Welcome to our comprehensive beginner’s guide to meal prep! Planning and prepping meals in advance can seem overwhelming at first, but we’re here to break it down for you. Once you master this habit, you’ll save time, money, and guarantee nutritious meals, even on your busiest days. Let’s get started!
1. Understanding Meal Prep
Meal prepping refers to the process of planning, preparing and cooking meals in advance. This can be done for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or any combination thereof. It doesn’t mean you’re eating the same thing every day, but rather that you’re saving time by cooking in bulk and using those preparations in creative ways throughout the week.
2. Benefits of Meal Prep
- Saves Time & Money: With all your meals planned and prepared in advance, you’ll spend less time agonizing over what to cook and less money dining out or buying last-minute takeaway.
- Controlled Portions: Meal prep allows you to control serving sizes, which can help prevent overeating.
- Reduces Stress: Knowing that you have healthy, tasty meals ready to go can greatly reduce mealtime stress.
- Better Nutrition: By planning meals in advance, you can ensure a balanced intake of nutrients throughout the week.
3. Basic Steps in Meal Prepping
- Plan Your Meals: Begin by deciding what you’re going to prepare. This will depend on your dietary requirements and personal preferences. Consider recipes that you can batch cook and that will keep well.
- Create a Grocery List: Jot down all the ingredients you’ll need for your chosen recipes. This ensures that you don’t forget anything when you’re shopping and prevents overspending.
- Shop: Once you’ve got your list, it’s time to head to the grocery store. Stick to your list!
- Prep & Cook: Back home, it’s time to get cooking. Clean, chop, and cook your ingredients. Depending on your recipes, you might want to fully cook some meals or just prepare parts of others.
- Store Meals: After cooking, let your meals cool before storing them in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer. Make sure to label containers with dates so you know when to use them by.
4. Handy Tips for Successful Meal Prep
- Start small, perhaps by prepping just a few meals at a time.
- Invest in good-quality airtight containers to keep your meals fresh.
- Keep a variety of spices and sauces on hand to vary flavors and prevent boredom.
- Allocate a specific day each week for your meal prep to help establish a routine.
Meal prep may seem a daunting task initially, but with a little practice, it can become a seamless part of your routine. Not only will you have the satisfaction of well-organized meals, but you may also find you’re eating healthier and saving money. Good luck on your meal prep journey!