When you first get your 21 Day Fix containers and menu planning book, you may panic a little bit. It’s a lot to take in and figure out. However, the simpler you can make the process for yourself, the more likely you are to stick to it. Here are some of the tips and tricks I love to share with my clients. If you’d like to join a challenge group, contact me! We have them starting every 1-2 weeks.
21 Day Fix Made Simple: 7 Time-Saving Techniques
1. Don’t start out by trying to plan elaborate menu plans. It becomes an exercise in frustration. Instead, focus on some easy things you can throw together in minutes. As you become more comfortable with how the container system works, then you can add some more variety into you meal plan. (View our 21 Day Fix Meal Plans and Ideas)
2. Make use of leftovers. The Fixate book is great for recipes that are great at mealtime that the whole family will enjoy. My advice is to cook double and triple batches so that you can eat leftovers the next day or two and even freeze portions for the following weeks.
3. Use the Fooducate app. While the goal is to move away from convenience foods, some of them are not-so-bad and can help you ease into clean eating. For example, the Simply Balanced line from Target has some great whole grain options that rate highly on Fooducate (aim for a B or above) and heat up in just a minute or two.
Fooducate can help you make good choices on quick foods. If the food you want to purchase doesn’t get a good score, click on the “ALTERNATIVES” tab for healthier suggestions.
4. Eat a “Clean” version of what you normally do. For example, if you family likes spaghetti, tacos, pizza – don’t worry! Just learn how to make them at home with healthy, whole food ingredients. Read this article on Clean Eating + Substitutions
5. Be a creature of habit. It’s completely fine to eat the same thing over and over again if it’s easy for you. Here are some of my favorite no-hassle meals:
EASY BREAKFAST IDEAS:
Shakeology + fruit smoothie (one red, one purple)
2-egg omelet with veggies and cheese (one red, one green, one blue)
Whole grain cereal with unsweetened almond milk (yellow)
Steel-cut oatmeal with fruit (yellow, purple)
EASY LUNCH IDEAS:
Veggie salads (make them ahead and store in Mason Jars)
Pasta salads
Whole-grain wraps with chicken breast and veggies
EASY DINNER IDEAS:
Grilled fish or chicken
Spaghetti with whole-grain pasta
Turkey chili
6. Fill out your meal plan with easy snacks. If you are struggling to get your container count in, or want some suggestions on what to bring to work – here you go. Don’t forget to eat every 2-3 hours!
Easy 21 Day Fix Grab-and-Go Snacks
- Shakeology
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Raw veggies
- Whole fruit (1/2 banana, grapes, apple, etc.)
- String cheese (Mozarella)
- Whole-brain crackers (like Triscuit)
- Nuts (almonds, pistachios)
- Hummus
7. Adjust your mindset. If you go into the 21 Day Fix with an all-or-nothing mentality, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Success comes in the form of doing better each day, creating new habits and making healthy living a permanent lifestyle. There will be times you won’t get your container counts right, you’ll have a cheat meal, you’ll miss a workout. That’s OK. Focus on progress, not perfection and you’ll do just fine.
You know those uber-organized meal preppers that post pictures of all their meals that they’ve got planned out for the week? While I totally admire what they do that just doesn’t work for me. I am not that organized nor do I pretend to be. ?. However, I can do a little bit to set myself up for clean eating success during the week just by prepping a few things. Here I’ve got energy balls, hard-boiled eggs and chicken breasts. I know that this will help me out with my salads and snacks when I’m punched for time. Do what you can, my friends…. Every little bit helps!!!