Jasmine 

Meal Prepping may seem overwhelming in the beginning, and even while thinking about it. But once you get into the groove of things, it’s very easy and beneficial for you! By meal prepping, you’re able to pre-portion your foods, grab a  meal at your convenience and microwave it in minutes. It saves you time and money! This article will give you 5 (count em, 5,) ways to kickstart meal prepping for those who are completely new to it. This can also be helpful for those who already meal prep, but would like some fresh tips on it.

👩‍🍳Tips & Tricks 

1. Start Small

Preparing a total of 21 meals (7 days for the week, and 3 meals a day) is very overwhelming and challenging at a glance. But, who’s to say you have to prepare meals for the weekends? The best method here is to start small. Prep 1-2 meals for the weekday, and leave the weekend to cook meals or go out to eat instead! 

2. Find Sacred Cooking Time

Yes, cooking a meal that is enough for 5-7 days is a lot! Making food in bulk is a lot! Because of this, you should pick a day that works for you to take a couple of hours and actually portion, cook, seal, and store your meals for the upcoming week. For me, I take Sunday evenings (usually from 4-7pm) to prep everything. Maybe choose a day where you have a lot of free time, and where you can designate a time and day for being in the kitchen to meal prep.

Photo via @liftingwmads

3. Try New Recipes

Chicken and rice just doesn’t hit the way it used to after having it 6 weeks in a row. Because of this, you may start to become bored with the food you’re eating. To fix this, look up new recipes that are meal prep friendly (ie; meals that don’t get spoiled or lose freshness after 2 days) and that you may not have had before. Not only is it a good way to keep meal prep interesting for you, but it also allows you to try new foods and cuisines. There are thousands (upon thousands) of recipes out there  to try; a simple Google search can introduce you to some!

4. Invest in Forms of Measurement

What does that even mean?

I’m talking about measuring spoons, cups, and a food scale. These are quite inexpensive, and if you really want to get the most out of meal prepping, having these tools can help you reach your macros (depending on your goals).

Measuring cups are useful for getting the recommended amount of carbohydrates, spoons are useful for oils or fats, and a food scale is very versatile- you can measure anything (mL, grams, ounces, etc) which can be used for weighing out protein! Guesstimating or eyeballing is not as accurate as using these measurement tools, and you might end up over or underestimating the amount of food you’re consuming (if you have a fitness goal in mind.)

5. Thaw everything beforehand.

Forgetting to take the chicken out of the freezer never felt so bad. This one may seem small, but it’s actually pretty critical! If you aren’t buying ingredients the day you meal prep, make sure to take frozen produce such as chicken, beef, fish, etc, out of the freezer 3-4 hours before you begin cooking. It’s less of a headache for you, and it makes it much easier if you pre-season your meat as well while thawing! Frozen meat is an inconvenience when cooking, especially when you need it instantly.

To sum up…

1. Start small.

2. Find sacred cooking time.

3. Try new recipes.

4. Invest in forms of measurement.

5. Thaw everything beforehand.

I hope this helps you in beginning meal prep! Other than being very convenient, meal prepping helps keep you on track and you are conscious of what you are putting in your body!