Meal Prepping
Meal Prepping is simply the act of preparing meals or side dishes ahead of time. It helps save a lot of time especially with very busy people
A Dozen Tips for a Healthy Meal Prep
Meal planning and preparation is a great way to make healthier food choices and save time and money.
It may seem overwhelming at first but we have a dozen tips you can employ to develop a sustainable meal planning habit that works for your unique lifestyle.
1. Start Small
Start with one meal at a time.
Starting small and slowly, builds confidence.
This is a great way to make sure your new habit is sustainable.
4. Get Organized
An organized kitchen, pantry, and refrigerator make everything from menu creation, grocery shopping, and meal prep easy.
As you ’ll know exactly what you have on hand and where your tools and ingredients are
5. Invest in Quality Storage Containers
Food storage containers are one of the most essential meal-prep tools.
Before you make a purchase, consider each container’s intended use.
For freezing and microwaving, choose containers that are safe for doing so.
Glass containers are eco-friendly and microwave safe.
It’s also handy to have a variety of sizes for different types of foods.
6. Make a Grocery List
Having a list helps you stay focused and fight the temptation to buy food you don ’t have a plan to use.
It can also be a great tool for saving time and avoiding distracting promotions/sales you ’ re likely to encounter while shopping
10. Pre-portion your Meals
Pre-portioning your meals into individual containers is an excellent meal prep strategy, especially if you ’ re trying to consume a specific amount of food.
This method is popular among athletes and fitness enthusiasts who closely track their intake of calories and nutrients. It’ s also a great method for promoting weight loss.
11. Prep Fruits and Vegetables
If your goal is to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, try washing and preparing them as soon as you get home from the market or grocery store.
If you open your refrigerator to find freshly prepared fruit salad or carrot or celery sticks ready for snacking, you’re more likely to reach for those items when you’re hungry.
12. Make it Enjoyable
You’re more likely to stick to your new meal planning habit if it’s something you enjoy doing.
Instead of thinking of it as something you have to do, try to mentally reframe it as a form of self-care.
If you’re the household chef, consider making meal prep a family affair.
They can help you chop vegetables or batch cook some soups for the week ahead.
If you prefer to meal prep solo, throw on your favorite music, a podcast, or an audiobook while you do it.
Before long, it may be something you look forward to.
2. Make a Meal Plan
Begin by planning out just a few meals or snacks for the week ahead.
Eventually, you’ll figure out which planning strategies work best.
And you can slowly build upon your plan by adding in more meals as you see fit.
3. Consider Each Food Group
The healthiest meal plan emphasizes on whole foods, such as;
Fruits
Vegetables
Legumes
Whole grains
High-quality protein
Healthy fats
While limiting sources of;
Refined sugar
Bad fats
Excess salt
7. Plan for and Repurpose Leftovers
If you don’t want to spend time cooking every day, plan to make enough to have leftovers.
Making a few extra servings of whatever you’re cooking for dinner is a great way to have lunch for tomorrow without any extra effort.
If you’re not a fan of leftovers, think about how you can repurpose them so they don’t feel like leftovers.
8. Batch Cook
Batch cooking is when you prepare large quantities of individual foods for the purpose of using them in different ways throughout the week.
This method is useful if you don’t have much time to spend cooking during the week.
9. Use your Freezer
Cooking certain meals in large batches and freezing them for later is a great way to;
Save time
Reduce waste
Stretch your food budget — all at the same time.
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