They say failing to plan, is the same as planning to fail. Meal prep is one way you can prepare to succeed with healthy eating. It can also make your life so much more relaxed during the week, but it takes practice! We suggest you start with just meal prepping one meal for the week, such as breakfast, and work your way up from there. These 5 tips will help to make healthy meal prepping a breeze.
1. Plan A Time
Many people meal prep on Sunday to get ready for the week. However, meal prepping only one day a week can feel like your weekend is monopolized with cooking. Instead of meal prepping for hours one day a week, try doing one prep on Sunday and one mid-week. These shorter preps may feel more manageable.
2. Plan Your Week
To avoid over-prepping and creating food waste or under prepping and creating chaos in your schedule, do a little planning. Take note of days you don’t need to pre-prep meals, maybe you have a meeting where food will be provided or plans to meet up with a friend. Make sure you plan around these commitments.
3. Cook Once, Eat Many Times
It is so much easier to double or triple a recipe and eat it many times than it is to cook a different meal for every day of the week. This is the number one hack to save money when meal prepping.
4. Batch Cook
Instead of cooking specific recipes, you may prefer to freehand some batching cooking. Here are ideas of what you can prep and use throughout the week:
- Raw veggies
- Whole grains (rice, quinoa, etc.)
- Potatoes or sweet potatoes
- Protein – chicken or beef hold up well for 3-5 days at a time
This allows you to throw together buddha bowls, put stuff in wraps, or make salads with endless combinations. Keep an arsenal of sauces and dressing to make things interesting so you don’t get sick of your combos!
5. Get Equipped
The right “meal prep” equipment can help you keep everything organized. Mason jars, meal prep containers, various storage containers, plastic resealable bags, and 1-ounce containers to transport dressing and sauces.