Beachbody 21 Day Fix: Food Prep for a Week Is WORK!

I have said it many times throughout my weight-loss and maintenance phases and then post-baby (both times): when it comes to eating, meal planning is key. After kids I’ve learned that meal planning is not only necessary but a means to survival! Like many mamas, I often forget to eat and remember when I am so hungry I feel like my head is falling off. I feel weak and tired, completely drained and not motivated to do much moving or playing.

One of the main reasons I was interested in Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix was the accountability it offered by having your meals prepared in advance for ease during the week. This program stresses the importance of food prep and also takes the thinking out of the portioning. I truly believe that was my motivation to finally give it a go.

First, let me explain this container system I mentioned above and in my previous post. My kit came with seven containers of all different sizes: Green (vegetables), Purple (fruits), Red (protein), Yellow (grains), Blue (healthy fats like avocado, raw nuts and cheese) and Orange (dressings and seeds). Each container is a serving size. The containers you get depends on a formula that is calculated in the beginning of the 21 Day Fix book (depends on weight, mostly). You have two options: 1) Eat directly out of the containers or 2) Combine the containers on a plate or bowl or and eat from there. I chose to use the containers as my measuring tool and to pour them into larger glass storage containers.

I love to cook, so prep is fun for me. I really, truly enjoy it. Then I remembered I had two kids: a toddler who is always active, always moving and ALWAYS on the go, and a 3-month-old who is exclusively breastfed. This, right here, is where I recognized just how important my support system is to me. My Beachbody coach Jessy told our group during the introductory portion how necessary it is to tell your family and friends, and whoever is a part of your daily routine, that you are participating in this lifestyle change. That you are choosing to learn to make choices that will help you slowly change your behavior for the good. I did just that and got my husband on board. He’s so supportive that he even hit Costco with me even after spending too many hours putting together a trampoline for our son (with a heat index in the 100s … not cool!). We danced through the aisles of Costco with Jessy’s helpful shopping list in hand. I say “danced” but what I really mean is “raced,” because we got there five minutes before closing. Who knew they closed at 6 p.m. on Saturdays!? (WHY?!)

I was not nervous about prep … until I realized we were also in the beginning phase of potty training (OY!). Evan woke up two days before requesting the potty and underwear and refusing diapers. Since we do what our toddler says (eye roll), we went with it. We had more timers going than ever before during our meal prep. Kitchen timers, check. Phone timers, check. Potty timers, check. Welcome to parenthood, right? We kept Evan occupied between potty breaks (and lots of hand washing) by letting him “wash” the already washed vegetables. Jake and I shared the prepping of the vegetables and marinated the protein and onto the grill we went!

Evan loves his new trampoline (He better! We liked it so much we put it together twice!). While the food was going on the grill, Jake was throwing balls into the trampoline and Evan was throwing them out. It was fun times for all and the BEST way to keep a toddler busy while kitchen magic happened! While the grill was running, I also had vegetables in the oven, along with some egg muffins, and I had a rice cooker going with our first batch of grains. Jake pretty much kept Evan occupied while I finished up. Once everything was done, we left it to cool, and I started preparing the fruits.

Both kids take their afternoon naps around the same time, so we each took a kid and made that happen smoothly while the food cooled. During nap, we chopped and portioned everything into containers. Once they were up again, Daddy kept them busy, and I cleaned up the kitchen.

I prepped and portioned my breakfast, lunches and snacks during this time. It sounds like a lot and it was.

I will be honest, it was quite overwhelming the amount I needed to do for seven days with two kids to attend to. Luckily, Evan did a great job staying busy inside and out during all of it, and Sadie was a pretty happy camper keeping an eye on me. As long as I keep talking to her, she’s golden! When I have prepared meals in the past, I’ve worn Sadie in my Moby, but I was moving and doing way too much to do it this time. Plus, in this heat it’s not comfortable for anybody. I know for a fact that if Jake had not been home to help, this would’ve been a code red situation!

Stay tuned next week to find out how the first week went once I started eating my prepped meals — and doing a few of the workouts!

Have you ever done a large amount of food prep with the kids home? How did you manage to make it through? I would love to hear your helpful tips for next week’s prep session! —Jennifer