(upbeat, melodic music)
- Hey Munchies, I'm Alyssia.
If you are a regular here,
you know we are nuts about meal prep,
but if you're new, you may not know
meal prep really helped transform my life.
So I wanted to help show others exactly how I did it,
not only to lose weight but to make a healthy lifestyle
easy, affordable and exciting.
To help, I made an entire course dedicated to meal prep.
It's called Meal Prep Ignite
and it teaches you everything you need to know
about meal prep for your lifestyle.
So whether you're a student prepping for yourself,
or someone prepping for a family,
this course will teach you the ins and outs of meal prep,
food prep, storing food, recipe ideas and inspiration,
family meal prep.
How to compose nutrient dense meals.
Full prep video examples that aren't available anywhere else
and my Meal Prep Ignite system
which teaches you how to go from blank worksheets
to a completely planned out meal plan for the week,
with your grocery list and Prep Day Game Plan.
We first launched a few months ago
and we are currently about to close enrollment
for our Back To School discount launch.
It ends tonight at midnight.
So if you want in, you've gotta jump in now
at mealprepignite.com.
We are not opening again until 2019,
so get it while you can.
If you wanna finish this year strong
and start next year with a bang.
In the course there are tons of printables and tools
to make it easy and fun,
and one of them I'm sharing with you today,
it's my Best and Worst Meal Prep Foods tool.
One of the questions I get asked the most is
won't the food go bad by the end of the week?
The answer is, it might.
It of course depends on the food.
This tool let's you know
which foods last longest or shortest.
It's color coded, green for lasting over a week,
yellow for four to seven days,
and red for less than three days.
It is a great tool to have for reference
when planning out your meal preps,
or just cooking in general,
and you can have it for free today,
whether you get the course or not.
The link is in the description.
I'm going to go through
some of the best and worst foods right now.
We'll get started talking
about one of the most questionable categories, produce.
And there are so many types and so much variation
between what will last and what won't
when it comes to options for the best meal prepping produce,
baby carrots will last three to four weeks in the fridge.
They're great for meal prepping
because they don't need to be cut.
You can eat them as is.
With the best fruits anything with a peel
or anything that doesn't need to be cut to be eaten
is going to be your best bet for lasting the week
and being portable.
With cooked veggies as opposed to raw,
cooked broccoli and cauliflower
can actually last a week or more in some cases.
The texture may change, but it's not a food safety issue.
Of course watch out for the normal signs
it's time has come and gone,
like the smell or color.
Worst meal prep food options include sliced potatoes.
They will only last one to two days in the fridge.
Whole potatoes that are cooked, however,
will last five to seven days in the fridge.
And of course unpeeled, raw, whole potatoes
can last weeks on the counter,
and did you know they'll also last months in the freezer?
(blowing) My hair.
Washed raspberries and cut strawberries also aren't ideal.
Hold off on washing raspberries
until just before you eat them
so they aren't as quick to mold.
Instead of cutting strawberries, keep them whole!
Simply pop off the stem and leave the rest intact
and they'll last you a lot longer.
I used this hack in last week's meal prep video.
Here's a produce storing tip.
For asparagus, trim the ends, wash and pat dry.
Store the stalks in a standing glass or jar with water,
place upright in the fridge with the tips sticking out.
A loose plastic wrap or baggie
can help provide added protection.
For other produce, I like to use produce savers,
which allows enough air to come in contact with the produce
but not too much.
I have more storage tips just like this
in my Best and Worst Guide,
and of course the entire Meal Prep Ignite course.
Our next category is breads and grains.
Grains like rice, bread and pasta
tend to last well overall.
Pasta is actually a great meal prep food.
Not only because it lasts a long time uncooked in the pantry
but it can last up to a week cooked, in the fridge too.
Cooked rice, brown or white,
will also last five to seven days in the fridge,
making it great for bowls, casseroles
or other meal prep dishes.
If I had to select a worst bread or grain,
fresh bakery bread would have to be it,
since it'll only stay fresh for two to three days
without the processing or packaging.
Sometime you'll find it sold in a paper bag.
That's to prevent moisture build up,
but it will still dry out.
Bread isn't always ideal for meal prep,
but pasta and grains can be great choices
for both uncooked, long term storage
and cooked, short term storage.
How about protein?
Won't my cooked meat go bad?
Some of the best protein to last you with meal prepping
are hard boiled eggs.
If the shells are on you can get a week or more!
Without the shell, probably five days or so,
which is still pretty great.
Open deli meat also lasts well, so keep it on hand
for packed lunches or snacking.
For protein it's harder to keep raw or uncooked meat,
poultry or fish, than cooked.
If you wanna prep uncooked meat to cook later in the week,
make sure you cook it earlier, like Monday or Tuesday.
Cooked meat however, depending on the type,
can last four to five days.
My Best and Worst Guide
will give you the specifics for those foods.
Here's a protein storing tip
for my plant-based or Meatless Monday friends.
For tofu, if it's uncooked, it must remain covered in water
and should be changed daily.
You can also freeze-drain tofu and preserve it's taste.
Once defrosted the texture will be altered,
but some people actually prefer it.
Dairy!
Dairy tends to last well in the fridge,
making it more than acceptable for meal prep.
Open yogurt or sour cream can last over a week.
Open dairy like ricotta, cottage cheese or dairy milk
will keep five to seven days, which isn't too shabby.
Nuts, seeds, and oils.
Nuts, seeds, and oils are all green with this tool
These babies last, open or not.
Keeping nuts and seeds in the fridge
can really help to extend their lifetime.
Most condiments hold up well for meal prepping.
Opened ketchup and mustard can last months,
even up to a year in a cold fridge.
Although I always use mine sooner.
The worst condiment for meal prepping
without a doubt, guacamole!
I will say the pre-made guacamole packages
are sealed so airtight
that they will last better than homemade,
but they're going to be more expensive, obviously.
If you wanna store homemade guacamole, try this hack.
Smooth out your guac and cover with a half inch of water
followed by plastic wrap or the container's lid.
When you wanna eat, simply pour off the water and stir.
Water is neutral in both flavor and pH levels,
so it acts as a great barrier to the oxidation
that will occur when the air hits the green dip.
This will help your guac stay green for a good three days.
Not bad!
I hope you found these best and worst foods helpful
as well as some of the tips.
More info can be found in my Meal Prep Ignite course.
This tool is one in the course,
along with tons of other printable PDFs and pamphlets,
as well as videos and written lessons.
There's even a meal prep quiz.
It is extremely comprehensive
and I know it will help you on our meal prepping journey.
If you wanna learn more about the course,
go to mealprepignite.com,
or check out a few of the other videos I've shared
that touch on it,
including this family meal prep example from last week.
Remember, enrollment closes tonight!
So don't miss your chance
to get control of your health in 2018
and start 2019 with a bang.
I will see you all right next week.
We've got a super special Back To School series coming
so I will see you on Monday, yay!
And remember, it's all a matter on Mind Over Munch.