Meal Prep Easier than Ever
Meal preparation is the easiest way to eat well in a timely and cost-effective way. However, most do not know where to begin. Here are a few basic steps to get you started on your healthy meal prep journey!
1.
Choose a few meals
This depends directly upon how many meals for which you would like to prep. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner; choose one breakfast, one or two lunches, and two to three dinners (for a 5-7 day week). If you do not need as many meals, adapt accordingly. Before you go grocery shopping (or send a parent), it is important to think about what you want to do to save yourself as much time as possible. Below are a few popular options from which you can choose.
breakfast
oatmeal w/fruit
chia seeds
yogurt parfait (granola and fruit)
eggs and veggies (omelet)
lunch
rice and meat/tofu/seafood
light pastas, such as a pasta salad
salads
soups
quinoa/barley with veggies and meat or meat substitutes
dinner
vegetables and meat or tofu
pastas or noodles
large salads
tacos or veggie wraps
whole wheat pizzas
2.
Choose healthy ingredients
Once you have an idea of what types of foods you are interested in, look for healthy alternatives for refined grains and highly processed foods. Below are three general ideas you should follow when acquiring the foods for your meals
substitute
white pastas, breads, rice --> soba noodles (buckwheat)/brown rice pastas, seeded and whole wheat breads, brown rice
dark meats (pork, beef) --> lean meats (chicken, shrimp, salmon, tofu, egg)
add
fiber (flax seeds to yogurt; seeds to rice; beans to salad; lentils, apples, quinoa, chickpeas, nuts)
diversity! switch everything up every other week or so to incorporate all the vitamins and other nutrients into your diet
veggies: add leafy greens or a side of vegetables to every meal for additional fiber and to help keep you full longer
exclude
highly processed foods such as bars, cookies, chips
high sugar sweets or snacks
3.
Assemble your meals
This is the most time-consuming and monotonous part -- but it can be fun if you put on some music or watch a show and use it as an opportunity to relax.
one meal at a time
Before overwhelming yourself by trying to assemble five meals at once, each with different ingredients, choose one meal, take out its components, and complete it before moving to the next one. This saves time, makes the task more manageable, and reduces any stress that could come with meal prepping.
one ingredient at a time
For instance, when building a yoga parfait:
1) put yogurt in each container
2) pour granola in each container
3) pour flax seed in each container
4) add fruit in each container (you can switch each day's fruit, if you want to switch it up)
This will save more time.
clean as you go
This tip might be a little obvious, but cleaning each ingredient or meal after you have completed it will save immense time and energy for after each container is packed -- as opposed to finishing with four piles of ingredients all over your counter.
Meal prepping can help individuals with various goals, from time management, to bodybuilding, to losing weight, or simply trying to eat healthier. The number 1 sentiment to follow, though, is consistency. Meal prep doesn't work if you do it one week and forget about it for the next three. Make the process fun and the benefits will follow!
Written By: Siena