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A 2020 study showed that inadequate and prolonged calorie intake might lead to hormonal issues, gastrointestinal disturbances, impaired cardiac function, decreased bone health, and, most importantly, impaired performance in athletes.
Having a game plan for fueling is necessary to ensure you are optimizing your performance and not underfueling. As the saying goes, “if you fail to prepare, be prepared to fail.”
Okay, so you are ready to bring your training to the next level with your newfound Bobby Flay cooking ambition, but maybe you don’t know where to start.  No worries, we got you!
Once you have decided on a day, here are the top 6 steps to knocking out some performance-packed meal planning. But, first, get your pen and paper ready!
Protein is sometimes the more tricky macronutrient to plan when compared to carbohydrates and fat. They may take a bit more time to cook, preferences for a particular protein could fluctuate from day to day, and sometimes there are cost increases.
So, choosing your proteins first is a good starting point when meal planning.
Unsure about what falls in this category? I have listed a few below!
Once you have decided on a few proteins, the next step is deciding how to prepare them.
Evaluate what you have available in terms of equipment and flavors. Cooking protein in a crockpot is always easy, but you can also cook stovetop, bake, air fry, or use a grill. Consider what spices you like and how you will season your protein.
My first suggestion in planning what produce to pair with your proteins is to scan before you plan!  Produce CAN be spendy, but it doesn’t have to be. Scan your local grocery store ads to find what is on sale and plan around that.  I recommend getting 3-4 options for both vegetables and fruits.
Are you dealing with some buyers’ anxiety? Here are some tips for navigating the produce options for nutritional value, flavor, and convenience.
Frozen and fresh is best! Both options are harvested at peak ripeness and have a minimal nutrient loss in processing.
Choose what is in season and on sale for the best flavor and budget-friendliness.
Add variety and eat the rainbow! More color = more variety in nutrients!
Canned produce like marinara, beans, and vegetables are good to have in your pantry for quick meals.
Once you have nailed down your produce of choice, decide how to prepare it.
Some suggestions include steaming, baking, air-frying, or sauteing. Maybe you will decide to have salads?  In this case, what dressing and additional toppings will you want?
Preparing veggies with dynamic oils such as olive oil or canola oil can boost the flavor and functionality of the dish as a whole!
3. Choose your Starches
When choosing your starches, be creative! Whole grain products such as bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta are all starches, but items like cassava, plantains, or butternut squash are a few of many fun options that should be included in a balanced diet!
Benefits of starches include added fiber, more vitamins, and minerals, which can translate to better performance.
Look for “whole grain” as the first ingredient when buying grains
Make sure added sugar is not one of the first five ingredients
Choose items with greater than 3g of fiber per serving (we want to limit fiber if right before a competition, though)
Choose a variety! (rice, pasta, bread, quinoa, tortillas, Kodiak cakes, cassava, buckwheat, butternut squash, potatoes, plantains, etc.!)
Starches are simple to cook in bulk and usually keep well in the fridge.  Experiment with new starchy products to see what works best for you.
4. Don’t Forget the Fats
Fat can sometimes get a stigma for being “bad,” but it is pretty essential to include fat in your diet for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, hormone production, and helping the body recover after strenuous exercise.
Some fats are better than others, though, and the best fats to include are unsaturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats.  These are typically better than saturated fats because they positively impact the lipid levels within our body, leading to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and other diseases.
You can easily include fats in your meals as a part of dressings, sauces, flavor boosters, or even as a protein-fat duo.
5. Have Emergency Snacks
This step is so important!  Ensure you have emergency protein, carbs, and fat in stock for smart snacking. Of course, you don’t have to contribute to your emergency stock every single shopping trip, but if there are some good emergency snacks on sale, plan to stock up!
Sweets are okay to include in your emergency stock! Allowing yourself to have a sweet treat when you want one can save you from binging episodes later and contribute to a positive relationship with food.
6. Plan your Grocery List
Once you have planned the meals and snacks out, have a list ready to go before you hit the store!  Having a list will save you time in the store and money from buying unnecessary ingredients.
Planning ahead of time is also a sure way to ensure you have everything! There is nothing worse than getting ready to cook and realizing you forgot potatoes, instant vibe killer!
Putting it All Together
Meal planning, check! Grocery shopping, check! All that’s left is to cook it up!
If you are worried about keeping up with the meal prep Joneses, don’t panic.
The meals you prepare don’t have to be perfect, individually packed, or magazine cover ready. Do whatever works best. I prepare my food in bulk and refrigerate it in large containers. However, some people prefer packaging their meals in small containers.
If you need some tips on the cooking part, we have an in-depth webinar you can check out HERE or a short and sweet prep tutorial video HERE.
Need some pairing ideas? Some of my favorite and easy meal pairings when prepping can include:
Whole grain spaghetti, ground beef with marinara, and fruits and veggies
Grilled chicken quesadilla on a whole-grain tortilla with fruits and vegetables
Eggs with Kodiak cakes, fruit, and spinach
Wild rice, Brussels sprouts, and shredded chicken with fruit
Avocado whole-grain toast with eggs, fruit, and vegetables
Take time to prepare; you will thank yourself later.  More often than not, reasons for not-so-great nutritional choices are caused by a lack of preparation.  It is so much easier to stop at Mcdonald’s or fast food joints when you are SO HUNGRY and know that nothing is prepared at home.
If you care about bettering yourself, improving your performance, and decreasing your risk of injury, we urge you to try meal planning to fuel correctly!
For more optimal nutrition for your specific sport, division level, and training, consult with us to get the best and most in-depth recommendations fit for you and your goals.
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ASSOCIATE DIETITIAN, RD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Francine Hoffman graduated with her Master’s in Nutrition with an Exercise Science specialization from South Dakota State University. She plans on working towards the sports nutrition specialization (CSSD) as she continues on her path of being a Dietitian!
Francine is passionate about helping athletes with several aspects of performance.  She enjoys educating on proper fueling and seeing that translate to success on and off the field. In addition, Francine is looking forward to building her clinical nutrition skills to better serve future athletes and clients.  She also has her CSCS, NSCA-CPT and she’s experienced with training a variety of individuals!
Francine loves spending her free time in the gym, exploring the outdoors, cooking, and playing the piano!
Stefanie is a University of Southern California graduate with a degree in human performance, having played women’s college basketball at both USC and New Mexico State University. She went on to play professional basketball for two years in Portugal and Germany. After spending her off-seasons in advertising at Gilbreath Communications Inc., Stefanie took on a full-time position as director of social media marketing and accounting at Gilbreath. In pursuit of another passion, Stefanie joined forces with her sister, Briana, to launch Power Portions, a healthy meal prep company developing nutritional meals for the athletic community as well as the general public. With her experience in business, accounting and athletics, Stefanie brings an excellent multi-faceted dynamic to Power Portions.
She has maintained a dedication to community service dating back to her college years, having been a volunteer for organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica (as a nutrition leader), Sports Buddies (Jewish Boys and Girls Club of Glendale), Elementary School Girls Basketball Camps in Lousada, Portugal, Feeding America, Save the Children and Ascent Humanity Outreach, among many others. Along with her dedication to healthy meal prep, Stefanie believes her faith has led her to serve children struggling with obesity and applies her experience in this area into Power Portions’ efforts to give back to society.
CEO, MCN, RDN, LD
Briana Butler is a registered dietitian nutritionist and former professional athlete serving the Houston area. Briana holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Performance from the University of Southern California and a masters’ degree in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The latter of which she received after playing in the WNBA and overseas for three years. Upon retirement from professional sports, Briana followed her passion for health and athletics by pursuing a career in performance dietetics, believing from experience that nutrition efforts and performance are congruous. Since switching careers, Briana has worked with collegiate, professional (NFL, NBA, WNBA, NBA G-League, Ultra Marathon & Cyclist), NFL combine, NBA combine, and health and wellness clients in private practice and under world-renowned brands such as Southern Methodist University, EXOS, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, and the Dallas Cowboys. Above all, Briana finds purpose in being a wife to her husband Brice and full-time mom to her son Braiden.
ASSOCIATE DIETITIAN, MS, RD, LDN
Marissa is a registered dietitian from the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas with a passion for helping individuals reach their goals with an ALL foods fit mentality. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Nutrition & Dietetics from Immaculata University, Marissa went on to receive her master’s degree in Nutrition & Food Science from the University of Southern Mississippi. While completing her undergraduate degree, Marissa was a part of the women’s volleyball team and quickly implemented her knowledge learned in the classroom into personal goals of achieving success on the volleyball court. Witnessing small changes in her own lifestyle make large impacts on the court, strengthened her passion for sports nutrition and educating others to fuel their own athletic performances. Throughout her time as a registered dietitian, Marissa has worked in a variety of diverse settings while impacting the lives of individuals to meet their goals, large or small. Most recently, in her position as a sports & performance nutrition fellow at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA, she was exposed to many experiences with both collegiate and professional athletes. Including but not limited to, team-wide and athlete-specific nutrition education, management, and administrative duties in order to provide all teams with the attention they need to thrive. Her specialties include individual and group nutrition counseling on sports nutrition, weight-related goals, gastrointestinal diagnoses, diabetes, allergies, and much more! When not immersed in the nutrition and sports world, Marissa finds herself cooking up new recipes in the kitchen, enjoying quality time with friends and family, or discovering new hiking trails to explore with her puppy, Miley!
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