In the past 14 (gasp!) years of teaching the benefits of eating Lean and Green meals, I’ve heard it all.  The woes, the frustrations and the difficulty that people have trying to figure out what to make, how to make it and most importantly, finding the time to actually get it all done.  I can empathize because I was there and know how difficult it was for me as well.

My desire to succeed, to eat great food and actually make it myself seemed like a fantasy.  I worked full-time.  I had a husband who was rather “particular” about what food he liked and I had 2 little kids to feed too.  I felt like I needed to be Wonder Woman to pull it off.  On the verge of a nervous breakdown, I was determined to succeed and set out a new way to make it happen… and I did!  The 10,000 hours (no joke) of Lean and Green R&D became the basis for my business because so many others, just like you needed help too.

What I discovered over the years of teaching is this- when it comes to getting Lean and Green meals (or Medifast Recipes) on the table, we’re stressed about the same three things:

* I don’t have the time to get it done!

NO MORE BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST!!

* I have no idea what to make, and I’m scared about screwing up.

* I’m so bored eating the same things over and over again.  No more chicken breast please!!

Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so.  Here’s my easy solutions to these 3 challenges:

1.  NO TIME

We’re all stressed out. Who has time to shop, prep and cook one meal, let alone 5 each week?  Believe it or not, YOU do and all it takes is 15 minutes.  How?  Plan ahead.  Once a week ( I recommend Sunday) print out this worksheet  and while going through your pantry, fridge and freezer, plan out which meals you’re going to make.  Whatever ingredients you don’t have on hand become your grocery list for the week.  Shop once and get it done.  It does not have to be difficult or time consuming at all.

Every morning, review the sheet, take out what you need and prep what you can before you leave for the day.  Busy that night?  Make a crock pot meal and call it done.  Planning is the key to saving time, money and frustration.  The average family of 4 that uses my system can save over 180 hours and $2k a year.  No joke.

2.  I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO MAKE AND AM AFRAID OF SCREWING UP

This is a lot more common than you think.  Especially if you’re on program!  Of course, the last thing you want is to do all the hard work and then blow it with bad choices.  The BEST thing you can do is have a great resource for recipes that allow you to SAFELY make meals that fit the bill, and that are also EXCITING!  There are some great food blogs out there, all kind of recipes and Facebook Groups that offer support and great ways to eat.  Just be careful, however, and pay attention to counts and ingredients.  While people have good intentions, I have come across several sites that have not stuck to Medifast Recipe guidelines.  As we know, this can lead to problems, so choose your recipes wisely.  And as always, if you have questions, reach out to your Health Coach or you can always friend me on Facebook and shoot questions there as well.

STOP Boredom!
(image courtesy Parents Magazine)

3. I am so BORED!!

I have to say that this is the MOST common complaint I hear, and in my opinion, the biggest reason people fall off the bandwagon.  Who wants to eat chicken and salad forever when they could be dining on GOOD food?!?  Are you, too, sick and tired of making the same 3 meals every week?  It happens to everyone; our go-to meals get repeated over and over because, well, they’re easy.  The “problem” is that there really are only so many things to eat and only so many ways to cook them.  Where does the difference come in?  FLAVOR!!  The flavor is what can take that chicken breast and take it from boring to magnificent.

Believe it or not, you can take the EXACT same recipe you make over and over again and make it taste completely different, just by changing the seasoning.  It’s not rocket-science, it’s just a matter of thinking outside the box, with good results every time.  Chicken, seasoning and vegetables, mixed up in a sauté pan with some different seasonings can make the difference between yum and ho-hum.  Want to see how?  Check out this online cooking class I did just for chicken lovers…

Don’t suffer any longer with boring meals that take too long to make, have WAY too many ingredients and that turn out bleh.  

Why not eat delicious foods that are easy to make and just might help you lose weight in the process?  I know, it is a stupid question, lol.  That’s why I’m here- to help you make good food, fast and easy.  Without Stacey Hawkins, food is boring.  Want more?  Check out all the Meal Making Systems here and then get cooking.  All the reviews can’t be wrong.  Your tastebuds (and your jeans) are waiting!

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