This could be the most important hour of your week, when it comes to weight loss.

Happy Monday to you my beauties! I've managed to have a terribly unproductive weekend after unexpectedly getting hit with a nasty cold. Nevertheless by Sunday I did manage to get my set myself up for a good week by prepping my meals. 

The task of meal prepping can typically be done in little more than an hour and it really has a tremendous impact on keeping my eating on track for the week. When I meal prep for the week I'm less likely to be tempted by the offerings in the cafeteria or my co-workers who are ordering Chinese take out. I can't count the number of times I've gone to the cafeteria prepared to make a healthy choice, but after making eye contact with pizza or gyros my cravings got the best of my good intentions. Meal prep puts me in control and since nutrition is 80% of a successful weight loss plan I think it's probably the most important hour of my week. 

This week’s menu will be egg muffins for breakfast followed by turkey meatloaf muffins with a side of roasted broccoli for lunch. Since I keep a desk full of 100 calorie popcorn, pistachios and Emerald almonds I'll simply bag some carrots for an extra bit of selection in my snacks.

For the broccoli, I begin by cleaning two medium heads of broccoli. After chopping the heads into bite sized pieces I put the broccoli in a bowl and drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil, grind a bit of Sea Salt, a tiny dash of black pepper and lightly sprinkle with Flavor God’s Everything seasoning. I then layer the broccoli in a pan that's been lightly coated with cooking spray and bake on 450 degrees for 10 minutes, quick and painless! 

While the broccoli is roasting I proceed to cut up my green pepper and onions for my turkey meatloaf. The recipe is as follows:

 

2 lbs ground 85/25 ground turkey (more moist than 90/10)

1/3 cup diced onions and green peppers

1 TBS liquid egg whites (or one egg)

3 TBS of seasoned bread crumbs (I’ve also made these without bread crumbs)

1 TBS Hunts tomato paste (or ketchup)

Mix all of the above and be sure to season lightly (garlic salt, pepper, seasoning salt). In a separate bowl I like to make a little mixture to coat my mini turkey muffins which consists of ketchup, apple cider vinegar and sugar or Splenda for a little sour-y sweetness. For this little concoction I pretty much eye ball the ingredients and do a taste test until I get the sauce to my liking; to begin go easy on the ACV and sugar and add in to your liking.  Spray your muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray and add your meatloaf and coat each muffin with the ketchup combo. In the oven they go for 30-35 minutes, and now we have lunch! After the muffins cool I combine two muffins with some good roasted broccoli and I’m a happy camper.

Finally my egg muffins, after much experimentation I’ve found that you can’t go wrong with these. Usually I add whatever veggies I have on hand- spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, etc. I may or may not add meat and the same goes for cheese. I’ve had occasion to add a Laughing Cow spreadable cheese wedge or two and Swiss cheese really stands out so that is my favorite. This recipe is a perfect way to use up your leftover veggies so don’t hold back, just dump them all in and I promise I haven’t gone wrong yet. Since I don’t have set rules and pretty much don’t measure here’s a standard recipe that I hope you’ll play around with by adding sausage, seasonings, etc. to make it your own.

12 eggs

½ tsp Seasoned salt

3 TBS diced Onion

1 cup cooked turkey sausage, bacon or ham (I love Applegate Turkey bacon)

Pepper to taste

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ cup diced red pepper

¼ cup diced fresh mushrooms

¾ cup cheddar or my favorite Swiss cheese

½ cup spinach

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a twelve cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray; be sure to spray each cup well to prevent sticking.In a large bowl beat the eggs. Add remaining ingredients (I always sauté the veggies, just my preference) and mix together. I prefer to pour all ingredients in a large measuring cup and fill all muffin pans about 1/3 cup full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center of the muffin is completely cooked. Now if your a sriracha fan like myself, add a few drops to your muffin when your ready to eat, you won't be disappointed.

Full disclosure I am not a licensed nutritionist, I’ve learned what works for me through trial and error and low and behold I’ve lost weight along with a fitness plan. As I type I’m munching on my little turkey meatloaf and roasted broccoli and I must say I’m one happy camper! If your serious about weight loss do yourself a favor by taking the guess work out of what your putting into your mouth, the more you plan the better your results will be. Have a wonderful week!