Spend Less Time in the Kitchen with These Food Prep Tips

Proper nutrition is integral to your fitness plan, but you don’t have to make it complicated. We all lead busy lives and don’t necessarily want to spend all of our time in the kitchen. By creating your own meal, you’ll know exactly what’s in it, so here are my tips on making food prep easier.

• Use a food processor – it slices, dices, mixes and chops in a fraction of the time it takes to do it by hand. If you don’t have one, you can purchase your foods pre-chopped, but it’s more expensive and may not be the freshest choice.

• Buy frozen, canned or jarred foods – but read the ingredient labels for preservatives, sugar, or things you don’t recognize, and choose BPA free packaging. My canned favorites are legumes (black beans, kidney beans, chick peas), wild salmon, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. I love frozen peas, green beans, spinach, and plain chicken tenders.

• Opt for quick-cooking pantry items – such as quinoa, sprouted lentils, mung beans and mung bean noodles. They have a long shelf life, cook in minutes, and can be added to any recipe.

• Take healthy shortcuts when you don’t have time for a meal – I love Arbonne Protein Shake Mix and Fiber Boost blended with unsweetened almond milk, frozen blueberries and spinach. It’s my go-to breakfast and keeps me full for hours.