Ever wanted to start meal prepping but have been intimidated by the amount of work and planning it takes? In this blog post I'll explain first why meal prepping is helpful and then how you can do it too!
WHY I MEAL PREP & WHY YOU SHOULD TOO!
BACKSTORY: A couple years ago I made it my *goal* to start meal prepping. I had heard it would save time, help me eat healthier, etc so I figured why not? I looked up super healthy “meal-prep” recipes, got fancy meal prep Tupperware, and even bought quinoa and other ~health foods~. As you could guess it crashed and burned pretty quickly. Recipes were complex, cooking took a long time, and honestly things tasted pretty.....eh (which was the worst part bc I had prepped enough food to last a whole week). Luckily I didn’t give up hope! As the semester went on I worked out the kinks and figured out how to *sustainability* meal prep and OH DEAR LORDY it has been so freaking helpful!!
BENEFITS OF MEAL PREPPING
EAT WHEN LIFE IS CRAZY: It’s easier to ensure that you‘re eating healthy meals every day if you have them ready for you to grab as you run out the door. When life is busy it’s easy to forget to (or simply not) eat. Meal prepping helps make sure you ~actually~ do the eating thing lol
TRACK MACROS/CALORIES: Take control over ~exactly~ what you’re getting out of each meal you eat. Whether you’re looking to lose/gain weight or hit a macro quota, meal prepping can make it easier to hit your goals!
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR EATING HABITS: Willpower is a limited resource. By making meal/snack decisions while willpower is high, it will be easier to eat healthy when willpower is low (you are tired/stressed/emotional).
FOCUS ON LIVING: By prepping meals when you have the mind space to plan such things, you won’t have to worry about food in the midst of a busy day. Instead, you’ll be able to focus more on LIVING YOUR LIFE (hobbies, loved ones, studying, furthering your career, etc)
SAVE MONEY: If you prep food, you’re going to (probably) feel obligated to eat it instead of buying convenience food while you’re out/on your way home!
HOW YOU CAN START MEAL PREPPING TOO!
Preparing meals ahead of time does *not* need to be a complex mess. While it would probably benefit you to purchase meal prep containers, you don’t need ~fancy~ recipes and you certainly don’t need it to take 5 hours.
LEFTOVERS => MEAL PREPS: Easiest way I know to start is to simply cook extra portions of food when you cook for yourself. Portion out leftovers into prep containers and BAM you're done.
AVOID GOOGLE: You don’t need new recipes!! Make simple meals that you *already* love to eat (ex. spaghetti & meatballs w/steamed veggies on the side)! Ideas online may be ~aesthetic~ and ~healthy~ but they also may end up taking 4hrs to cook and/or not tasting as good as expected. The internet can help expand your repertoire but don’t start out there!
MAKE COOK TIME SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO: Enjoy the process! Waiting for 5-7 meals worth of food to cook can take a while so use your time wisely. I like to use it as my designated self care/relaxation time (helloooo podcasts + wine) but you can use that time however you want. Just make sure whatever you’re doing, you enjoy it/feel productive so meal prepping doesn’t feel like a burden!
WORK PREPPING INTO ~YOUR~ SCHEDULE: Everyone’s life is different so contour your prepping to when/how often it will work best for YOU! I use meal prepping as time to relax so I tend to batch cook during the week whenever I need/have time to myself.#mealprepsundaymight work for some people but not everyone. Your rhythm may take a few weeks to figure out but once you get it, you’ll be golde
KEEP A MEAL LOG: Take note of the food combos you try so you can repeat the winners and avoid the ones which made you hate your life by meal number 3.