How to: MEAL PREP
/Hello everybody and welcome back to the blog. This blog is all about meal prep and how to plan ahead so that you have healthy, convenient options on hand for whenever your hunger strikes.
I’ll be uploading a corresponding YouTube video to this post next week to show how I shop for food, prep that food, and make the most of those meals throughout the week. This post, however, will be a bit more general as I share tips that can be used for anyone looking to make the most of his/her meal prep.
So, without further ado, here are my top tips for meal prepping like a boss:
Prep different foods in bulk. This one is a personal preference but I find it boring to eat the same meals day after day out of a Tupperware container. Instead, I prefer to prep multiple kinds of food (i.e. quinoa/ rice, grilled veggies, wash and cut fruit, etc.) so that I can assemble each dish depending on what I’m craving that particular day. Most often I find that dinner leftovers last 1-2 days and can be accompanied wonderfully by a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts and a bit of dark chocolate to be taken to the office. The key to this tip is to take the time beforehand to prep some things that you can take with you or snack on whenever you like.
Plan out meals in advance. At the beginning of each week I like to plan out the recipes I’m going to cook. This helps cut out unnecessary trips to the grocery store, even though I love it there, and simplify things for the week. And while I love trying out new recipes, there are a few go-to dishes I make each week. I’ve written a blog post that includes four easy weeknight dinners and my e-cookbook is filled with some of the recipes I turn to again and again. By taking some time out to plan your meals ahead, you can help mitigate decision fatigue and direct precious mental energy to other more pressing matters :).
Make one meal at home each day (i.e. breakfast or dinner) so that not all of your meals come from a container/ are eaten on the go. It’s nice to enjoy a home-cooked meal so I’d recommend either starting your day with a little warm comfort before all of the to-dos set in, or winding down at the end of the day and sharing dinner in the company of loved ones. Taking some time out to make a fresh meal will help to break a bit of the monotony that accompanies meal prepping.
Eat with the seasons. This tip will help you save money and enjoy tastier produce simultaneously. I’ve talked quite a bit about the advantages of eating in season so if you’re interested in reading more about that I’ll include the post here. And if you’d like to know which fruits and veggies are in season where you live check out this helpful site.
The freezer is your friend. I often make large batches of bone broth, stews, chili con carne, etc and freeze what I can’t eat in 2-3 days. When the craving returns simply defrost and enjoy!
Take 1-2 nights a week to prep a bunch of food. While one night may be more time efficient up front, I find that I don’t really want to eat food I prepped 5 days before. Instead, a 2 day meal prepping schedule could mean cooking on Sunday evening and again on Wednesday or Thursday. That way, you have fresh food throughout the week and are more likely not to leave any to waste.
Thanks so much for stopping by this week, everybody. I hope that you found some tips here that help you out in your meal prepping journey. What are some of your favorite ways to meal prep? If you have any tips please share them down below or send them my way on instagram :)
Stay tuned for the matching YouTube video to this that will be up next Thursday!
See you all here next week.
Xoxo,
Alexandra