Coach G - Fit Family Fun!

Establishing a meal prepping routine takes some getting used to. Once you do establish that routine the time it takes for meal prepping gets shorter and shorter as you develop tricks, habits and shortcuts of your own. You come to rely on meal prepping for your day to day life as it reduces the stress of the week ahead. Now what happens when this routine gets disrupted? Whenever my routine got disrupted,for example if we went away for a weekend, I'd feel so discombobulated. We'd get back home late Sunday night and have to be back at work early Monday morning so there's no time to go grocery shopping. What do we eat? Is it going to be healthy? When are we going to eat? These questions would run through my mind starting Monday morning until I picked up the kids from school. This repeated itself every day of the week. It's also very easy to fall back into old habits when you disrupt your routine. One week you can't do it then the next week you say we'll go ou

With the weather beginning to change, I was inspired to make fall comfort foods. I made those crazy soups again for lunch and updated the pasta e fagioli recipe. My husband and I have ranked the soups as follows: Italian wedding soup first, followed by the Pho Ga, then the Thai coconut and curry, and finally the pasta e fagioli. I will have to tweak the Morrocan chickpea soup for it to make a comeback. The spaghetti sauce recipe yields about 3 full meals. I freeze two thirds of it in 2 separate containers and pop it in the microwave when we are ready to eat it. I always buy spaghetti boxes in threes since my sauce will last for 3 meals so I always have both on hand. Dinner prep: Chicken pot pie Beef and vegetable stew Spaghetti sauce Zucchini lasagna Lunch prep: Soup in a Jar - Italian Wedding Soup in a Jar - Pasta e Fagioli Soup in a Jar - Pho Ga Soup in a Jar - Thai Coconut Shrimp The bread as always is a delicious Ezekiel bread. The machine bread recipe c

This is my mother's very special spaghetti sauce. The kids ABSOLUTELY adore it and ask to eat it every week and fight over the left overs.  The spaghetti sauce recipe yields about 3 full meals. I freeze two thirds of it in 2 separate containers and pop it in the microwave when we are ready to eat it. I always buy spaghetti boxes in threes since my sauce will last for 3 meals so I always have both on hand.  Ingredients 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 lb lean ground beef 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp pepper 1 tsp salt 1 medium onion, chopped 1 29oz can crushed tomatoes 2 bay leaves 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 C ketchup Instructions Heat oil in a medium pot. Add beef and break up into small pieces. Add the spices, salt, and pepper, and brown beef. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and disca

This is quite a hearty and complete meal. It has proteins, vegetables, and starches. It's quite flavorful and great for fall or winter nights! Ingredients 2-2.5lb stewing beef cut into bite-size pieces 1/4C flour 1 tsp dry thyme 1 tsp dry basil 1 tsp garlic salt 2 tbsp olive oil 1 package onion soup mix 5 medium potatoes, diced 16 oz baby carrots 4 oz pearled onions 1 (10 oz.) can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup 1 C beef broth 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Instructions Add flour, thyme, basil, and garlic salt to a Ziploc bag and mix. In batches, add the beef. Heat olive oil in a large pan and brown beef pieces in batches. Once they are brown add the to the crock-pot. Add the remainder of the Ziploc bag ingredients to the crock-pot. Add the remainder of the ingredients to the crock-pot and mix.  Cover crock pot with lid. Cook on low heat for 8 hours or 4 hours on high, until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Stir t

Always a family favorite. I like to cut down on time by using a rotisserie chicken and frozen veggies. Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 1 white medium onion, diced 4 large celery stalks, diced 3 garlic cloves 6 tbsp whole wheat flour 2 C chicken broth 10 oz frozen peas and carrots 3 C cooked chicken, chopped 1 9in pie crust salt and pepper Instructions Preheat oven to 420 F. Heat the oil in a medium pot. Add onions and celery and cook until translucent. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add the broth a little at a time, scraping any flour off the sides and bottom. Let simmer until sauce has thickened. Stir in the peas and carrots and chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Spray pie pan with cooking spray. Add mixture to pie pan. Cover with pie dough, crimping edges. Bake for 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

My husband is a big fan of anything lemon. These little tartelettes are rather easy to make and are always a big hit. I use store-bought pie crust to cut down on time and they always turn out great. 1 pie crust usually gives me about 12-15 tartelettes. This recipe makes about 60 so about 4 to 5 pie crusts needed. Ingredients Lemon Curd: 8 large egg yolks 1¼ cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 4 freshly squeezed large lemon juice lemon zest of 1 lemon ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter 1/4C powdered sugar to decorate. Crust: 4-5 pie crusts vegetable oil spray for baking flour for your work surface Instructions Preheat oven at 350F. In a medium sized metal bowl beat yolks and sugar vigorously with a whisk until smooth and well blended, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice and whisk until smooth. Add an inch or so of water to a medium saucepan and bring water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once the water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to

As much as I love cooking, one of my least favorite things to do is to go to the grocery store. I therefore try to make the process as quick and painless as possible. How? The quick: To make it quick, you have to be prepared. Prepared means that you have a list ready. I had once purchased the handy-dandy pad you see in the picture above, it makes it easier to remember what you need. Lately though I've been using the Harris Teeter Express Lane app. I have it on me all the time since it's on my phone. Whenever I find a recipe that tickles my fancy and I decide to make in my meal prep, I add the ingredients to it right away. It also makes it easier whenever I run out of something at home as I just add it to the list. With these apps you don't have to go through and make an online purchase, you can just bring it to the store with you and use it as your list and delete the items as you get them. You can also print it out and use it as a list that way. Here is where I

I created this blog in order to help others with ideas for Sunday meal prep and as such I have linked to the recipes that I used today.  I always make four main dishes for meal prep. This way on Friday we eat leftovers and the kids have a chance to "pick what they want to eat." It's really exciting stuff when you're 4 and 7 years old. For lunch prep I tried my hand at creating my own Soup in a Jar. I worked with some Italian classics like and Italian Wedding soup and a Pasta e fagioli soup. Then I went halfway across the world to Asia for a Pho inspired soup. Dinner prep: Vegetarian three bean chili Turkey and Sweet Potato Burgers Chicken, Broccoli, and Pesto Pasta Lemon Chicken with Veggies Lunch prep: Soup in a Jar - Italian Wedding Soup in a Jar - Pasta e Fagioli Soup in a Jar - Pho Ga The bread as always is a delicious Ezekiel bread. The machine bread recipe can be found here . As always I encourage your comments and look fo

Ingredients 1 oz rice vermicelli, broken into small pieces 1/4 C chopped mushrooms 1/4 C bean sprouts 1/2 C shredded chicken 2 tbsp chopped green onions 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 chicken bouillon cube 1 tsp chopped cilantro sriracha to taste Instructions Layer vermicelli, mushrooms, bean sprouts, chicken, green onions, garlic powder, chicken bouillon cube, cilantro, and sriracha. When you're ready to eat, fill the jar to the top with boiling water. Stir carefully, cover and let stand for 10 minutes, until noodles are tender. Season to taste and enjoy! Nutrition Facts Calories     Fats (g)     Carbs (g)     Protein (g)     162             0                29                   12

Ingredients 1/2 C cooked orzo 1/2 C baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped 1/4 C shredded carrots 1/2 C cannellini beans 2 tbsp marinara sauce 1/4 veggetable bouillon cube Instructions Layer orzo, spinach, carrots, beans, sauce, and bouillon cube. When you're ready to eat, fill the jar to the top with boiling water. Stir carefully, cover and let stand for 2 minutes. Season to taste and enjoy! Nutrition Facts Calories     Fats (g)     Carbs (g)     Protein (g)     218             1                43                  11

Ingredients 1/2 C cooked orzo 1/2 C cooked mild Italian sausage (shaped into mini meatballs) 1/2 C baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped 1/4 C shredded carrots 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 chicken bouillon cube Instructions Layer orzo, sausage, spinach, carrots, garlic and onion powder, and the bouillon cube. When you're ready to eat, fill the jar to the top with boiling water. Stir carefully, cover and let stand for 2 minutes. Season to taste and enjoy! Nutrition Facts Calories     Fats (g)     Carbs (g)     Protein (g)     372           22               27                   18 Substituting turkey sausage for regular sausage Calories     Fats (g)     Carbs (g)     Protein (g)     251            9                25                   19

Ingredients 8oz any shape pasta, uncooked 1-2 C pasta water 1/4 C pesto, divided 2 C grape tomatoes, cut in halves 2 C cooked chicken (I like to use rotissery chicken) 1/3 C sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced 4 C small broccoli florets 1/2 C (2 oz) Parmesan cheese, shredded 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper Instructions Cook pasta per package instructions, reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water, drain and set aside. Preheat large deep skillet on medium heat and add the pesto. Stir for about 30 seconds then add the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add the chicken and sun dried tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook another 1 - 2 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and add salt, pepper, pasta and pasta water. Stir gently and let flavors marinate for a few minutes. Do not cover because broccoli will become too soft. Add Parmesan and serve.

I had found this recipe on Pintrest last year but unfortunately the blog it was in went off line. I've recreated the recipe from memory here. This is a kid favorite. They gobble the burgers up soooo quickly! Ingredients 1/2 lb ground turkey 1 C shredded sweet potato 6 strips of turkey bacon chopped 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Instructions Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook the bacon in a pan using some vegetable oils spray. Set aside. Put the shredded sweet potato in the microwave for 1 minute to soften it. One the bacon and the potatoes have cooled down a little mix them with the ground turkey, salt and pepper.  Make 4 patties and place them on a baking tray in the oven for 25 minutes flipping them over midway through. I serve these on a bun and grill some zucchini as a side.

This recipe is a modified version of a regular chili recipe. My sister-in-law was coming over to watch the kids and I wanted to make something that would fit her dietary needs since she is vegetarian. Also I had to dial down the heat in the recipe because the kids were going to eat it as well. Now this has become one of the kids' favorite recipes and my vegetarian friends seem to enjoy it as well. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 medium onion, diced 12 oz veggie protein crumbles or tofu (I like to use Lightlife Smart Ground Original Crumbles) 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 (14 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper 2 cups vegetable broth 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans (rinsed) 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (rinsed) 1 (15 ounce) can black beans (rinsed) Toppings: shredd

Meal prep always starts with a research session, either on Pinterest or in my cookbooks, and making my grocery list. I found a handy-dandy pad to make it a little easier. The trick to a successful meal prep is to find recipes that complement each other. For example, if I have a recipe that uses 0.5lbs of ground turkey I'll try to find a second one that also needs 0.5lbs. This way I use it all while it's fresh and don't have to worry about freezing 0.5lbs and forgetting about it. The setup: A little prep goes a long way. 6 bowls for 6 different dishes and a post-it for each. Post-its tell me what goes in each bowl so that I don't have to go back and look at my recipes each time. I rinse all the veggies and put them in a colander in the sink for easy access. My kitchen is not very big so I have to use my space wisely. One of the biggest headaches in a meal prep day is clean up. If you do one meal at a time you'll have to clean up over and over again

I like a good routine but I easily get bored if I have to eat the same thing every day. This week I found some interesting recipes in the September issue of Shape magazine. These are make ahead soups and they function like a cup-a-soup. After all the initial prep work is done of course, all you need to do is pack one of these bad boys in your lunch and just add hot water and voilà! Fresh soup for lunch!  There were three recipes: a Moroccan Chickpea Soup, a Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup, and a Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup. Each soup contain veggies, a starch, and some protein. They were fairly easy to prep, each container took at most five minutes.  Below are my reviews for each soup. During my next meal prep marathon I will reuse this idea using my own spin on some classic soup recipes.  Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup Layers (top to bottom): Crushed Peanuts Chopped Basil Cooked Shrimp Red Bell Pepper Shredded Carrots Grated Ginger Curry Paste

I've been doing meal prep for quite a while as a means to reduce the stress in my life. I have 2 kids and I work full time. The kids have various after-school and weekend activities and my husband plays soccer a couple nights a week. I often found myself completely strung out when we got home, the kids would be tired and cranky, nothing was ready to eat, and quite frankly I was tired and cranky too! As a result we would often order in or get take out. I was packing on the pounds which made me even more tired and cranky! Quite the vicious circle. Last year I decided to take my health more seriously,    I started working out and doing Tae Kwon Do three days a week. Exercise alone would not help me achieve my fitness goals so I had to do something about my eating habits as well. I decided that if I took a few hours on the weekend to prepare the meals for the week I would save my sanity one dish at a time. I started meal prepping on Sunday and posting pictures on Facebook. My fr