HOW TO MEAL PREP
Prepping meals for the week might seem like a daunting task, but it can be simplified and is worth the time it takes. It’s so nice to come home, open your fridge, and have everything ready to assemble in little time, especially during busy weeks. Prepping your meals helps with eating a clean diet and not grabbing fast food when you’re too tired or busy to cook.
All you have to do is have healthy, whole foods ready to go, such as washed greens, a salad dressing, a couple of dips, chopped vegetables like carrots and celery, nuts & seeds, lentils & legumes, and nourishing grains like quinoa, rice, or millet.
Here are some tips to make meal prepping easy and effective.
Have a plan to follow. Plan out all your meals for the week (or at least for 3-4 days, depending on your schedule and how often you plan to eat out or order in) and then make a list of ingredients you need. Make a chart with days of the week and room for 3 meals and snacks a day. Choose a day or two that feels good for shopping and preparing. It’s helpful to get into some type of ritual - such as frequenting a weekly farmers’ market you like or shopping on a day/time that feels low-key & easy. When shopping, utilize your grocery list so you don’t forget key ingredients.
Buy in bulk so you can keep things like nuts, seeds, lentils, legumes, and grains on hand. Buying in bulk is also a great way to save money. Muslin grocery bags are helpful for stocking up on these items & then you can transfer them to glass jars or mason jars once you arrive home to keep them fresh. Some bulk stores also allow you to take your own glass containers - just weigh them first!
Invest in good storage containers that are durable enough to withstand many trips to the fridge and freezer. Many sets have convenient sizing packages, making it easy to pack lunches, snacks, and salad dressings separately.
Master 5 new recipes each season so you can make them easily and save time. If you’re new to meal prepping or just want to make things easier, having go-to recipes can be a great way to get in a flow. After a while, you may get sick of them and want to rotate new things in or you can master 5 more recipes & switch up the routine mid-season.
Create mix-and-match options for your meals that will allow for variety during the week. Consider creating theme weeks and using the same spices on proteins, carbs, and veggies to avoid flavor clashes.
Prep/cook your proteins, grains, legumes, and veggies at the same time and store them in different containers. Make sure you have a few to rotate through so you can easily mix and match. A great place to start is by soaking and cooking dried legumes, pre-cooking grains like rice or quinoa, steaming some veggies (slightly under-steam or blanch them if you plan to heat them up again later), and, if you eat animal products, roasting chicken, browning ground meat or hard-boiling eggs.
Prep some dips and salad toppings so you can alternate your salads or entrees to keep things interesting. Having fresh salad ready in your fridge makes quick lunches or afternoon snacks an easy option. Hummus and cut up veggies are always good to have on hand as well.
Use your kitchen gadgets to make prepping easier. Slow cookers are a great way to cook soup or other one-pot meals all day while also prepping veggies or other meals. A food processor is another worthwhile investment for chopping and dicing as well as making nut butters, hummus, or protein balls. A high-quality blender like a Vitamix is also a big investment - but worth it in the long term if you’re going to be cooking & prepping all the time as it’s great for soups, smoothies, dips, elixirs, and more. It’s also helpful to invest in a set of decent knives if you don’t already have some - just be careful as they’re super sharp!
Make sure you have enough freezer/fridge space to properly store your meals once they’ve been prepped - don’t forget to consider this important detail! Organize your fridge and freezer on a weekly basis to optimize space and keep tabs on what kind of sauces and condiments you have hiding in there so that everything gets used up and nothing is wasted.