The key to success in any body composition goal is preplanning and preparing food in advance. Unfortunately to get results, this has to be a long term behavioural change and sometime meal prep can get, well… a little boring!

We have all been there. Maintaining nutritional adherence and consistency are the hardest parts of any weight loss endeavour. This post is designed to inspire your creative skills in the kitchen to recreate some favourite ingredients.

Why I eat the same foods…

For simplicity reasons, I like to eat the same foods each week while changing the way in which these are prepared and served. This helps me to stay more adherent as there is more excitement around meal time, while not allowing me to let go of the parameters I set around macro nutrient intake for the week. This also prevents ‘decision fatigue’ as I am not required to invest too much energy into thinking about food choices, allowing me to maintain willpower to stay on course and leaving me more time to think about more fun stuff, like training, my clients and running a business.

Once you understand the rules around macro nutrient intake you really can liberate yourself from a ‘dieters’ mindset of deprivation. This allows you to get creative with your food options and know the options are limitless.

Creating a whole new plan from scratch each week can be tricky, so I thought we would share simple and effect ways that I use the same ingredients to recreate new and different meals. This makes grocery shopping a breeze and ‘meal prep life’ a thousand times easier.

Sweet Potato

1. Baked Whole- Bake a medium sweet potato (150-200g) for 40- 45 minutes, before topping with protein of choice, black beans, corn and a little mozzarella or tasty cheese. See our Mexican Baked Potato Recipe here. 
2. Muffins- Add 1 cup of mashed sweet potato to 2 eggs, 1 cup vanilla protein powder,  2 tsp baking powder and 4 tsp stevia. Blend together before baking in non stick muffin tray for 20-30 minutes at 175 degrees. Top with peanut butter frosting made from 2 tbs peanut butter,  1/4 cup low fat cream cheese and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
3. Sweet Potato Toast- Slice the sweet potato lengthwise into 1/2 cm thick slices. Place the sweet potato slices in a toaster on high for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. You may need to toast multiple times depending on the length of your toaster settings. Top with desired toppings and enjoy!

Hard Boiled Eggs

1. Toast- Serve on a piece of toast and 1/4 avocado. We love sprouted bread from Apline Bread.
2. Korean Salad- Top on a salad with kimchi, bean sprouts, grated carrot, 1/4-1/2 cup cooked rice and cooked marinated beef or tofu/ Season with soy sauce, Sriracha and seasame oil.
3. Potato Salad- Add boiled egg to chopped boiled potatoes, 2-3 spring onions, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and salt.

Mince Beef

1. Stuffed Capsicum- Mix with 500g beef with 1 egg, herbs and spices, before stuffing into a capsicum to bake.
2. Italian Meatballs- Mix 500g with 1 egg, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, oregano and salt. Roll into small balls before cooking on a medium heat, add 1 can of crushed tomatoes to simmer sauce. Serve with zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice or pasta and a little parmesan cheese.
3. Beef Burrito- Cook mince with onion, garlic, paprika, oregano and a pinch of salt. Drain liquid and serve in a low GI wrap with spinach, cucumber and a little cheese.

Oats

1. Peanut Butter Overnight Oats- Place 1/2 cup of oats in a jar with 2 tsp of powder peanut butter (We love Marco Mikes), 1 tbs cocoa, 5-8 chopped almonds, 1/4 cup almond milk and 1/4 cup of greek yogurt. Refrigerate and serve with a little honey or maple syrup if desired.
2. Pancakes- Add 25 g whey protein powder, 100 ml milk, 1 large egg, 50 g porridge oats, 1 tsp cinnamon and  ¼ tsp baking powder to a blender. Once smooth, cook pancake mixture in a non stick pan. Serve with berries of choice.
3. Chocolate Chip  Protein Muesli Bar- Place 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup whole grain flour, 2 scoops of whey, 1 tbs honey, 1/4 cup chocolate bits, 1/3 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup apple sauce, 1/4 tsp salt and pinch of cinnamon in a bowl. Combine, before pressing into a baking tray. Bake for 20-30 minutes before allowing to cool. Slice into 8 bars.

Cottage Cheese

1. Topper- Add 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese to a Mediterranean salad with oven roasted veggies and spinach.
2. Ice Cream- Dissolve 3 tsp of instant coffee and 4 tsp Stevia into 2 tbsp of boiling water. Allow to cool before adding it into a blender with 500g cottage cheese. Churn in ice cream maker or pour back into tub and refrigerate until set.
3. Dip- Add 1/4 cup of greek yogurt, 1 tsp chipotle seasoning, 1 tsp Stevia and 2 tbs cottage cheese in a blender. Use as a dip or sauce for kebabs or eggplant chips.

Eggplant

1. Lasagne- Low calorie alternative- see the recipe here. 
2. Oven baken ratatouille- Slice eggplant, capsicum, zucchini and 2-3 Roma tomatoes roughly. Place in a large over tray with salt, a little oil and garlic. Roast until tender and juicy. Serve in a salad or with BBQ meat.
3. Eggplant Chips- Preheat oven and line baking tray with paper. Dip eggplant chips into heated egg, before coating in oat flour. Line chips onto baking paper and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes before flipping half way.

For more great recipe ideas, scroll through our blog or check our 3 Great Ways With Poached Chicken. 

If you would like more information on flexible dieting, come along to our complimentary flexible dieting master class this Saturday 23rd march at 11am. Register your interest here.