I never used to dread Mondays, until today. Today is my first day back to work since having Avri… Three amazing months home with her every single day soaking up all the smiles, snuggles and playtime I could get. And that’s all I am going to say about that before I turn into yet another blubbering mess.
While being home I haven’t done a lot of meal prep because I simply didn’t need too. I would still make nightly dinners and make enough for my husband and I to have for the lunch the next day or two. That was pretty much my extent of meal prep these last three months. Now with having to go back to work, I am back to doing a weekly meal prep. This was easy for me to start again because I did it long enough and consistently that I created a habit out of it. When I didn’t need to meal prep as often I didn’t fall off the wagon and when it came to having to meal prep again it came back right away just like riding a bike. The more we practice healthy habits, like meal prep, the easier they become and the easier they are to come back to.
I don’t prep individual meals in individual containers like I used to when prepping for my show a few years back. It wasn’t conducive to my life and was a lot more work than needed to be. Now, I look at my week and first plan my breakfasts because I know I will need to pack that and bring it to work with me daily. This week, I made a batch of my Egg Free Breakfast Hash and also packed a piece of gluten free bread to make toast and an avocado to add on top. I then plan out what I will make for dinners for the week. I will make a big dinner Sunday nights so there are leftovers for lunch. Yesterday, I made my Crockpot Beef Round Roast and a hamburger vegetable mix (not on the blog yet) to have on hand throughout the week. I also prep sides like rice, sweet potato, squash or any other vegetables to go with lunches throughout the week to quickly throw together a lunch each day. Then, my snacks. I generally snack on dairy free yogurt with some fruit and collagen, RX bars, Primal Kitchen Foods Protein Bars, tuna with avocado or rice cakes and peanut butter. I grabbed a box of RX bars for the week and some yogurt. So that was that. I have my breakfast set for the week, snacks are ready to go and dinners are planned to have enough leftovers for lunches. Meal prepping in bulk has been a lifesaver to easily pack my bag for the day, have grab and go items when in a pinch and have healthy options when I don’t have time to cook a meal. This is the system of meal prep that I have found that works for me, my lifestyle and my goals.
So let’s chat about these pears. These little gems are the perfect combination of sweet and comfort that they are a must make. Top them with your favorite ice cream and you have a perfect little after dinner dessert!
- 3 pears
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp Kerrygold butter
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- pinch of salt
- ice cream of choice
- Place a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat and add the coconut oil.
- Peel, remove the ends, cut in half lengthwise, and core the pears. Add the pears to the hot pan cut side down and let cook until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Flip the pears and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter, coconut sugar and salt and toss/mix until blended. Let the pears simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Add pear halves to a bowl, top with ice cream of choice and enjoy!