How I Diet & Cook

There are two parts to this post. I swear, my head is always full of random thoughts that I want to share and explain but sometimes it's hard to break it all down. I try, but I know it can all be hard to understand so feel free to contact me and ask me anything :)

I'm a flexible dieter. I used to believe in "clean foods" & "bad foods," until last year when I was introduced to a whole new world of flexible dieting, aka 'IIFYM' (if it fits your macros). Yes, that means I do count my calories/protein/carbohydrates/fat/fiber intake daily. I weigh and measure my foods. Yes, it can be a pain in the ass at times, but I've gotten used to it over the years. Yes, there are days (when not on comp prep) such as family events or holidays were I don't worry about it and just enjoy! I don't believe in meal timing and I believe in carbs after dark! When you have the mind set of "good foods" and "bad foods" it makes you have a horrible relationship with food. I've been to the point of feeling so guilty of eating a cookie or two, going and killing myself with cardio on an off day, restricting more calories, and binging. It's unhealthy. If you "eat clean" all week and go on a binge during the weekend, how healthy is that? It's not. Flexible dieting allows you to eat all your favorite foods, in moderation. It definitely teaches self-control. I have set macros each day, and I fill it with whatever foods I want. A carb is a carb, a fat is a fat, and a protein is a protein. However, yes there are more nutrient dense foods, meaning carbs from fruits/veggies have more fiber than carbs from a Poptart duh. You cannot hit your macronutrients eating fast food all day, Poptarts all day, etc, just like you can't hit your macros eating only spinach and fish all day. 90% is whole nutrient foods to hit that fiber goal- which I average about 20-25g a day, sometimes more depending on my food selection. 10% can be "fun foods" and favorite treats in moderation. My "fun foods" for now include Quest bars, Greek yogurt, PB, S'Mores gold fish, etc. Remember, I'm currently on comp prep, so I'm still a bit mindful so I don't get carried away, but if I weren't, everything would be a go :) 

I've counted calories for years, but still looked at food as "good" and "bad." Now, I feel a bit more FREE, having control of what I put in my body and not feeling restricted. I wish I had done more research before hiring my first coach, knowing that I could do flexible dieting while on competition prep! Ugh. I guess I had always thought competition prep was fish/chicken, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, spinach/green beans for 12 weeks. Then binging after your competition. But it's ok, now I know better. I remember at our first meeting (with my first coach), I said I had been counting my macros (probably was around 1700 then with 40%P-35%C-25%F). He said he didn't believe in that because they're inaccurate? Hmmm… Yeah ok. So when he started me on his meal plan, it was straight "eat this, at this time, no substitutions, no cheat meals." I was probably around 1200-1300 doing his "off season" trying to put on muscle… Ridiculous. Not a sustainable lifestyle, nor enough food to "put on muscle." He dieted me down too hard and too fast. My metabolism is definitely suffering right now. I cannot wait to build it back up with reverse dieting! 

Anyways, I love following these two ladies on IG- FIITNESSCHIC & 1FITASHMOM

They are two strong, beautiful women who are flexible dieters and proving that you can get shredded with a moderate diet filled with whole foods, and Poptarts ;) 1FITASHMOM was also eating over 2000 calories to maintain and started her cut (weightloss/fatloss for comp prep) from very high! Meaning, during her cut, she will be able to comfortably lose weight/fat, shred, and eat! 

Bottom line: Stop starving yourself and thinking of foods as GOOD & BAD. You want a starting point of eating as much as you can while losing fat and doing (working out) as little as possible. If you start with 1200 calories off the bat, start working out 2 hours a day, when your weightloss plateaus, where will you go? You will either have to 1. drop calories even lower or 2. workout longer/harder. Then when you plateau again, same thing. Do you get where I'm going here? 

BE SMART!! it kills me seeing girls eating 1000 calories or below, doing 2 hours of cardio. Your caloric intake is all individualized. Sex/weight/height/activity level/GOALS. If you're wanting to put on muscle, you will not be able to do it on low calories. You have to eat in a surplus! 

Stop trying to find SHORTCUTS, and doing it the healthy, slow, and MAINTAINABLE way. Make it a LIFESTYLE, not a temporary "summer body" fix. 

Need help? email me! suarezcoral@hotmail.com

**Another tip, DON'T EVER purchase "customized meal plans" from someone who is not certified and have the credentials to coach and guide you. Just because someone looks good and has found something that works for them, does not mean they know what works best for you :) Getting help/tips is one thing, but if you're going to put money down, make sure it is with someone that has their certifications/credentials and actually knows how to work with different types of people! 

Ok, part 2!! 

People always ask for my recipes, saying they don't know how to cook and this and that. Well, let me tell you something… I don't either! I don't follow any recipes (hate them), I don't use a lot of ingredients, and I just have the basic meats, veggies, and carbohydrates usually cooked in bulk for a few days and I throw them together and use different seasonings. 

Favorite seasonings: 

Favorite sauces:

Favorite sweeteners:

Proteins:

All can be combined and used in sooooo many different ways. I like simplicity! I like easy and fast cooking. So don't think I'm some whiz in the kitchen.

I hope this was somewhat helpful :) 

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Follow me on IG as well @loveliftdrift

6 Weeks Out

It's easy to become a bit obsessive (too dedicated? is that possible?) when you're in competition prep, especially as you get closer and closer to show. You constantly check your body out, looking for change, definition of muscles that you've spent hours and hours trying to build, and fat loss from diet and cardio. You check out the other competitors and think "shit, they look so good." You sometimes doubt yourself and over-think little situations. I sometimes wonder if I jumped into competing too soon after having Sylas and should have just enjoyed myself took my time. I think of how sick I am of dieting, since I've been doing it since November. You just want to see the pounds on the scale drop and your body fat disappear. Sometimes I find myself obsessing and stressing out about the little things… even the amount of veggies I eat! I will research everything on the computer and try and compare my situation with others. Deep down, I know every body is different, every situation is different. Weight/height/activity level/genetics/metabolism, everything can come into play with weightloss/fatloss. My coach always tells me to relax, not stress and stop weighing myself every day. Old habits are hard to break, competing or not. 

This week, my new goal is kill it in the gym and nutrition… everything 200%... and during my down time, not constantly research, and just RELAX and enjoy the process. When I look back, I don't want to think that I was miserable- instead, look back at everything with a smile on my face, knowing that I enjoyed the changes and challenges. I will not give up, dammit. I have been dedicated for way too long to just let things go by. The show is coming whether I'm ready or not. I will not just say "oh well, next show" again, and then look back with regret. I may or may not place well at my first one, but all I can do is give it my all and know deep down that I did my best. I will learn from this first show and use the experience to keep doing better and better at shows to come. It won't always be this hard. My future preps won't be as long. I know better from now on. I'll also "off-season" the right way and come into season the right way. After these shows this year, I'm taking my time to reverse diet correctly, BUILD my metabolism, physical and mental strength back up and go into the next season full-on, unstoppable.  

A couple changes this week:

1. I've started two-a-days this week- I will be adding in morning fasted cardio. This topic is really debatable and a lot of people have their opinions on it, theres scientific research for the pros and cons- I'm really not going to get into it. I've done it in the past, and I've felt it worked for me, so I'm going to utilize it again. I drink my Scivation intra-workout BCAAs while I do it to preserve muscles and I do it at a low-intensity, still getting in a sweat. For now I'll stick with 30 minutes. We bought a stationary bicycle for the house, so that will be my morning cardio equipment. Later, I will hit up weight-lifting for 1-1.5hrs followed by high intensity cardio for another 30-45 mins. Depending on my time/ how I feel. 

Lifting: 5x a week, 2+ body parts a day, supersets and triple-sets. 4-8 sets, 10-15 reps, depending. Lifting heavy and keeping that heart rate up, sweating my ass off!

Cardio: morning fasted cardio 5x week & HIIT/steady state at the gym 6x a week, pushing myself and getting in a sweat session. I've learned staying in "heart rate zones" are crap, and you should just PUT IN WORK. 

2. Coach has changed my macros around (still around the same calories) but will be carb-cycling with no/low-carb days and a high-carb day. The no/low days will consist of carbs from vegetables and trace carbs from nuts/nut butters, high protein, and high fats coming from egg yolks, lean ground turkey 93/7, extra virgin olive oil/coconut oil, almonds and peanut butter- almost like the Keto life. On the high-carb day, carbohydrate grams will be very high while fats are very low, and protein grams remains the same. Honestly, when I got the plan, I was like OMG, I can't have oatmeal!! It scared me. I don't think there's been a day in my life that I didn't have any starch lol! It's been a few days now, and although I miss it, I get a lot of peanut butter so I'm remaining pretty sane ;) I haven't had a high-carb day yet, but hoping it comes soon! MMMM carbs :D 

That's about it. I'll post progress photos next week and a bigger update... Just always remember, do something today that will HELP you towards your goals and get you CLOSER, not further. Only YOU know if you are truly giving it (whatever your life goal is) 200%! You cannot be upset at the results you don't get with the work that you do not put in!

Again, I just wanted to say GO CHECK OUT ISOLATOR FITNESS! They have some awesome gear and great meal bags for amazing prices. You can't beat it. With summer coming up, you'll need it extra for not just work days but beach/pool days and even family outings. We just got a 3 meal one and I love that it fits even my son's big bottles and snacks along with my shakes, water, meals and goodies :) If you like what you see, feel free to use CORAL10 for 10% off your entire purchase! 

Find me on IG: loveliftdrift

If you have any questions feel free to email me! 

suarezcoral@hotmail.com

xoxo

Q & A

Hellooooo! 

So this is where I answer random questions that I've received over the past weeks from YOU! I'm going to answer 5 at a time, bi-weekly. If I didn't answer your question yet, hold tight! If you have more, contact me or ask in comments and I will definitely get back to you :)

Yes, I do have my fitness trainer & fitness nutrition specialist certifications, but I am NO expert. I am still constantly researching and learning new information/methods. These answers are just my personal experiences and opinions. Just want to say before anything that there is not ONE right way to eat or to workout to achieve the physique you want. There are sooooo many things you can do if one thing isn't working! But you, and only you, know if you are actually giving it your all 120% effort to reach goals. That means eating right and WORKing out, sweating, burning fat!

1. How much & what kind of cardio do you do?

Off season I would do about 25-40 minutes, depending on how I felt, 4-5x a week of steady state cardio. Now while in contest prep, I do 30-50mins of both steady state and HIIT cardio 5-6x a week. I always do my cardio after weight-lifting.

Steady state cardio: Some form of cardiovascular exercise where you keep a steady pace and rate of exertion for the bulk of the workout.

>check out this article on steady state cardio<

HIIT cardio: HIIT stands for high intensity interval training. HIIT involves alternating between very intense bouts of exercise and low intensity exercise. Example: sprinting for 30 seconds, then walking for 60 seconds, repeat. Example: sprinting up the step mill for 20 seconds, then slowing down for 2mins 40 seconds, repeat.

>check out this article on HIIT cardio<

Personally, I LOVE the days I do HIIT cardio. I feel powerful, energized, and enjoy sweating my ass off! Both are optimal for fat loss. Just switch things up! Keep your body guessing and have some fun. If you're bored, you won't want to keep going. 

2. What do you eat? 

There seems to be two different "eating lifestyles"? I guess you would say these days. The "clean eaters" and the "IIFYM"-ers. IIFYM: if it fits your macros. Talking about these two would take up a whole separate blog so I'll leave that aside for now. My main foods I eat are lean proteins, green veggies, carbs, and healthy fats. 

*Lean proteins: boneless skinless chicken breast, extra lean ground turkey, salmon, tilapia, tuna, lean ground beef, eggs

*Veggies: spinach, green beans, brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, asparagus (I don't like it though, yuck)

*Carbohydrates: sweet potato, oatmeal, brown rice, jasmine rice, ezekiel bread, rice cakes

*Fats: extra virgin olive oil, peanut butter/almond butter, avocado, almonds 

*Fruits: strawberries, grapefruit, blueberries, bananas

*I don't have any dairy while in contest prep, but during off season I love plain fat free Greek yogurt, fat free cottage cheese, and almond milk. Yuuuum!

There are so many more options than what I listed. Here is a wonderful example of a bigger list and options by Jamie Eason.

Example:
1. Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries, 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites
2. Snack: check my blog on healthy snacks 

3. Lunch: chicken/turkey/fish/beef with carbs, and green veggies
4. Snack: chicken/turkey/fish with carbs, and green veggies
5. Dinner: chicken/fish and green veggies or spinach salad with 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil

*I always have a protein shake right after my workout, usually as I'm walking to pick up my son from the gym daycare. 

*I always eat 30-60 minutes before my workout as well. DO NOT go workout on an empty stomach. It will not help in losing weight/fat. Your body will start eating your muscles, and you do not want that because more muscles= more fat loss. The more muscles you have, the less fat your body has. 

Above is just an example. To know how much of what you should be eating, you would need to calculate your BMR, and from there we would get your maintenance caloric intake and from there we would see what your macros are to lose fat/weight or gain, if your goal is to gain (mostly men). It's very important to get a well balance of PROTEIN, CARBS & FAT! There is no magic number that works for everyone. 
If you would like help on this, please email me at suarezcoral@hotmail.com

3. What are macros?
Macros are macronutrients. Macros, in short, are the PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES, & FATS in every single thing you eat & drink. People pay too much attention to CALORIES, when they should be paying attention to more detail, as in whats IN those calories. 
1g of protein = 4 calories, 1g or carbohydrates = 4 calories, 1g of fat = 9 calories. 

People think "oh these crackers are only 120 calories!" but what's in those 120calories? usually 40g carbs, little to no protein, and lots of fat! Plus, you're most likely going to get hungry again in 5 minutes. Or have another. 

It's super important to learn how to read labels. If you don't know how to yet, go grab something from your fridge or pantry and look at the label. Read how much PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES & FAT that is in ONE serving! I bet most of you will be surprised. Especially because people don't read the serving size and eat 2-3x the amount! 

Macros are what will get you to your goals. You can workout and workout, but if your eating is not on track, you're going to end up going in circles.

This topic is very huge. I think I could go on and on, but I will keep it short and simple.

4. What is your routine?
There's no magic routine, magic number of sets, magic number of reps. I weight train for about 45-1hr 15 minutes followed by 30-50minutes of steady state or HIIT cardio. I take Sundays off to recover. When I weight train, I train at least 2 muscle groups at a time.

Example: glutes and abs, biceps and back, biceps, triceps and shoulders, legs and chest, back, chest and abs. 

Each workout I do, I do 3-5 SETS with anywhere from 6-15 REPS. If you see workouts saying 3x15, that means 3 SETS of 15 REPETITIONS. 

My coach has told me to do them all to failure. What that means is, if it says 3x12/10/8, I make sure I'm doing a heavy enough weight to FAIL at that number (cannot do another rep.) If I go over that number, I know my weight isn't heavy enough. If I'm a bit under, it's okay as long as my form is right. I believe this has really changed my body.

*Don't be afraid to LIFT HEAVY. It won't make you look manly! It will burn fat, create "tone" aka MUSCLE, and bring out your lovely beautiful curves. 

*Exercise tip: workout with INTENSITY & RESISTANCE. Sweat! If you are talking while you are lifting weights, you're not doing it right. You're not working hard enough.

To be honest, I don't believe in those "30 days squat challenge" and etc. I believe in working every muscle group to be strong, adding WEIGHT (that's how you get that booty!) and RESISTANCE to burn the fat. I may think the "30 day squat challenge" was awesome if they were JUMP SQUATS. Try that if you really want to do body weighted squats every day.

5. What's the best way to start losing weight?

My advice, don't pay attention to the scale. Weigh yourself once and hide it until a month or so later. Go by the way your body looks in the mirror, the way your clothes fit, the way you FEEL. Don't think of it as numbers you have to lose, think of it as body fat you want to burn. 3 easy ways to start:

1. Clean up your eating habits, little by little. Drink soda? Stop and drink more water- I drink a gallon a day! Eat lots of cheese? Cut down, try some non fat, and use more seasonings in your cookings. Moderation is key. Start eating more lean proteins and veggies, exchange your pastas for some sweet potato and brown rice. Give up your butter and vegetable oils for coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil. Start walking 30 minutes a day. Anything. There are so many ways to make little lifestyle changes so it's not overwhelming.

2. Ask me about the Advocare 24-Day Challenge! I wrote a previous blog on it, so check it out :) It's a fail-proof plan, I swear by it. It will guide you with a day by day nutrition and supplement guide consisting of what, how much and when to eat and the bundle comes with high quality supplements filled with vitamins and aminos to kick start your fat loss, increase energy/wellness, AAAAND I would be your coach to support you through it all! 

3. email me at suarezcoral@hotmail.com with YOUR GOALS and we can discuss what's right for you and your lifestyle for nutrition/training :)

Just wanted to add ONE MORE THING- because I read it today on IG and it's awesome and SO TRUE: "It's time to break the weight re-gain cycle. If you can't see yourself eating the way you are eating now in 6 or even 12 months, then it's time to rethink your approach because it's sustainable. Cutting out whole food groups is not sustainable. No carb is sustainable. 2 hours of daily cardio is not sustainable. Take care of your metabolism and employ a system of eating that allows you to incorporate almost any food in healthy moderation so that you don't rebound." - Dr. Layne Norton

Pizza is not bad. Burgers and fries are not bad. IN MODERATION. I do believe in having a good relationship with food. Don't think of them as 'good' or 'bad' foods, or make yourself feel guilty for having a cookie! Everything in moderation!! Chocolate, peanut butter, even the "good" foods must be balanced right. 

If you have more questions, don't hesitate to email me or comment!

Follow my IG for more daily stuff: @loveliftdrift

xoxo 

9 Months PP Progress

9 months of pregnancy & 9 months post partum = 18 months of crazy ups and downs… and not just with weight. Damn, time flies! I have learned so much and have loved every minute, good and bad <3 I love being his mommy. If you're a parent, you know the feeling. The feeling of true love, joy, amazement and happiness that comes from just looking and thinking about your baby. Gah, I love it. It's indescribable. I am so blessed to have such a healthy and happy babyboy! 

Above is the little note I've been keeping track of on my phone. I wish I had my accurate body fat % for every month as well because that is way more important than numbers on the scale! 

Well it took me 9 months to put on almost 60lbs, and it's taken me 9 months to almost lose it all. I got pregnant about 5lbs above my normal weight and I'm a couple lbs from pre-pregnancy weight, which is awesome, but my body composition is still different… As in, body fat %, hip width, etc. Some things I will never be able to change back to the way they were, and I'm ok with that.

Progress photos time!

It's nice to see Betty-Back-Fat disappear :) 

1: 1 week PP / weight unsure 

2: 3 months PP / 154lbs

3: 11.11.2013 almost 6 months PP / 150.8 / 27%BF

(started with coach)

4. 9 months PP / 135.8

It has also been 14 weeks down with my coach!

The human body is amazing. It is capable of doing the unthinkable. It is stronger than you think. Your mind will give up before your body will. With the right motivation, dedication, consistency, foods, fuel and training, you can transform into anything you set your mind to. You just have to decide to do it. You have to want it enough to make it a lifestyle.

How bad do you want it?

I feel a bit more confident now. I feel less obsessed about losing the weight. I wish I didn't stress as much as I did in the begining  because if you want to lose it the healthy way, it all takes time. Every body responds differently. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bitter about the women that got their sexy tummy back in a few months' time, or the women getting to step on stage  so quick to compete, the women living my dreams while I've taken steps backwards with this weight gain… but then again, I know I am doing my best, giving it my all, and I'm doing it all the healthy way. My turn will come, and I'm going to chase the hell out of my dreams and reach them.

I get questions about what foods to eat, cardio, weightlifting, supplements, etc etc, and for my next blog I'd like to answer questions YOU have. 

Send them to my email: 

suarezcoral@hotmail.com 

or write in comments below!

Don't forget to follow my IG: coral.suarez

xoxo

Favorite Snacks

So I thought I'd share some of my favorite healthy snacks that I (when not on contest prep) love to eat! 

First… Just because food labels say "fat-free" or "low-fat" does NOT always mean it's healthy! Learning to read labels, the serving size, fat, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and ingredients is a good thing to do. 

These are SNACKS, please eat lots of meals too :)
Whether you're a macro counter or clean eater, there are a variety to choose from.

I'm all about fast, cheap and easy meals/snacks.
These aren't anything complicated.

the +'s are optional additives :)

-> 2 rice cakes with 2tbsp peanut butter/almond butter/PB2

+ strawberries and/or bananas

+cinnamon

+unsweetened shredded coconut

-> 2 rice cakes with 1/2c fat-free/low-fat cottage cheese

+cinnamon

-> grapefruit

+cinnamon

+stevia

-> 1c almond milk with 3/4 scoop protein powder

+fruit

-> mix 1/2c~3/4c egg whites &1/2 scoop protein powder 

make like pancake in pan

+cinnamon

+sugar free syrup

-> 2c spinach salad with 1 can tuna or ground chicken/turkey

+carrot shavings

+1 hard boiled egg

+balsamic vinaigrette 

-> QUEST BARS!!! 

My favorites are the chocolate chip, double chocolate chunk, the brownie, the coconut cashew and the raspberry white chocolate mmmmm!  They are high in protein and fibre, low in carbs. You can heat them up or eat them regular!

Addicted.

Also, people have come up with some some crazy recipe snacks that you can research :)

-> 1 banana or 1 apple with 2tbsp of almond/peanut butter

+cinnamon

-> Plain, fat-free Greek yogurt! Favorite.

+strawberries

+stevia

+vanilla or coconut extract

+cinnamon

+almonds

+unsweetened shredded coconut

+1tsp dark chocolate chips

-> Plain, fat free greek yogurt with grape nuts

+stevia

+cinnamon

-> sugar free jello 

+fat free cool whip

-> sugar free pudding made with unsweetened almond milk

+1/2~3/4 scoop protein powder

-> 2 graham crackers with fat free cool whip

+cinnamon

-> mix 2 bananas, 1c quick oats, 1/3c dark chocolate chips, 1.5tbsp natural peanut/almond butter and make into little balls and bake at 350 for 15 mins

+shredded unsweetened coconut

+cinnamon 

+honey

-> 1 serving of raw natural almonds

(usually 12-15)

-> skinny cow ice cream sandwich ;P

-> 1 Sara Lee whole wheat bread or Ezekiel bread with 1tbsp PB/almond butter

+cinnamon

-> Hard boiled egg whites (4)

+hot sauce

+hummus 

+mrs dash

-> Edamame! "Soy beans" 

I could eat alllll day!

-> sweet potato chips

+sea salt & vinegar

+sea salt & extra virgin olive oil

+mrs dash

+cinnamon (my fav)

-> carrot sticks with hummus

-> baked cabbage

sprinkle extra virgin olive oil and some seasoning and pop in oven

-> Jamie Eason's Turkey Muffins!

Okay I think that's plenty for now. Whatever you choose, always go for lean proteins, healthy fats, and don't forget your fruits and veggies :)

follow my IG for more daily updates: coralsuarez

xoxo

Meal Prepping Tips

I meal prep about once a week. It takes me about 2 hours total. If I don't do it, I'm more likely to stray off my meal plans and nibble on and grab stuff I shouldn't be :p PB… ice cream… chocolate… jk. No really.

#1 PLAN OUT YOUR MEALS! 

Write them down. Example: Monday-Sunday, #1-#5/#6, unless they're all the same. You can eat 6 small meals, 3 big meals, or 10 mini meals- do what works for you! Yes, they say 6 small meals keep the metabolism working, but some people just don't have time for that. 

The most important thing is that you are fueling your body with foods that will help you reach YOUR goals. 

Every BODY is different. 

Don't starve yourself, don't punish yourself, and don't deprive yourself. You will hate the process. It's important to have a good relationship with food! 

You can use containers or zip lock bags. Containers are kind of annoying to wash 2-5x a day, but if you don't mind, do it.

Grocery Shopping Tips:

1. Buy what you can in bulk to last for 2 weeks of prep- chicken, fish, frozen/canned veggies, rice, pasta, and breads. I go to SAM's Club every other weekend. 

**Personally, like buying ground turkey/chicken/beef because it's easier and faster to cook and portion out.

2. Buy fresh foods once a week before meal prep- veggies, fruits, potatoes etc. 

3. BRING YOUR LIST. Sucks having to go back to buy that one thing that slipped your mind.

Organizing Tips:

1. Lay your containers in rows for Monday-Sunday. 

2. Write on a piece of paper what meals are what day. If they are all the same then it is super easy! Just keep it there as a reminder for each container. 

Cooking Tips:

1. If you are able to cook your breakfast fresh in the morning, don't add it into your meal prep. If you need to grab and go, include it. I cook my breakfast, make my shake post-workout, and depending on what my last meal of the day is, I make it before bed so they are not included in meal prep. 

2. Cook all your meats first. It gives them time to cool off and set before you portion them off. 

3. Cook your carbs second, while you portion off your protein.

4. Lastly, veggies. 

5. Any leftovers can go in individual ziplock bags and put in the freezer until next meal prep. 

Seasonings: 

My favorites are Mrs. Dash, sea salt, adobo, and lots of hot sauce. 

Hope this has been somewhat helpful. I'll do another blog on EXAMPLE meal plans!

IG @coral.suarez

xoxo