Do you think you're too busy to meal prep, between work, kids, and life in general?
Like exercise, meal prep is always worth it.
In the amount of time it takes to order a meal and have it delivered, you could also have groceries delivered. Except, you can make several meals for the same cost of that one delivery meal!
Here are some tips to get you started on meal prepping:
Always go into it with a plan
Have you ever come back from the grocery store and then realized you just bought a bunch of random things you couldn't necessarily fit into any of your meals? Yea, same. Bring back the shopping list and make a plan so that you know you're getting what you need and saving money avoiding all the extra things you would probably just have to throw out anyway. Also, having a plan means you know exactly what you're going to have when, so if you're hungry at an unconventional time (i.e. lunch at 10:45am), you can avoid snacking and just turn to what you've meal prepped, saving calories in snacking and minimizing the time you're left hungry!
Buy the pre-cut veggies and bagged salads
The whole point of meal prep is to make your life easier! Having vegetables on hand ready for you to eat cuts down your meal prep time and makes sure that you always have something to turn to if you're in that really hungry and want food right now mood. Bagged salads are also a great way to get variety so you don't feel like you're eating a boring salad.
Use that frozen rice and quinoa
Just like pre-cut and bagged veggies, the frozen options are just easier on you! Finding what works for you and saves you time makes you more likely that you'll actually stick with meal prepping. There's no shame in a minute rice or cooking quinoa in the way that works for you. In the end, grains taste the same, whether frozen or not.
Sheet pan dinner options are endless!
One entire meal, one pan to clean up. The sheet pan dinner is a MAJOR staple in my household. Less time to make, less time to clean up, and more time to enjoy! All you have to do is create a combination of carbs, protein, and vegetables on a sheet pan to make one entire meal. Whether you're cooking chicken/zucchini/sweet potato, cauliflower/chickpea/onion, or salmon and asparagus to pair with your frozen rice, there is always a different (and delicious) sheet pan meal to try out!
Composition
You want to aim for a lot of variety in your meals so you don't get bored of what you're eating. Also, you want to make sure you're having well balanced meals to get your nutrients and keep you full! A well balanced meal should have protein, carbs, fat, and color. Get creative with how to include all of these!
Set a timer
Set a timer to just focus on meal prepping. When that timer goes off, take a break! This ensure that you don't feel like you've been cooking the entire day or taking up too much time preparing your meals. When I set my timer, I usually block it to an hour or less!
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How are YOU going to meal prep this week? Let me know in the comments!
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