Hey all! Are you ready to find out how to meal prep so you can cut down on time, money and stress? Yay! Im so excited to share this with you, thanks so much for stopping by!
I am by no means an expert at this meal prep thing but I sure love how it has benefitted my life. I first came across the concept of meal prep through the numerous bikini competitors I watched on youtube who prep their food extensively. I was amazed at the results they were seeing and how on an intense prep food wasn’t stressful to them because they had it all prepped and ready to go. I’ve never prepped for a competition and heck I probably never will but I’m all about making life less stressful. So.. I gave meal prep a whirl!
Through trial and error over the years I have come up with a few guidelines I wish I would’ve know when I first started meal prep.
Do you wanna know what they are?
Great! Keep reading to see!
Pick the Day.
Dedicate one or two days a week to meal prep so you only have to think about your food for the one or two days.
I always meal prep on Sunday simply because it’s what I consider an “in between” day. It’s the end of the weekend but sorta the start of the week. No longer Saturday but not quite Sunday, ya’know? This works well for me as I ensure the bulk of my homework is done before Sunday so the only thing I have to focus on is meal prep
Make the Plan.
This is the most fun part in my opinion! You get to be creative, experiment with numbers if you count macros and you get to pick out what you’re going to eat for the rest of the week. YUM!
When making your plan it’s smart to follow a few simple steps.
- Go through the cupboards, fridge, pantry. Take a look to see what you have in your house before going a buy all new groceries. Chances are you have at least a few things you can utilize for this weeks meal prep. Your fridge might have some vegetables that are on the verge of going bad, why not try making a delicious stew or soup?
- Decide what you want to Eat. When deciding what to eat first try to write down your fruits and vegetables and other healthy items that might not be so fun to eat. This way you are really thinking about how you can experiment with those foods and build your meal around it. Next comes protein and finally carbs. Following these three food groups gives me well rounded meals that keep me satiated and satisfied.
- Stick to Staples. This one goes hand-in-hand with deciding what to eat. Don’t worry about what your favourite fitness influencer eats everyday cause this is your meal plan and your body so nourish it with what you want. Don’t like rice cakes everyday? No worries! Choose a carb source you love and are excited to eat! Can’t stand veggies? Then only buy the ones you can tolerate, experiment with cooking them, eating them raw, seasoning them. This way you won’t be wasting money on food that will spoil in your fridge because you can’t bring yourself to eat it.
- Make a List. Pretty self explanatory, create a list of everything you don’t have in your house and still need to make your delicious meals.
Hit up the Grocery Store.
You know what you’re going to eat and you’re ready to start cooking.
WAIT!
Before you pull out your cutting board hit up the grocery store for essential items you may not have. Shop around for the best deals and choose fruit and vegetables that are in season to get the best bang for your buck.
Meal prep planner available for download here!
Cook. Cook. Cook.
Whatever you are prepping keep in mind how long it will take to cook. For example, preheat your oven first so you can throw your meat in it, while its cooking you can chop veggies, fruits, cook side dishes such as rice or quinoa.
Portion.
Almost done!
Everything is cooked and ready to be put into containers. As personal preference I like to use my biggest container for veggies or salads because a diet high in micronutrients make me feel my absolute best. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations of food, eat to fuel YOUR body!
Let meals cool before tossing them in the fridge.
You’re Done!
Here’s a couple more tips
- invest in high quality containers
- get yourself an insulated bag/cooler or load up on icepacks
- Keep meal plans for future weeks
What are you’re favourite meals to prep?
