Module 7
Healing Begins In the Kitchen
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Hippocrates said it best...
"All disease begins in the gut."
Basically, we are what we eat, which is why healing begins in the kitchen. In order to heal from the inside out, we first have to change the way we eat and what we eat.
This area is probably where you will make the biggest changes as you embark on this journey to find healing. You will have to change your mindset regarding food and nutrition. You will have to let go of many of your limiting beliefs and misconceptions you believe to be true. The fact is many of the dieting trends and fads over the years have actually done more harm than good to our health. We have incorporated diets that are too restrictive in calories, healthy fats, and complex carbs. In turn we’ve wreaked havoc on our bodies, especially our thyroid, making it work harder than it needs to. In order to reverse the damage done, you will have to embrace the mindset of “nutrition not restriction”, which means you are going to be eating real, whole, nutrient dense foods on this plan.
And a lot of them!
In order to successfully implement the Healing, Happy, and Healthy with Hashimoto’s nutrition plan, you will first have to embrace meal planning and prep.
Sigh.
I know what you are thinking, and trust me, I didn’t want to do it at first either. It’s a lot of work. And who has time for that?
But the truth is when you fail to plan you plan to fail.
Without healing and healthy meal options readily available you will find it incredibly difficult to stick to this nutrition plan. Let’s face it...life will get in the way. Meal planning and prep is crucial to your success and healing. In this section, I will help you to work smarter not harder in the kitchen so that you can enjoy a variety of delicious and healing meals and you will never get bored. I promise!
Why Meal Prepping Works
So, what is the big deal
about meal planning and prep? I mean, couldn't you just on a daily basis make the right choices in regard to food selections and eating healthy?
Well, yes and...no!
And here's why:
- Meal prepping saves time. Ok, yes you do have to set aside a block of time one day (maybe two) a week to plan, shop, and meal prep. BUT, it saves you time during the week because all you do is grab your meal and enjoy. No prepping, no cooking, no kitchen to clean.
- Meal prepping actually saves you money. When you make a menu and stick to buying only the ingredients you need, you will find that your meal prepping fits nicely into your grocery budget.
- Meal prepping eliminates waste. When you grocery shop with meals in mind and you are only buying the ingredients you need and cooking them immediately, there won’t be any perishable groceries going to waste. Aka...the vegetable drawer in the fridge that has turned into a science project.
- Meal prepping eliminates the need for counting calories and tracking. How often do we start a fitness program, and we are enthusiastically tracking every morsel only to be derailed by one hectic day? Or even better yet not tracking all the licks and nibbles you sneak in and feeling discouraged when the scale doesn’t budge? Those untracked, empty calories ADD up! With meal prepping everything is portioned just right. When following the healing nutrition plan as presented in this course, you are eating the right combination of foods. Therefore, tracking is not necessary. The key is to use the appropriate size containers. Stick to containers in the 10-12 oz range. Yes, they will seem small at first glance but honestly that’s a little more than most normal serving sizes. (You’ve heard it before we eat portions that are way too large!)
- Meal prepping is convenient and easy. This is pretty self-explanatory. You make meals ahead of time, freeze, grab and go. That simple. Hectic morning? No problem. Grab a meal prepped breakfast. Long day at the office? No worries, dinner awaits you in the freezer. You get the idea!
- Meal prepping gives you a sense of accomplishment. There is nothing more satisfying than standing back and looking in the freezer and seeing all those nicely stacked and labeled containers.
- Meal prepping sparks creativity. You will find yourself trying new recipes and becoming creative in the kitchen. There is no reason to eat baked chicken and steamed broccoli five days in a row. Keeping recipes new and fresh makes it easier to stick to a meal plan.
- Meal prepping helps the scale to go down. If you stick to your preplanned, pre-portioned meals you will lose weight.
- Meal prepping benefits the whole family. Meal prepping doesn’t have to be an individual thing. You can easily turn meal prepping into meal prepping weekly meals for the family. Wouldn’t it be nice to come home and pull out an already prepared meal for the family and not have to hear “what’s for dinner?” Or better yet not ordering pizza two nights a week because you are too tired to cook? You can make meal prepping a family affair. Share new recipes with family members and let them help make the menu. Have older kids? Then let them help cook. Learning to cook following a recipe is a great life skillset to learn while bonding and creating memories.
- Meal prepping keeps you focused on your goals. With your meals planned and prepped it’s one more thing checked off your to do list. It allows you to squeeze in that gym time. There are no more excuses.
how to work smarter not harder in the kitchen
Meal Prep Efficiently without Spending Hours in the Kitchen
The key to a successful meal prep is creating a weekly menu and budget and sticking to it. When preparing your weekly menu here are a few tips to keep in mind to help you work smarter not harder in the kitchen:
- Be realistic regarding how many meals you can prepare in the allotted time that you have scheduled for meal prep.
- Choose recipes with similar ingredients since buying in bulk is more cost effective and it saves time when prepping ingredients to be used in recipes.
- Choose recipes that can be cooked simultaneously.
- Select a variety of meals that you can rotate throughout the week to keep from getting bored.
- Make sure you have containers, labels, sharpies, and Ziplock bags ready and available.
- Clean out the refrigerator and freezer before starting.
navigATE THE GROCERY STORE LIKE A PRO
The Do's and Don'ts of Grocery Shopping
As you change your approach to nutrition you will also be changing your approach in the way you grocery shop. You will want to purchase foods that are whole, fresh, and organic. And of course, you don’t want to break the bank doing so!
I have a few recommendations when it comes to grocery shopping that will help you get in and out of the grocery store and stick to your weekly budget. Yes, when meal planning, you should set a budget that adequately accommodates your nutrition plan and bank account. Also, I recommend that you do NOT grocery shop and meal prep on the same day if possible. Grocery shopping can be exhausting and time consuming, especially if you are going to 2 or 3 different stores to get the ingredients/brands that you are using. I find meal prepping turns out better and is more enjoyable if I am not tired when I do it.
Here are some of shopping tips that will have you navigating the grocery store like a pro:
- Have a list and stick to it! Have a screenshot or printout of all the ingredients for each recipe. It allows you to glance over it one last time to ensure you have everything you need for meal prepping.
- Find the least busy time to go to the supermarket. Experts say that the most crowded time to shop are midday on weekends and 4pm-6pm on weekdays. The best times are 8am or 8pm any day of the week.
- Avoid shopping late Sunday evenings and on Mondays. This is when the stores are picked over and supplies are pretty much depleted from the weekend.
- Find out when your local grocer gets in their shipments. Go shopping an hour or so after the shipments have arrived for the freshest selections and fully stocked shelves.
- Stick to the outer aisles and displays along the walls. This is where your fresh meats and produce are located. The middle aisles are usually reserved for processed and prepackaged food items.
- Learn the layout of your grocery store and set your grocery list up accordingly. This will keep you from walking up and down every aisle, which will not only waste time, but it will be tempting to pick up items that aren’t on your list.
- When possible, utilize curb side pickup or free at home delivery services. Saves time and helps you to stick to your list and budget.
Ready, Set, Cook!
As I’ve already mentioned, the key to successful meal prep is work smarter not harder! Which means be realistic regarding the number of meals you can prep in a single afternoon and realistic about the number of prepped meals you plan on eating during the course of a week.
After selecting your menu of meals (see Supplemental Section: Healing & Healthy Recipes) here are some suggestions for helping you to work smarter not harder when it comes to weekly prep:
- Prep ingredients ahead of time. As I mentioned before, select recipes that contain similar ingredients. This is not only cost effective, but it saves time in the kitchen. It is so much easier to slice, dice, and cut up a bulk of ingredients that go into multiple dishes. You can even take it a step further and divide the ingredients up into the portions that each recipe calls for and store in tightly sealed containers to keep fresh until use. I also recommend doing all the prepping of ingredients prior to cooking, for instance on the day you grocery shop. Instead of putting the ingredients straight into the refrigerator, go ahead and cut, slice, dice, and divide them according to the selected recipes. This will save you time on the day you designate for cooking. Enlist the help of older children or your significant other for prepping of ingredients.
- Cook dishes simultaneously. This will make best use of your time so that you do not spend hours in the kitchen. Start by cooking anything that can simmer for a long period of time or will be cooked in a slow cooker or crockpot. For example, start with the Healing Mexican Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Soup from the 5 Step Gentle Detox. Once that meal is set to simmer, you can then move onto anything that requires baking time. While items are baking move on to cooking rice/noodles. Once the rice/noodles are done you can strain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and set aside in a bowl until you are ready to dish up. You can either set aside in the refrigerator or on the counter at room temperature. Now you are free to begin cooking dishes that require more of your attention. The key to having multiple dishes cooking is to make use of timers so that you don't overcook or burn anything!
Helpful Hint: If noodles or rice become sticky while set aside to be put in a dish, just lightly rinse with cold water and strain.
- Don't waste anything! If you have left over ingredients then immediately put those ingredients in Ziplock bags, label, and freeze to use at a later date. Didn't use all the broth that a recipe called for? Then take a sharpie and write the date you opened it on the cap or container. Most broths are good for 7-10 days after opening if stored in the refrigerator. Better yet, freeze remaining broth in 1-cup portion size containers. Have extra sliced and diced vegetables? Put them in Ziplock bags, label, and freeze for use in a future soup or stew recipe.
- Portion out and freeze meals immediately. When you portion out and freeze meals immediately it will guarantee that nothing goes to waste if you don't get around to eating everything that you cooked for the week. This will also ensure that if you've made extra, you will have meals on hand for those times where you are unable to meal prep. It happens, life gets busy, so it's better to be prepared!
- Put a date on it! Don't forget to put a date of prep or expiration on your containers. If you keep meals in the refrigerator, then you only have 3-4 days to eat that meal before it should be thrown out or frozen. Soups can be frozen for up to 4-5 months. Beef dishes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Chicken and fish dishes up to 2 months. Vegetable/pasta dishes up to a month if covered in a sauce. The key is to occasionally check for freezer burn on anything that you've put in the freezer.
Helpful Hint: I find it best to take frozen meals out the night before and set in the refrigerator for thawing for consumption the next day. This ensures that dishes are not overheated, which can cause seafood, chicken, and noodles to become rubbery or dried out.
Mindful Minute
There is no hard-fast rule that says you have to meal prep on Sundays
There is no hard-fast rule that says you have to meal prep on Sundays. So, if Sundays don’t work for you pick a day of the week that does. Or two days that work. For instance, due to our hectic schedules, I will often meal prep my breakfast options on a Saturday or Sunday morning when I am cooking a large breakfast for the rest of the family. Since mornings are my most hectic time of the day, I will prep more than a week's worth of options (usually 2-3 weeks’ worth to store in the freezer). When it comes to main dishes, if I don’t have a set day that is free for meal prepping, I make sure to find an evening or two during the week where I can cook more than one meal, making sure I’ve made enough to put some aside in the freezer. This journey is meant to be a beautiful lifestyle change. Do what will work for you. Don’t stress and make it complicated. All it takes is a little extra planning and you can make this healing, happy, healthy lifestyle work for you too!