Meal Prep 101

In a day and age when the world is now filled with a wave of health consciousness, meal prepping has become a way of life! For those who might not know what Meal Prepping consists of, you should keep reading because it is a life saver for a few reasons! 

1.       It is a time saver!!! Spending 30-45 minutes Sunday evening to plan out your meals for the week, even if it just breakfast, lunch, and snacks allows your mornings to run just a little smoother as you grab your bag and rush out the door!

2.       It saves money! By focusing on planning exclusively for the week, you are more apt to purchase only the things you need! You know exactly what you will be eating for 2 of your 3 meals out of the day, and you can purchase those items and keep a few extra bucks in your pocket!

3.       It can help your overall health and portion control! Gone will be the days of running out the office to snag a quick meal at the drive through or heading to the snack machine for that honey bun you know you don’t need! Buying containers will force you to manage your portions as well as hopefully cause you to think about what you are putting in them on a weekly basis. 

If those 3 reasons have convinced you to hop aboard the meal prep train, and you are now wondering how you can get started; keep reading!

What you will need:

• A set of containers, glass preferably, but plastic works just fine for those of you like me who tend to not handle glass very well.
• Plastic zip bags. I normally keep sandwich and snack size on hand at all times.
• A BPA free water bottle

And that’s it! You are meal prep ready; just decide what you want to eat for the week. I’ll list below how a normal meal prep session goes for me. 

Breakfast:

My breakfast normally consists of smoothies 4 out of the 5 days of the week because it is the easiest thing for me to prepare being that I have to be at my desk by 7. 

I separate my frozen fruit of choice and veggies into zip top bags every Sunday afternoon to allow for a smooth grab and go transition in the morning. All I have to add is my banana, flax seed, and water when I throw it all in the blender. I do it without thinking, it becomes habit. 

The days I don’t make smoothies, I have oatmeal. I buy rolled oats and prep those as well. I have them ready in my container with brown sugar and cinnamon already mixed in so all I have to do is add hot water and let it work its magic as I head to work. 

Lunch:

My lunch normally consists of a salad. Like I said I like to keep things very simple. I don’t have to worry about fighting anyone for the microwave or getting sleepy after lunch because I ate too heavy. 

Those weeks that I do want something different, I do a sweet potato and steamed veggies. I use my crock pot and cook my sweet potatoes all day Sunday to make sure they remain sweet and cut them in half with 

my veggies. I might have to fight over the microwave a little but its another quick and easy grab and go meal.

For those who say, “I need a little more substance with my meals”, I got you too! Try baked chicken or fish with rice and veggies. Something that will last throughout the week and it will keep you full until the end of the day. 

The tip with meal prepping is simplicity. Focus on keeping things simple and you can’t go wrong! Challenge yourself this week and let me know how it works out for you!