If you’ve ever seen inside a bodybuilder’s refrigerator on social media, you’ve probably noticed dozens of containers of prepared meals. Meal prepping is a common strategy that all types of athletes follow to stay on track of their diets to reach their goals. If you’ve never meal prepped before or aren’t very comfortable in the kitchen, the thought of preparing several meals worth of food in a day can be overwhelming. Luckily, IFBB Pro Sadik Hadzovic shared his winning tips with us that will make meal prepping easy even if you aren’t experienced in the kitchen.
“This is where your goals are either made or broken, right here in the kitchen. I’ve been meal prepping for a long time and have picked up some cool tricks.” -Sadik
Easy Meal Prep with Microwavable Carbohydrates
Meal prepping is all about convenience, you don’t want to be in the kitchen for hours prepping meals. One cool trick I found is that they have microwavable potatoes and rice, they make your life easy and cook perfectly. You can throw a packet of rice in the microwave for 90 seconds rather than cooking over the stovetop for 20 minutes.
Fast-Cooking Proteins for Muscle Building
I like to thaw my proteins out the night before. I like thin chicken and ground turkey; thin chicken cooks way faster than a chicken breast and ground turkey should take you no longer than 10 minutes to cook on the stovetop. I love cartoon egg whites for my breakfast proteins, they’re so easy to use, you don’t have to crack the eggs, you just pour and eat up.
Add Flavor to Your Prep with Sauces & Spices
There’s a big misconception when you’re talking about meal prep, people think you mean bland food. Meal prep does not mean bland food, I use spices and varieties of things to season my food. Try some different sauces from your supermarket, I’ve been using a Polynesian sauce that gives a lot of flavors to the chicken and proteins. This is going to be the difference between sticking to your diet and getting tired and falling off your diet. Make your life a little easier and use some seasonings.
Frozen Vegetables
If you’re a busy guy like me, I tend to go out and get fresh vegetables but by the time I cook them they’re rotten or not tasting so great. What I recommend is investing in frozen vegetables, thaw them out and cook them, they’ll last longer than fresh vegetables would. I like to keep my vegetables for my last meal of the day, I look at vegetables as a free calorie and don’t worry about the calories since they’re mostly fibrous carbohydrates.
Measure Your Macros
It’s very crucial that you’re measuring the macronutrients that you put in your body. Use a food scale, you can pick them up for really cheap on Amazon, about $20, you don’t have to go crazy. I eat 6 oz of protein per meal and measure it out on the scale. And I typically eat 5 oz of rice with my meals or 4 oz of potatoes.
On The Go Whey Protein Isolate
If I can’t find 30 minutes in my day to meal prep, I’ll run out of the house with a scoop or two scoops of XTEND Pro or a protein bar. This way I can ensure I’m meeting my protein requirements. Life moves pretty fast, it’s easy to get stuck at work and go hours without eating. That’s why it’s important to pack your meals and give yourself a reason to succeed rather than an excuse to fail.
If your goals are important for you, you’ve got to be prepared.