Quick meal prep tips to beat the heat.

31 Jul Quick meal prep tips to beat the heat.

July flew by and August is upon us. If you’re like me, you’re trying to soak up as much time as possible outdoors, so you don’t kick yourself in the winter for not taking advantage of summer’s warmth. 

When you’re outside having a good time or indoors cooling off, planning, prepping, and cooking healthy meals might not be the first great idea that comes to mind. Personally, I can think of a lot of quick and healthy meals that can be popped into the oven, but my number one excuse to prep and bake or roast them is that I don’t want to heat the house up by using the oven. Then there’s grilling which can be fast, unless you don’t have a gas grill, so there’s another excuse. While excuses are plentiful, the deal is that I know the importance of healthy eating and I want to do it – even when it’s stinking hot outside. 

With that in mind, here are a few tips and several recipes included this week to make the goal of great nutrition a reality, regardless of what the thermometer or my irrational brain says:

• Set it and forget it. Instant and crock pots for the win. Definitely a great way to enjoy your day and come home to a home cooked meal. One idea is cooking chicken to use throughout the week in a few different meals to avoid boredom, but the options are endless with pressure and slow cookers.
• Prep, grab, enjoy. This one can be applied in a variety of ways. Prep hard boiled eggs the traditional way or in an instant pot to have available to snack, add to salads, or make an appetizer. Wash and chop (if applicable) veggies and fruit as soon as you bring them home. This will make them a quick second away from being pulled from the fridge and enjoyed. Proportion snack foods to munch in reasonable amounts.
• Rotisserie chicken magic. A quick drop in to your local grocery store for a rotisserie chicken, bagged salad, prewashed/chopped veggies, and a can of beans to throw together a quick meal that’s nutritious and delicious.
• Variety of cold salads and slaws. When it’s hot, a cold, crisp salad is delightful. There are so many combinations to enjoy fruits, veggies, and sometimes pasta for delicious cold salads and slaws.
• Sparkling flavorful drinks. Hydration is incredibly important. Decide on a water goal to hit daily. Berries, citrus, cucumbers, herbs and others provide a variety of combinations to instantly jazz up sparkling water without added sweeteners.

Exercise/Workout Spotlight: Switching up your workouts to avoid your body’s adaptation

ACE Fitness describes this concept in this article:

General adaptation syndrome describes how the physiology of the body adapts to a physical stimulus such as exercise. When beginning an exercise program, there is an initial alarm phase of one to three weeks, where the body recognizes that a new stimulus is being applied. This is followed by an adaptation phase of four to 16 weeks, where the body adapts to the stimulus and becomes more efficient at tolerating it. Finally 12 to 16 weeks, the body reaches what is called the exhaustion phase, where the stimulus no longer has a significant effect.Muscle and Strength shares 15 ways to switch things up in your workouts here.