Meal prepping can often seem overwhelming and can seem quite time consuming, but it’s not; and I’m here to help! Keep reading for my beginners guide to meal prep! I’ve put together a collection of my FAVOURITE meal prep tips and tricks to help you along on your journey!
What exactly is meal prep and why do it?
Meal prepping is the act of preparing some or all of your meals ahead of time!. It’s like having those microwave meals you buy in the frozen section of the grocery store, except you prepare these yourself with unprocessed, higher quality ingredients. Meal prepping can keep you on track with your nutrition by ensuring you are correctly portioning your food and reduces the desire to reach for processed, high calorie snacks as you will have yummy food readily available to you!
How to Get Started
Stick to the basics. Use recipes you are familiar with and cook with foods you are comfortable eating. We want this to be sustainable, not just a “health-kick.” Once you get comfortable and establish a routine; feel free to get more adventurous with your food choices.
Pick a Day
I recommend picking 1-2 days a week to prepare your foods. As a beginner, I recommend Sunday as it is when most people are off work and can dedicate an afternoon to some time in the kitchen. Depending on what you are cooking it may be necessary to choose two days (i.e Sunday and Wednesday) to ensure everything is still fresh! Find what works best for you and be consistent!
Pick the Meals
You need to decide which meal you are going to prep. In the beginning I recommend sticking to one prepped meal for every day as well as a healthy snack. Take into account your schedule, when you are most busy and when you most often find yourself eating out/snacking. Personally, I like to meal prep lunches so that they are ready to go when I wake up as well as a healthy snack for after dinner (I am a BIG night snacker). When you’re preparing your meals think about how you want to balance them. If you are trying to maintain specific macronutrient goals (proteins, carbs and fats) knowing the calorie breakdown of each nutrient will help.
1g of protein = 4 calories
1 g of carbohydrates= 4 calories
1 g of fat= 9 calories
Choose Proper Containers
This one may seem silly, but it really does make a world of difference! Look for containers that are airtight and allow you to divide your foods so that they don’t cross contaminate. These two features will keep your foods fresher and crispier tasting throughout the week! Also, look for containers that are BPA-FREE; this simply means that they are safe and microwavable. These glass meal prep containers from Amazon are great quality, air tight, BPA free, microwavable and dishwasher safe! Plus – if you have cute containers it makes things a little more fun.
Learn to Multitask
Remember you can cook multiple different things at the same time! Utilize your oven space to its fullest potential. Use multiple oven trays, or if you only have one large flat tray, create dividers using aluminium foil. Start with recipes that lend itself to this type of cooking. Grab a sheet pan and roast veggies and chickpeas while also cooking some chicken! This will help you make the most of your time and space.
Fruits and Veggies
If prepping meals seems too overwhelming to begin with; start with fruits and vegetables. Choose fruits and veggies that are in season, cut them up and place them in containers. These will work as great, quick snacks or will allow you to blend up a quick smoothie or throw together a salad.
I believe in you! Yes you, You can do this! Set some goals and attempt your own meal prep this week! If you’re looking to get your fitness on track with your eating habits check out my blog post about jump starting your fitness routine here.
