Exercise plays a hand in our health, but food and diet is what keeps our bodies running. Working out while eating an unhealthy diet is like pouring dirty oil into a car engine and taking it on a road trip.
Healthy eating does not have to be complicated…but it does have to be consistent. To see those inches drop off your waistline, your skin to glow, your energy to lift, your moods to improve, and your health to increase for the long term, you have to constantly feed your body wholesome, nutritious food.
While a consistently healthy diet isn’t complicated, it can take time. The time it takes to plan, prep, cook, and track what we eat is often that barrier between us and our health goals. It’s what makes us want to order Chinese takeout at the end of a long day instead of whipping together a homemade meal.
But those days are behind you, I’m about to clear the path to easy healthy living. This solution is what I teach all my clients in the LEAN Program and what I personally use in my own kitchen.
It’s tried, true, and totally works. The solution? Meal Automation.
What Exactly is Meal Automation?
Meal Automation is a cooking and eating system that will give you access to your favorite healthy food frequently. With Meal Automation, you’ll take out the daily macro counting, daily cooking, and daily meal planning by preparing a large batch and dividing it up throughout the week.
For example, you could automate your breakfast by prepping your favorite protein smoothie recipe at the beginning of the week. By dividing up the ingredients into 5 individual ziplock backs and tossing them in the freezer, you can quickly blend them up with your liquid of choice each morning.
The same can go for your lunch or dinner too! The idea is that you can consume the healthy nutritious foods your body craves without having to take an excessive amount of time to make it each day.
Why Should You Try Meal Automation?
Dieting can lead to decision fatigue. If we have to practice self-control and pick between our unhealthy cravings and nourishing food every time we take a bite, we’re making the road in our health journey far harder on ourselves.
The bulk-batch and repeat process of Meal Automation will lay a straight path towards your health goal that you can easily stroll down throughout the week.
Meal Automation takes far less time and mental energy than cooking a different breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. It takes the unlimited decisions out of healthy dieting, allows you to eat intentionally instead of scrambling for something half-decent once you’re already hungry, and saves you lots of time throughout the week.
My Favorite Meal Automation Recipes
Meal Automation options are endless. Pick your favorite healthy meals, make a big batch, and enjoy it throughout the week—it’s as simple as that.
To get your menu started, here are my favorite recipes I like to automate to save time, enjoy great food, and stick with my health goals all at the same time.
Breakfast: If you like something a little sweet for breakfast, you’ll love this healthy french toast. Make a big batch of Ezekiel Bread French Toast that you can quickly pop in the toaster each morning and top with greek yogurt, berries, walnuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup each morning this week.
Lunch: Lunches oftentimes are the meals we skip or snack through. Try out one of my Mason Jar Salads for lunch this week (this one’s my favorite). Or pick up prepared salad bags and a rotisserie chicken for quick lunches. Healthy dinner leftovers also make excellent lunches for the following days.
Snack: Make sure those tasty snacks you enjoy in the afternoon or evening aren’t tripping you up. Pack up the same satisfying snack—like hummus and veggies, berries and walnuts, or homemade popcorn—and enjoy it throughout the week. Here are my personal favorite protein smoothie recipes I enjoy throughout the day.
Dinner: Wouldn’t you love to have someone cook a healthy and delicious dinner for you after a long day? Give yourself the evenings off this week by whipping up a big bowl of my mom’s crowd-pleaser chicken salad and divvy it up for your dinners.
An InstaPot will become your best friend while meal prepping too! Try out one of my easy InstaPot recipes, like my Paleo Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili, this week and watch how easy it is to get ahead.
Beat Your Hardest Meals with Automation
Do you crave cereal first thing in the morning? Are you frequently grabbing a bag of chips at lunch? Are afternoon or post-dinner snacks wrecking your health goals? Is cooking a healthy dinner at the end of a long day unrealistic for you? You’ve just found the perfect place to automate.
The meals that are sabotaging your health goals should be the first ones you tackle with automation. Find healthy recipes you love, automate them, and see how much time, money, and empty calories you’ll save.
For more recipes, strategies, and weight-loss tips that work, join our inner community over on the weekly LEAN Newsletter.
If you’re ready to start living healthy today, sign up for the next LEAN session, and start living the energized and nourished life you’ll love.
