As our society stands today, consumers are becoming much more health conscious. This has had a residual effect, with well-established restaurants creating healthy menus. Even though nothing beats a good burger, you should try your best to consider what you eat. This is where meal prepping comes in.
The initial preconception of meal prepping is that it takes too much time to put together. With enough practice, however, this does not have to be the case. Once you get yourself into a consistent routine, you can easily create meals that last, one week at a time.
Here are seven tips on how to meal prep for the week:
1. Prepare simple meals
If you are a beginner getting your feet wet for the first time, don’t try to make things difficult. Meal prepping shouldn’t take more work than what is actually required for the job. You want your meals to be as simple, yet filling, as they possibly can. To keep things modest, ensure that three, core ingredients are included.
First and foremost, you’ll want to have a carbohydrate source of some kind. Rice or pasta is a great choice to go with in this respect. Next, you’ll have a protein source, such as chicken or ground turkey. To top it all off, include vegetables in the meal, which can come in the form of green beans or asparagus.
2. Establish a meal prep routine
Establishing a routine is will help you to meal prep for the week. Preparation is one of the most important aspects of effective meal prepping. You’ll want to establish a schedule to allow yourself to make everything you need to. Failure to do this will result in you spending more time on preparation than actually needed. Most fitness experts recommend using Sunday as a starting point.
Should this day work for you, ensure that all groceries are bought prior, and all Tupperware are ready to go. That way, you won’t have to worry about making your meals on any other day where things might be busier. Plus, once the routine becomes habitual, it will be much faster to conduct!
3. Do weekly grocery shopping
Speaking of groceries, you’ll want to make a list of all necessary ingredients for your meal prepping. As mentioned previously, try your best to keep things as simple as possible here. Experimentation can occur, but only once you have mastered the basics at first. After the list is finalized, visit your local supermarket.
Your meals should only consist of what you know will be consumed daily. Ensure you purchase enough of the ingredients written down, so that you won’t go short of your goals. Some businesses offer wholesale purchasing, so that buying bulk can make things much easier.
4. Use meal delivery services
For those who are stretched on time, you could use one of the weekly food delivery services available. Not only do some deliver ready-to-eat meals to your doorstep, but they can also do your grocery shopping for you! Just download the requisite app, wait a bit for the actual delivery, and you’re set!
The main thing to keep in mind, when it comes to meal prepping, is that keeping things basic will be advantageous. Once you become accustomed to the intricacies of the activity, feel free to take things to the next level!
5. Label tupperware
To effectively meal prep, labelling your containers will be essential. Since your fridge is likely to be stocked once everything is done, you don’t want to get confused. So, putting a label over the container to indicate what is inside of it will be practical. To organize your meals a bit more, ensure that you write down which one is supposed to be eaten at what time during the day!
6. Use appliances & tools
While cooking your meals will inevitably take up some time in the kitchen, you can make things easier. There are a myriad of cooking appliances that allow you to reduce the time spent on preparation. For example, a pressure cooker can do wonders in terms of saving you time.
You can slow cook your chicken, or other meat protein sources, in bulk using this appliance. That way, you don’t have to go about cooking each item through its own unique format. The more time you spend on efficiency, the less time you’ll actually spend on meal prepping!
7. Store food for the week
A basic guideline to remember for meal prepping is how to keep your meals as fresh as possible. Depending on what is being made, you could stretch your meals out for four to five days. Some ingredients may be susceptible to spoiling faster than others, however.
If this is the case, try your best to make no more than three to four meals at a time. That way, you won’t have to worry about your meals going bad. The last thing anyone wants is to open up their Tupperware to the smell of spoiled broccoli!
