Dear Coach Gila,

How do you stay organized with your meal prep for Shabbos? Do you cook only on Friday? Do you start different dishes on other days and freeze? Please advise so I can start a routine that works.

Thanks in advance,

Elly

Dear Elly,

Thank you for your excellent question! You all know how strongly I feel about setting aside time in the beginning of the week to get your food plan for the week in place. When I work with clients, whether privately or in a group setting, the focus is always on building sustainable healthy habits to aid in reaching their health goals.

One of those healthy habits is creating a meal planning and prepping routine that works for their schedule. For weekly meal prep inspiration check out this article where I share helpful tips on weekly meal planning and prepping: http://fitnessgoals.com/how-to-meal-prep-and-why-you-should-be-doing-it/.

Routines feature prominently in our lives. We create routines for our children from the very beginning. A few examples are bedtime and morning routines, homework and dinner routines. We establish these routines because we know they work!

When you create a routine by doing the same thing over and over you are essentially creating a habit. Without routines, it is easy to feel stressed, anxious and overwhelmed. Routines reduce procrastination and allow us to be more efficient and productive with less thinking involved.

I do have a meal-prep routine for Shabbos and I am happy to share it with you. As everyone has a different schedule please feel free to tweak my routine to fit your lifestyle. I begin on Tuesday by creating a menu.

Menu planning: I am often asked about the delicate balance of hosting guests and serving meals that are compliant with a healthier way of eating. If, for example, you don’t regularly cook with white flour or sugar I think you can prepare a beautiful tasty meal l’kavod Shabbos without those ingredients. Your guests will enjoy tasting new recipes and flavor profiles and will probably ask you for the recipe!

Shopping list: When I prepare my shopping list for Shabbos I always include ingredients for Friday lunch, breakfast Shabbos morning and Seudat Shlishit. A nutrient-dense lunch on Friday seems to be the most difficult meal of the week. I encourage you to include this meal into your routine so you don’t sit down to the Friday night meal starving. Breakfast on Shabbos morning is often another missed opportunity to fuel your body and keep your blood sugar balanced. Add eggs or chia seeds to your shopping list so you can hard boil the eggs or prepare chia pudding for breakfast.

Shopping: Many years ago I began shopping for Shabbos on Wednesday. At this point it is part of my routine, a habit that works for me. You can shop during the day or in the evening—whatever is best for you!

Cooking: I always cook my proteins (chicken, fish, meat) and grains (rice, quinoa, kasha) on Thursday. As soon as my youngest finishes his homework and dinner is served and cleaned up I begin to cook.

My 7-year-old son has been my sous chef for years. He peels vegetables, cuts them and enjoys stirring them in the skillet as well. I highly encourage you ask your children for help. All my kids have taken turns helping me in the kitchen. Yes, in the beginning it takes longer and creates more of a mess but as they become more familiar with the process they become efficient little helpers. As an extra bonus kids are more likely to eat the foods they helped to prepare!

If time allows I prepare all my fresh vegetables on Thursday night. I clean and cut them so I can roast them on Friday afternoon. I put up my cholent and chicken soup on Friday morning. I have made my chicken soup on the stovetop, in a crockpot and even in my instant pot. Explore these non-traditional cooking methods to see if incorporating them into your Shabbos cooking routine makes sense for you.

Dessert: I am fortunate that I have 3 daughters who all love to bake so this area of Shabbos prep has been delegated to them. On Friday afternoon, one or more of my girls usually prepares dessert. It isn’t always a baked item, often it is a gorgeous fruit platter or baked apples.

In the beginning, as with all healthy habits, this might seem daunting and difficult but once you are in a groove you will reap the benefits. Going into Shabbos in a relaxed frame of mind, instead of rushing through last-minute cooking, is a gift you can give yourself by establishing a routine that works for you.

Coach Gila

Coach Gila is the director of Main Asset Health LLC and can be reached at 917-647-1788 or [email protected]