These days, meal prep has become just as much a necessity as a trend. With so much of our time spent working or studying, the last thing we feel like doing is spending hours laboring in front of a hot stove every day.
Don’t worry, we get it. It’s much easier to give in to TV dinners and takeout at the end of a long day. But it doesn’t have to be the only solution.
Those perfect Instagram posts and Pinterest pictures may seem daunting for beginners. But meal prep doesn’t have to be fancy or a dreaded chore – and you don’t need to be an expert chef to do it. Prepping your meals ahead of time is a simple and convenient way to save you time, effort and money during the week.
When you organize your menu in advance, you can say goodbye to those unhealthy microwave meals and hello to a healthier, more organized new you!
What Is Meal Prep and Meal Planning?
Meal prep is setting aside a couple of hours each week for preparing a full meal or assembling the ingredients ahead of time for the meals you’re planning to make that week.
Meal planning, on the other hand, is deciding on your menu for the week and how you’ll go about preparing it. Meal prepping and planning go hand in hand for planning your weekly meals.
Why Should You Do It?
Besides the obvious advantage of saving you time, meal prep has a lot of other advantages, such as:
- Making healthier choices – most takeouts happen because you don’t have anything else in the house. Meal prep allows you to choose your (often more healthy) ingredients ahead of time, reducing the temptation to order in.
- Saving you money – takeouts may seem cheap at first glance but they make up a sizable portion of your monthly expenses. Meal prepping saves you money because you’re often buying in bulk.
- Reducing stress – by planning your meals in advance, you have one less thing to worry about for the week.
Dos and Don’ts for Beginners
If you’re debating about whether to start meal prepping, we would advise you to just do it. Give it a go! You don’t have to go big at first. Here are a few pitfalls to avoid as a beginner:
Dos:
- Start simple – start with at least one meal that you’re comfortable preparing as a meal each week. Don’t pick something too fancy as it may overwhelm you.
- Plan it – create a schedule of the meals you plan to eat at home. Take into account any dates, brunches or office dinners where you’ll be eating away from home.
- Make meals you’ll actually eat – now is not the time to try something you’ve never tried before. You don’t want to prepare a meal that you won’t actually enjoy.
- Reward yourself – meal prepping doesn’t have to mean strict dieting. Treat yourself to a little chocolate or coffee for your efforts.
Don’ts:
- Cook the same meals – eating the same thing every single day, week in and week out will cause you to grow tired of it. It also won’t give you the mix of nutrients you need. Mix and match so that you look forward to eating your meals.
- Forget to keep a balanced meal – include plenty of veggies, salads, and fruits in your meals so that they’re as good for your tastebuds as your health.
What Foods Can I Meal Prep?
Food that you can store in the fridge and will still taste good after a few days are ideal for meal prep. Things like roasted meats, vegetables, sauces, dips, soups, and wraps are good choices.
You should also consider how you will reheat your food and whether you have access to a microwave or stovetop during meals. If not, perhaps consider foods that can be eaten cold.
Recipes using your leftovers can help you try out new, simpler recipes while minimizing waste.
What Do You Need to Get Started?
Food Containers: You’ll need something to store your meals in. Choose good quality containers like stainless steel or glassware which are microwave, fridge, dishwasher, and environmentally friendly.
Avoid microwaving your food in plastic bags as there is a risk of carcinogens and estrogenic chemicals leaking into your food.
Here’s an idea of what you’ll need:
- One-cup round glass dishes with lids – perfect for storing sauces, snacks, and soups.
- Two-up glass storage containers – great for storing pre-cooked meals.
- Six-cup glass storage containers with locking lids – ideal for storing snacks or chopped vegetables.
- Twin compartment glass storage containers with dividers – ideal for storing ingredients that consist of a main dish and a side dish.
- Pint-sized mason jars. Go green by recycling your jam jars or other glass jars for these – they’re ideal for storing oats, parfaits, and nuts.
Kitchen Appliances: If you plan on pre-cooking some of your meals, here are some appliances to assist you:
- Pressure cooker – the Holy Grail for cooking instant pot meals and batch cooking.
- Slow cooker- get your meal on the boil in the morning and come back to a scrumptious-smelling, hot meal in the evening.
- Blender – when you want to add a healthy dose of fresh juices, smoothies, milkshakes, coffee, and dessert items to your meals, blenders are indispensable. If you’re conflicted between brands, you might want to read this review by blenderbabes.
- Toaster oven – for recipes that need to be roasted, broiled or reheated quickly.
Planner: Use a diary to help you keep notes of your meal plans, recipes, grocery lists, and your daily menu. Alternatively, you can use your smartphone as your planner.
Meal Prep Strategies
Before you begin meal prepping, there are a few things you need to know. Apart from having all the necessary ingredients ready, here are a few tips:
Identify Your Mealtime Needs
Meal prep is supposed to make meals easier. So, when you are starting out, identify which meal gives you the most trouble.
Are you unable to have a healthy breakfast? Do you want to avoid buying an expensive lunch every day? Do you crave some afternoon snacks? Or are you too tired to prepare a meal when you get home from work?
Don’t try and tackle everything at once. Focus on one targeted meal first and then plan ahead.
Be Consistent
Perhaps the hardest part of meal planning is to keep up the motivation. Remember why you wanted to start meal prepping in the first place. Start a routine – select a particular day for meal planning and grocery shopping and another day to prepare the meals.
Choose the days according to your schedule and convenience but be consistent. This will reduce both your physical and mental stress.
Choose the Right Recipes
To determine if a recipe is right for meal prepping, consider whether:
- It can be made partially or fully beforehand.
- Prep work is required for cooking.
- It can last for a few days in the fridge
- It’s easy to make. Select recipes that require different cooking methods or appliances so that you can make multiple items at a time.
- It can be served cold, such as sandwiches.
Schedule a Time for Meal Prep
Start with recipes that take the longest to make, such as soups and baked items, and get to the rest of the items while they cook. Check the ingredients for recipes and combine them if possible. For example, if two recipes require chopped onions, you can chop both portions in one go.
Appliances like pressure cookers and rice cookers can save you time.
Food Safety
Wash your hands before cooking or packing meals. Pack food into divided containers to protect them from cross-contamination.
Keep wet and dry food separate and use ice packs for cold foods and insulated containers for warm ones. Make meals at least twice a week to keep the food as fresh as possible.
Put detailed labels and dates on your meals so that you know to eat them before they expire. Refrigerated food should not be kept for more than three to four days.
Make a Meal Plan
Write down all the tasks you need to complete in order to prepare the meal. Start by jotting down what you’ll be preparing for dinner. Then plan your breakfasts, lunches or any healthy snacks you want to add. Breakfasts can be simple with options such as oatmeal or hard-boiled eggs and lunches can be made from leftover dinners.
Work out your meal plan according to what works for you. It’s a great idea to involve your kids in meal planning so they can help cook and look forward to healthy dinners. Homemade themed dinners like ‘Pasta Sundays’ or ‘Pizza Fridays’ are also fun ideas to incorporate into your meal plan.
Lastly, make a detailed list of the ingredients you need for grocery shopping. Group similar items together on the list so you don’t have to go back and forth.
Go Shopping
Now it’s time to gather your ingredients. To save time, shop once a week or order a big delivery online so that you’re not tempted to overindulge. Never shop when you’re hungry!
When you get home, store everything inside clean containers or in the fridge if they need to be kept cold. Then, turn on some music and start prepping!
Meal Prep Options and Ideas
The type of meals that you want to make depends on how much time, energy and resources you have. Ensure that you don’t burn yourself out by spending too much time prepping meals. About one to two hours should be enough.
- Full meals – you can cook an entire meal ahead of time and store it in your freezer. Another option is to prep your veggies, proteins, and carbs and then use them as bases for any meal during the week.
- Chop or sauté your vegetables.
- Prepare rice, pasta or quinoa.
- Make your favorite batch of sauces and vinaigrettes.
- Roast your chicken and vegetables with seasoning.
- Batch cooking or freezing – cook your meals in bulk so that you have enough food for multiple meals. You can also use the leftovers to make a different meal.
- Soups, stews
- Roast a whole chicken and reuse for tacos, sandwiches, casseroles, chicken noodle soup, etc.
- Baked fish which you can use for fish tacos, fish rice, etc.
- Meals for one – this is slightly tricky because it’s difficult to know how much is enough for one portion. But if you can get it right, it’s a great way to prepare meals on the go. Simply make a batch of your meal and divide it out into single servings.
- Trail mix
- Hummus or dips with veggies
- Oatmeal with your favorite toppings like nuts, berries, fruits.
- Ingredient prep – this is typically for freezer meals so that when you cook, you can simply add the ingredients into the slow cooker or pot and you’re ready to go.
- Leftovers – incorporate your leftovers into a new meal. For example, if you made beef steak for dinner, you can use it the next day to make beef sandwiches or tacos.
- Quick meals – stock your fridge and pantry with items that require no prepping for quick and easy meals.
Here are a few ideas for your meals to help you get started.
Breakfast
- Egg muffins
- Steel-cut oatmeal
- Breakfast burritos
- Smoothie packs
Lunch
- Chicken fajita bowl
- Honey sesame chicken lunch bowl
- Sweet potato and lentil salad
Dinner
- Baked turkey meatballs
- Marinated chicken breasts
- Crockpot teriyaki chicken
- Slow cooker butternut squash lentil curry
- Slow cooker fish tacos with sweet potatoes
Snacks
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Cottage cheese and crackers
- Sliced deli meats
- Nuts
- Protein and granola bars
- Berries or other fruit
Alternative Options
If you can afford it, you can opt for a meal prep delivery service. This will save you time on planning, shopping, and cooking. This is also a great option if you’re not used to cooking at home.
The ingredients are already measured and sorted for you – you just have to follow the instructions and cook your meal. It’s also cheaper than eating out, and there is less chance of waste.
Conclusion
When it comes to meal prepping, experience is honestly the best teacher. You might not become an expert right off the bat, but you’ll develop your own strategies as you learn through trial and error. It’s all about finding out what works best for you.
Develop a meal strategy, avoid the common pitfalls and apply smart tips to help you on your healthy home-cooking journey.
With hectic schedules and busy lives, it’s easy to go for the simple route and avoid cooking altogether. But with meal prepping, you can rediscover your love for food and live to eat, rather than eat to live.
Good luck!