.

These are some of my choices to regularly have on hand in my kitchen. I can easily put a meal together either to go to work with me or to have for lunch over the weekend while at home with the family. This helps relieve me of something I call “food choice exhaustion/indecision”. The less I have to think about what I have to eat, the more I can make effective food choices to support the life that I am working to build for my health.

First Visit to the Gym since March

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting the gym and working out for the first time since March 2020. In NY, gyms were closed up until the last week in August 2020, and then slowly started opening up in September 2020. I haven’t gone to the gym since March, and partly because I was scared of being in a closed environment along with so many people working out, breathing hard, sweating, etc. I kept up with my workout routine at home, utilizing workouts I would make up myself, walking outdoors, using the peloton app for a variety of exercises as well as trainer directed exercise programs provided by Erica Fit Love.

One of my gym buddies joined a gym, which is a little farther away than us – it is the next town over, but when you are used to driving 3 minutes to your gym, it feels “far”. She has invited me countless times to go, and I have been hesitant, to be honest. I was hesitant because I will be in the vicinity of others while working out. Breathing, sweating, working out – together. She finally asked me again Sunday night to accompany her and I said yes. I said yes because I wanted to see what it was like to workout in the gym again, after working out solo for basically 10 months, with the exception of riding SoulCycle outside in late fall.

So I FINALLY went to the gym, y’all! I met my friend at around 6:45 – which is usually primetime for gym activity. After I checked in as a guest with my friend, she gave me a quick tour of the facility, as I have never been inside of this gym before. It was very spacious, and clean, as far as a gym is concerned. Initially I was concerned when I parked my car because there were a lot of cars in the parking lot. Once inside, my concern went away. The facility is large and spread out nicely. The cardio equipment was on a different floor, the weights section is spread out, and there are multiple sanitizing stations with paper towels and signage encouraging the cleaning of any equipment both before and after use. I felt comfortable here. I completed my cardio training upstairs using the elliptical trainer for 20 minutes. I did workout with my mask on; it is required to put on and keep on your mask for the duration of your stay at the gym. Every other machine was available; the ones not in use had a sign stating that it was “rest day”. In total upstairs there were maybe 5 people using the machines (there were at least 50/60 different cardio machines on this level). I went downstairs to complete my upper body weight training. There was ample space around the machines as well as the weights. There are about three different sections where you can complete your exercises, and I did not feel crowded at all. Everyone was respectful of spacing, and was doing a great job of cleaning the machines.

Overall, I spent a little over an hour at the facility and I feel comfortable going there again with my friend. I am not yet at the point where I want to commit to joining the gym at this point, because I feel good with my workout routine I have set up at home, but I am glad I faced my fear of working out indoors and went to the gym. Would you go back to working out at the gym? How do you feel the environment is at the gym that you go to? I would love to hear your thoughts.