My Turquoise Bag

Like many of us, I have definitely gained some of that “Quarantine Fifteen”.

Stress eating, the sudden abundance of homemade bread, and not being as active as I used to be all contributed to the formation of a rounder abdominal pouch.

Many of you will say, “So what, we all got a little plump during quarantine”. True, but honey, I worked too damn hard to lose 30 pounds these last two years that I did not want all that hard work to slip away because of COVID.

This pandemic messed up a lot of things, and so much of it was out of our control. My health journey is one thing I can still control, and I’ve recently felt empowered to reclaim it.

Below I’m sharing the three general methods I follow to sustain my meal prepping routine, and five food items I typically prep.

Adapting

For me, reclaiming control of a healthy lifestyle meant using my previous healthy habits that worked in my pre-COVID life, but adapting them to this new lifestyle. Instead of meal prepping lunches to bring to the office, I prep ingredients that I can easily throw together for multiple healthy meals at home.

Staying organized

The most effective way to ensure I have all those healthy ingredients ready (and regularly) is by staying organized. The visual appeal of neatly stored healthy food encourages me to eat them, and to continue filling them up once they run low.

Finding an enjoyable routine

Since I’m currently unemployed, I’ve had a lot more time to try out new recipes for dinner, and more time to prep and store with ease. I tune into a podcast while leisurely getting into my meal-prep mode. A good podcast + a new recipe have become an enjoyable combo for me these days.

Now that I’ve laid out the “how” and the “when” of my meal prepping routine, let’s touch on the “what”.

Fruit & Veggies

Boiled Eggs

Cooked Quinoa

Fish & Meat

Some final thoughts about this weird time

Hopefully these eight tips are a helpful motivation if you’re seeking to get back on track, looking to try something new, or looking to try meal-prepping for the first time.

And if you’re not ready yet, that’s totally fine too.

It’s a weird time for us all. This COVID quarantine life has been a shit show of a roller coaster.

Like all of us, I have had to accept that the vision of our future that used to be clear has now become a little foggy.

And for an organized, list-making, project-fulfilling, calendar-scheduling Virgo, it didn’t sit well with me. It felt much better to curl up on the couch and munch on potato chips and pizza, muting all of the crazy shit happening in the world and in our society.

But I don’t regret those weeks, because that’s what I needed at the time. It wasn’t until June that I got out of my quarantine funk and reminded myself how far I got last year.

It was a much-needed “snap out of it” reminder to get back to the routine that I missed, and the routine that ultimately changed my life.

I may have gained a few rolls, but I still have my health, my strength and the endless love and support of the people I am insanely lucky and grateful to have in my life.

I also have the sun, the breeze and the lake every day. In the end, that’s all that really matters.

XO ☀️💪🏻