Bariatric Meal Prep:
Define YOUR Style

Bariatric meal prep doesn’t have to mean cooking every single morsel you’re going to eat for the entire week…unless you want to!

Let’s redefine bariatric meal prep right here, right now!

Plan your meals, then meal prep only to the degree you feel comfortable. Just start. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Start small and gain confidence. Meal prep can get more involved over time if you feel comfortable doing so, or you can keep it simple.

Bariatric Meal Prep: What’s YOUR Style?

Veggie Chop

  • Wash and chop all veggies for the week
  • Make a large salad you can eat from for multiple days in a row

PRO TIP: Storing washed lettuce in a salad spinner will help keep salad fresh all week.

One Ingredient Prep

Pick a single item to prepare in bulk for the week:

  • Cook a batch of chicken breasts
  • Roast a pan of vegetables
  • Make a pot of quinoa

Knowing you have something ready to go will help you assemble the rest of a meal quickly.

One Ingredient, Seasoned 4 Ways

For example, cook 4 chicken breasts and shred when cool. Then season each differently using “themes” and store for later in the week:

  • Mexican: Season with chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, lime juice
  • Asian: Season with low sodium soy sauce, ginger, and garlic
  • Greek: Season with oregano, garlic, lemon juice
  • Italian: Season with basil, garlic, olive oil

Multiple Ingredient Prep

Prepare multiple ingredients that you’ll need for each meal during the week: chop vegetables, sauté meats, cook beans, prepare salad.  Then mealtime will only require assembling!

One Batch Meal Prep

Make 1 recipe in big batch quantity and eat if for the whole week. Great for chilis, stews, sheet pan meals.

Pre-Cook Multiple Meals for the Week

Pick 2-4 recipes, cook them all in one day, and portion them out for the week.

Bariatric Meal Prep: No Right or Wrong

There is no right or wrong approach here. The only wrong bariatric meal prep is NOT to do any meal prep! If all you do is chop your veggies…you’ve made a HUGE step in the right direction. You’ll be amazed at the power of one small habit and how it snowballs into more good habits.

Bariatric Meal Prep Formula

To make 4 meals for the week for one person, prep:

  • 1 lb protein
  • 1 1/3 c vegetables
  • 1 cup quality carbs

Each meal would therefore have:

3-4oz protein, 1/3 cup vegetables, 4T quality carbs

Bariatric Meal Prep Formula Example:  

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 1 ½ cup broccoli
  • 1 large sweet potato

Bariatric Meal Prep Made Easy:
Just Grocery Shop!

OK I know this probably sounds ridiculous, but…

… just grocery shop! You can’t eat healthy food if you don’t have it. You don’t necessarily have to cook to have healthy food around, but you DO have to secure it! So consider regular weekly grocery shopping as a form of meal planning and meal prepping!

Stock up on a collection of these healthy grab n go foods and then assemble meals as you go thru the week:

Healthy Grab-n-Go Protein

  • Rotisserie chicken
  • Tuna, salmon, or chicken pouches
  • Precooked hard boiled eggs
  • Plain nonfat Greek yogurt

OR

  • Nonfat/lowfat cottage cheese
  • Canned beans
  • Low sodium canned bean soups: Black bean, Lentil, Split Pea
  • Lowfat string cheese

 Healthy Grab-n-Go Veggies

  • Sweet mini peppers
  • Snap peas
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Baby carrots

And

  • Precut veggie party platter (throw out the dip!)
  • Bagged salad
  • Frozen riced veggies, spiralized veggies, or other frozen vegetables

Healthy Grab-n-Go Quality Carbs

  • Apples
  • Pears
  • Berries
  • Grapes

And

  • Berries
  • Bananas
  • Unsweetened canned fruit (in own juice)

Healthy Grab-n-Go Healthy Fats (Careful on portions of these...they have tons of calories! Use them like "condiments"

  • Nuts: almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, peanuts, etc.
  • Seeds: sunflower seed, pumpkin seeds, ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, etc.
  • Nut butters: peanut butter, almond butter, etc.
  • Ready made guacamole

Sample Menu Ideas

Breakfast:

  • Greek yogurt + berries. Sprinkle with almonds
  • hard boiled egg + string cheese + grapes

Lunch:

  • Tuna pouch + baby carrots + apple
  • Cottage cheese + cherry tomatoes + sliced pear over bagged salad greens

Dinner:

  • Canned black bean soup + added frozen broccoli. Sprinkle with ground flaxseeds.
  • Rotisserie chicken + cauliflower rice. Dollop with guacaomole

Snacks

  • String cheese
  • Hard boiled egg
  • Carrots, peppers, snap peas or cherry tomatoes dipped in plain nonfat greek yogurt that has been mixed with salsa
  • Cottage cheese + berries

 Bon Apetit!

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