How to be a pro at meal prep (PART 1)!
If youÕre reading this you may already have some experience with meal prepping. You may already know how it can set your week up for success nutritionally speaking. Some of you who are reading this may not be as familiar. Some of you may be saying meal prepping is too tough or time consuming. Either way, keep reading along to find some tips that you may not have been familiar with prior to this post!
The big thing with meal prepping is planning ahead! If youÕre comfortable with eating the same thing meal after meal, then things are a little simpler for you. If you want variety then that just takes a little more planning but it is definitely doable! Coming up with the meals you want for the week ahead of time is the first step. ItÕs beneficial to do this a day or so before you plan on prepping. Then make a grocery list and head to the store. Be sure to buy only what you need (aka no need to buy chips for the week if its not part of your meal prep). This is sometimes half the battle and the hardest part of meal prepping.
Along the lines of planning ahead, you can also prep ahead! Prep before your meal prep? Sounds impossible! Well it isnÕt! If you know youÕre going to be cooking a lot of veggies or meat, you can chop and season accordingly before hand. This allows you to spend less time during the cooking process and breaking things up like this can help meal prepping fit your schedule!
Another key thing is to not overcomplicate things! No need to make gourmet dishes that each take 3 hours to make. What IÕve found to be very time-efficient and tasty is cooking everything on a baking sheet. This means my meat and vegetables all go on the same baking sheet into the oven. While itÕs cooking I have time to make some quinoa, rice…etc as well as do some dishes. This allows for meal prepping to take only an hour and a half or so.
Lastly (if possible) cook with others! If you have a significant other, or even a friend who is as motivated as you, split the work, double the fun and cut the prep time in half! Another alternative is if you have kids you can try and get them involved as well with some of the simpler tasks (depending on their age). This is once again a big help for getting the prep done, helps teach them culinary skills, and allows you to spend some time with them!
There are so many tips and tricks, which perhaps we can touch base on in the future but try these out first and let us know what you think! Stay tuned for Part 2!
Coach Steve
