Alright, so this is the topic I get asked about the most--the topic that pushed me to start this blog. Meal prep. I meal prep for many reasons... first of all, I'm crazy busy between working full-time, going to school full-time, and trying to balance a personal/social life. I love to cook, but I don't always have the time to make healthy balanced meals in the moment. Also, it tends to be cheaper and easier to purchase and prepare ingredients in organized batches.
When I started meal prepping, my boyfriend was following a fitness regiment that required him to eat quite a lot of protein and carbohydrates. So I would buy chicken, veggies, and brown rice and cook them in different ways each week--sometimes a pesto or a curry, as well as changing up the types of veggies... but even then, it can get really boring. It can also be difficult to put aside the time to make so many meals at once, but it can be done, and I promise once you get into the routine, it'll be easy!
So here are my tips for meal prepping while still keeping it fresh, economical, and healthy:
- Pin plenty of healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas.
Since one of the biggest challenges of meal prepping is constantly changing it up, it helps to come up with at least a couple ideas for breakfasts and lunches, and 5-7 ideas for dinners per week. Create your shopping lists based on these ideas. You can also try to make things that use similar ingredients in the same week. For example, I pick a few staple ingredients like kale, chicken, and quinoa--then I can make kale salads for lunches, a sautée with similar ingredients for dinners, and even use some of that kale in a breakfast scramble or green drink. Just remember to vary your choices every couple of days so you don't get tired of the recipes too quickly.
- Go to your local farmers market!
Farmers market is the best resource for fresh, local, organic vegetables and fruit. My market even has local meat and dairy. Plus, you can usually get a lot for the money you spend! I usually get dark leafy greens (kale, chard, etc.), squash of all kinds, bok choy, basil, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, carrots, berries, peaches, apples, melon. I don't know what I'd do without our farmers market!
- Prep and preserve your ingredients.
Ever find that when you buy all your groceries at once, a lot of stuff ends up going bad before you get the chance to use it? By properly preparing and storing your produce you can reduce a lot of waste. First, make sure to soak your veggies and fruit in water with a little bit of apple cider vinegar to clean and preserve them. Then cut and chop veggies as desired, so that they're ready to use. If you're not making meals right away, or if you have some leftover, seal in an airtight container for later use.
- Invest in some good storage containers
I personally like the ones with the lids attached from Bed Bath & Beyond...because ain't nobody got time to be finding matching lids to each size and shape container! I also use wide mouth mason jars because they're glass and have an airtight seal. If you are making salads, the wide mouth mason jars are ideal for keeping your greens fresh.
- Set aside the time
I tend to like to prep Sunday evening for the upcoming week, that's just my personal preference. I realize that we all have busy lives, whether it be school, work, or running around after babes all day, we've all got full plates. So I recommend just finding an hour or two where you can to prepare healthy meals. It can be hard to commit to the time, but just remember how much time and money you'll be saving during the week. Not to mention the fact that you are more likely to make healthy nutritional choices when it's all there in the fridge ready to go.
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- Balance your meals
Make sure to account for your nutritional needs with enough protein, carbohydrates and good fats. I tend to follow the general rule to use mainly fresh organic veggies, lean protein and some whole grains. If the meal that I'm preparing doesn't have enough protein, I'll generally pack it with some raw almonds, a hard boiled egg, or something to give it that boost.
I will be posting meal prep recipes periodically, but to get you started, here are some of my go-to weekly picks:
- Salad in a jar: dressing in the bottom, greens (I usually use Cruciferous Crunch from Trader Joes because its packed with greens like kale, brussel sprouts, purple and green cabbage), varying veggies and protein.
- Chicken bowls: grilled chicken, non-starchy veggies, brown rice/quinoa blend
- Breakfast power wraps: egg whites, black beans, spinach, salsa, whole grain tortilla
- Overnight oats: steel-cut organic oats, Greek yogurt, almond milk, fruit, chia seeds
- Tuna/Chicken salad in romaine boats: tuna/chicken, celery, grapes, fermented pickle relish
Hope you found some helpful tips, please leave any comments or questions and subscribe for more posts!
