5 Tips to Improve your Meal Prep
The best things about meal prep?? See list below.. no, really.. it absolutely works.
- Lose Weight
- Gain Confidence
- Feel SO much more energized
- Gain Control
By the end of the post you’ll be a MEAL Prepping Pro.
We all want to eat healthy, delicious, and filling meals, but finding the time isn’t always easy and doing it all through the week after a long day can be exhausting and burdensome. On the flip side.. not preparing is preparing to fail when it comes to food choices. Leaving choices to chance, chances are your choices will be sub-par.
Meal prepping is becoming the new fast food because if done properly it is quick, cheap, and easy. My meal hacks will save you time, money and have you eating delicious, healthy food that’s ready to go whenever you open the fridge. SO let’s dive right in:
Wash and prep fruit right away
If you don’t make it easy, you won’t pick that fresh fruit over candy or whatever is in reach, so make good choices readily available. Wash and prep your fruit as soon as you get it home and put it in air tight containers. This way it’s portable and ready to go for the rest of the week. If buying fruits and veggies in bulk doesn’t work for you, buy frozen or pre-portioned varieties. The more convenient pre-portioned is usually more expensive but if you eat them it might be worth the investment. On a side note.. if anything starts to look like it’s turning too ripe, throw it in a container, and freeze it for smoothies.
Roast 3-4 Vegetables at a time.
This is a serious TIP. One that I have done weekly. Veggies can take some time to chop and roast BUT if you do all of them at once, you will be incredibly more likely to reach for them in the evening after a long hard day. Better to have ready for some amazing and convenient nourish bowls than to be calling for greasy, fattening takeout. I am all about being ambitiously prepared.
You can streamline it even more for convenience.. one of the things I do is roast my longer cooking things like sweet potatoes in the at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes on my large cookie sheet (basically until they can easily be pierced with a fork), then I add my shorter roasting veggie like brussels, carrots, asparagus, broccoli, and zucchini in at the last 30 minutes. Saves a ton of time and even decreases my dish duty by a pan! It’s knocking out three side dishes or dinner bowl ingredients for the week done in a snap.
Cook grains and rice ahead of time and freeze in individual portioned containers.
This is especially great for any rice variety, quinoa, and farro. I don’t do this every week but when I make a meal plan that has a couple of these in the meals.. you bet I am doing it. My schedule is usually tight and I definitely don’t like to forgo too much sleep.
Freezer tips:
Cook grain of choice and allow to cool the portion out the desired amount in a sealable plastic bag or container making sure it is in a flat layer. Toss into the freezer and enjoy later. You don’t even have to thaw them. Simply reheat on the stove for a few minutes and you are good to go.
Portion out and pack your favorite healthy snacks each week.
If you’re a snacker, this is huge. It keeps you prepared when hunger strikes and out of the snack machine. Your waist and wallet will thank you later. You can even stock the office, car and home with these tasty treats. I am SO thankful for my healthy stashes when I get caught post workout unprepared and when I find myself hungry and on the way to the grocery store.
Freeze a few smoothies for the chaotic mornings and on the verge produce.
This one is great for both wallet, waist, and time. Don’t throw away fruits and veggies that are on the verge of going bad, you can instead freeze them to use later in pre-proportioned smoothie bags. You can even make a few smoothies ahead of time and store for a really easy grab-n-go breakfast in the morning. Take the smoothie out when you first wake up and let it thaw for about an hour. With a commute or planned later breakfast at work, it is perfect.
