my perfect food prep plan (with Door To Door Organics – Ohio + a GIVEAWAY)

Disclosure: Door to Door Organics – Ohio approached me with an opportunity to share information about their organic products and delivery service. In return, I received an account credit for their home grocery delivery. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As someone who spent many years eating any low calorie (read: chemical packed) food available on the market, the older, wiser me started to take a closer look at how I was fueling my body — namely with what ingredients. Just around that time, I was introduced to  and it’s changed how I select, purchase and consume food.

In case you’re not familiar,  partners with farmers to bring fresh, organic produce and Good Food groceries right to your doorstep. They believe that food should be good, quality is a must, flexibility is key, that eco-friendliness is something to strive for and in free delivery for their customers.

I started  and immediately could tell the difference between the regular produce I had been purchasing at the grocery store and their organic offerings. I quickly realized that customizing our order was a breeze (no more mangoes for me, not my cup of tea!) and I could add things like meats, seafood, dairy and other local goods quite easily.

But the fresh veggies and fruit arriving every Wednesday is what I look forward to most as they’ve given me an inspired approach to cooking. I have always adored having my Sunday afternoons to spend in the kitchen trying new recipes and setting us up for success in the week ahead. It’s something I have done for years and just realized there was a term for what I was doing: food prep. (#duh Alicia!)

I noted before the importance of food prep for my weight loss/maintenance success. It makes it incredibly easier to make a better, healthier meal or even snacking decision when there are plenty of organic options around — instead of what seemingly looks like to be “better for you” yet uber processed options. And as I refocus on how I can be the best version I can be physically, time for food prep is becoming an important part of my schedule — thus the importance of Door To Door Organics’ products on my porch and in my fridge.

My tips for a perfect food prep plan include:

• Survey your surplus. What did you receive in your DTDO box this week? Is there anything left from the previous shipment that needs to be cooked? Can any of those items go together into an interesting recipe? Examples: my  and my .
• Herbs and spices are your friends. Salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, sage, rosemary… the list goes on and they are all in my kitchen cabinet. Don’t be afraid to use these — seasoning is a good thing!
• Garlic and onion are DTDO must haves. One or both of these are always in my weekly box because they are key in adding so much flavor to the cooking process.
• Make a mass amount of a protein for the week. I love this bulk cooking session to make sure Hans and I have an entree option ready. Baking chicken in the oven is an easy breezy way to make sure you have a healthy option available for lunch salads and sandwiches, plus quick and easy weeknight dinners.
• Don’t over think it. No one is expecting you to make a 20 course, white tablecloth, fine dining meal during food prep. But with a little bit of effort, pairing fresh ingredients and adding the just right amount of extras, you’ll be surprised just how far that time dedicated to food prep will go.

Before you know it, your stovetop, dinner table and fridge will look like this and this and this:

Want to get cooking with some free Door to Door Organics goods? Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway as I’m giving away two $50 shop credits to two lucky readers this week on the blog. (You can be a new to the program or an existing customer of Door to Door!) Giveaway is open thru 11:59pm on Monday 2/15 — winners will be announced Tuesday morning. Submit your entries today:

Learn more about Door to Door Organics – Ohio by visiting their and following their , and feeds. Again many thanks to the DTDO team for making this post — and a healthy lifestyle — possible!

Connect with me on , ,  and .