Do you dedicate time to meal prep each week? Or does the thought of it overwhelm you? Believe me, it’s one of the healthiest habits you can form.
Technically, meal prepping is the concept of preparing whole meals or dishes ahead of schedule. It’s particularly popular amongst busy people because it can save a lot of time.
Learning how to meal prep will save you time, but it also saves money and reduces waste.
And unlike processed meals, this method gives you total control over what goes in your food—perfect for anyone who wants to stay on track with their health goals. It can also make a hectic schedule easier, taking the guesswork out of what’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
What’s not to love about getting up in the morning and not having to make your lunch before you leave? Or rushing home after a late meeting to find a pre-made meal ready and waiting? Heaven!
When you’re tired and time poor, the last thing you want to do is rush home to chop up vegetables and whip up some kind of culinary masterpiece. It’s enough to send you straight to the gin.
It’s also easier to portion control and focus on healthy recipes, avoiding those mid-week slumps where ordering a pizza sounds so much better than cooking something fresh.
To reap all the benefits of meal prep, you just need a meal plan, some meal prep containers to store your food in and some dedicated time to cook and portion your meals. Even an hour can set you up for success for the week ahead.
The concept of meal prepping has become bigger than Ben Hur. There are literally thousands of websites, social media groups and pages focused on how best to meal prep – for singles, couples and families.
It’s more than a food trend: It’s a handy approach you can use to make delicious, homemade food you’ll want to eat every day—without the wait.
It’s not just good for your budget, but for your health. Winning! So why aren’t we all already on the meal prep train? Too busy? Nah. Too hard? Also nah.
All you have to do is schedule the time, make a plan and ensure it becomes a weekly habit. You’ll high five yourself for it, I promise.
The most common approach is to set Sunday arvo aside for said prepping. But you can do it whenever works for you!
What foods work best?
You can meal prep any food that holds up well in storage and tastes palatable to you after a few days in the refrigerator.
Cooked meat, roasted vegetables, soups, sauces, nuts and sturdy raw vegetables make good bases for meal prep recipes. Soft vegetables, cut fruit and crunchy food like crackers will only get softer in your refrigerator, making them less ideal choices as main ingredients for meal prepping
If you’re new to meal prep, think about how you’ll reheat food. Will you only have access to a microwave or stovetop? Plan your ingredients and meals with this question in mind.
Most importantly, choose favourite meals that you already enjoy leftover and can cook with ease. Keep it simple.
What do you need?
- Invest in good quality food storage containers that will freeze and microwave well.
- Schedule a time. The best meal prep schedule is the one that works for you.
- Use all the appliances. If you can multitask a little (use your oven, slow cooker, and stovetop to prep more than one food at once, for example), you’ll cut down on time even more. A chest freezer is a bonus!
- Plan those meals! Choose your recipes (a quick Google is all you need) and draft up your menu.
Interested in learning how meal prep can work with a structured diet? Head to https://lozlife.com/weightloz/.
