Ep. #933: Zach Coen on Easy Ways to Make Better (and Cheaper) Meal Plans

In this podcast, I’m interviewing Legion Athlete Zach Coen all about meal planning and meal prepping. I don’t mean the basics like figuring out your calories or macros, but planning out delicious meals and practical tips on making healthy foods tastier and easier to prepare. In case you’re not familiar with Zach, he’s a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who shares recipes, educational nutrition content, and meal planning tips on his TikTok and Instagram accounts, which have over one million followers. Zach’s content is all about incorporating foods you actually enjoy into your meal plan and making food planning and prepping simple and fun so you can stay on track and make progress with your fitness, all without breaking the bank. In our chat, we discuss . . . Practical tips for snacking and incorporating more vegetables into your diet Tips on making your own versions of store-bought items and prepared foods Crafty shopping tips so you can save money (including Zach’s favorite affordable protein sources) How to save time with meal prepping and how to get started with it Crockpot cooking Fitness-friendly desserts (and what to avoid) Creating an abundance mindset and what to do if you're having trouble with moderation Fitting fast food into a meal plan And more . . . So if you’ve ever wondered about healthy, high-protein snacks you can add into your meal plan, how to spice up your macro-friendly mals, or the best way to prepare your meals for the week, you’re going to enjoy this episode. Press play and let me know what you think!   Timestamps: 0:00 - Want 125 quick, easy, and delicious “fitness friendly” recipes? Get The Shredded Chef: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/the-shredded-chef/ 5:37 - What are some high protein, low calorie snacks and meal prep ideas? 7:43 - What’s your go-to recipe these days?  9:47 - What kind of dairy products do you eat?  13:56 - What are some ways to make vegetables more enjoyable to eat? 17:40 - Do you recommend any soup recipes? 18:25 - What are some grocery shopping tips to save money? 19:53 - Do you buy prepackaged food or do you make everything from scratch? 21:25 - How can we make protein more affordable? 22:17 - How can we save time prepping meals? 23:32 - What are some of your favorite crock pot recipes? 25:10 - How can we satisfy our sweet tooth in a healthy, low calorie weight?  35:59 - What are some ways to fix factors that impact our relationship with food? 43:04 - Are there other tips you want to add? 45:11 - What is a good place to start for people that are new to meal prepping? 47:13 - What are your thoughts on fast food and staying fit? 48:23 - What are some successful patterns you see work for people? 50:00 - Where can we find you and your work? Mentioned on the show:  Want 125 quick, easy, and delicious “fitness friendly” recipes? Get The Shredded Chef - https://legionathletics.com/products/books/the-shredded-chef/ Zach’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachcoen/ Zach’s Patreon: www.patreon.com/zachcoen