In today’s fast-paced world, many people have limited time to no time for cooking. Most people often rely on processed food unaware of the fact that it contains additives, Preservatives, and artificial colors and flavors to enhance the taste, texture, and shelf life. Processed food poses several risks to our health. These foods often lack essential nutrients and fiber while being calorie-dense, leading to overconsumption and weight gain. Check out how processed food affects our health.
However, by dedicating a portion of our time to planning, preparing, and portioning meals in advance, we gain control over the ingredients we consume, ensuring they align with our nutritional goals and dietary preferences.
Additionally, It helps us avoid the temptation of fast food or convenience options during busy weekdays, ultimately saving money and promoting financial well-being. With meal prep, we can streamline our mealtime routine, enjoy balanced meals throughout the week, and prioritize our health and well-being. Below we will discuss a few most important strategies for meal prep in a few simple steps.
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Different Types of Meal Prep
There are many ways we can meal prep. Depending on your lifestyle and dietary preferences you can customize your type of meal prep. Here are a few types that might suit your preference.
Freezer Meal Prep
This process involves preparing ingredients of an entire meal in advance often raw and then freezing them for cooking later. This method is most feasible as it takes a minimum of 3 hours to prepare a batch that covers for 1 month.
It’s a very convenient method for saving time and effort in the kitchen while ensuring that nutritious meals are readily available whenever needed. Freezer meal prep can include a variety of dishes, from individually portioned ingredients for quick assembly to fully prepared meals that only require reheating. Freezer meal prep offers a wide range of dishes. Here are some popular freezer meal prep dishes.
- Curries
- Casseroles
- Soups and Stews
- Stir Fries
- Smoothie Pack
- Breakfast Burritos
Batch Cooking
Batch cooking refers to cooking in bulk. Cooking a larger amount of food so you can store them for later. Batch cooking is a great technique that can save you some time.
Keep in mind that it does come with some disadvantages. Less variety of meals to eat for a long time may lead to boredom. The taste and texture of the food can change with time and if kept for a longer period, the food may start losing its nutritious value and even spoil. It is often advised to batch cook for up to only a week. This can be a great choice for you if you have some time to dedicate to cooking at least twice a week. Here are some recipes you can try.
- Vegetable and Chickpeas
- Turkey and Quinoa stuffed bell peppers
- Chicken and Vegetable stir fry
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- French onion soup
Ingredient Prep
This process involves preparing ingredients in advance rather than cooking meals. For example, washing and chopping vegetables, marinating proteins, and cooking grains and legumes. These prepped ingredients can later be combined and cooked or prepared meals to go.
This is considered to be healthier as the ingredients stay safe while in the freezer even for a good amount of time. You can check out the below ingredients that can be chosen while ingredient Prep.
- Eggs, Milk, Milk based products
- Fruits and Berries
- Herbs and spices
- Rice, pasta, Pulses
- Grains, nuts, and baking products
- Meat, sausage and Fish
Theme-Based Meal Prep
This process refers to planning meals based on different cuisines for a specific time. Cousins such as Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and plant-based meals. This meal prep eliminates the boredom keeping meal prepping exciting with a variety of food to try.
If you love trying different cuisines this might be the best Meal prep plan for you. Below are a few dishes to try out.
- Pasta and spaghetti
- Tacos and Burritos
- Stir-fries
On-The-Go Meal Prep
It involves meals that are portable and convenient for eating while out and about. This might include packing lunches for school or work and preparing snacks for travel.
You can prep meals for individual meal time such as breakfast or lunch in a container so you can grab and go. This meal prep has a wide variety of dishes including cold meals, frozen meals, and ready to go. Below are some dishes to try out.
- Pasta Salad
- Chickpeas and Avocado
- Greek yogurt chicken salad
- Tofu salad
- Quinoa Salad
- Rice, sweet potato
- Mason jar salads
How to Get Started with Meal Prep
Meal prepping might seem like a lot of work considering the cooking quantity is going to be for either a week or for a whole month. However, with the right planning and strategies meal prep can be a lot easier and time-saving. There is no right or wrong method as it can differ based on food preferences and personal goals. Here are some basic steps to follow.
1. Choosing Menu
Plan a Menu. Decide whether you want to cook the whole batch weekly or for a whole month. You can choose any of the prepping types according to your preference and craving choices. Make sure to keep in mind, that fewer options might lead to boredom and food wastage. Choose a dedicated day of the week to prepare the meals. Try to avoid choosing ingredients or food that are at risk to spoil faster.
2. Grocery Shopping
Keep in mind that our first goal for meal prepping is to eat healthy while saving time and money. A one-time grocery shopping for a week or a month is much more feasible than shopping every other day. Once the menu is decided, shop for the ingredients. Look for sales and coupons to stock up on frequently used shelf-stable ingredients like Rice, pasta, whole grains, lentils, and canned, dried, and jarred sauces.
While shopping for ingredients keep in mind to shop only for the items that align with your diet goal. You might also need to buy some storage such as mason jars, air-tight containers, and covered bowls.
3. Meal Prep Day
Mark your calendar accordingly to choose menus, and dedicate time for cooking or prepping. Focus on food that takes the longest to cook, ingredients like Rice, whole grains, or proteins like chicken and fish. If you prefer not to pre-cook chicken or meats, fish, or tofu you can keep them marinated in the refrigerator to make the cooking process easier for later. Divide cooked food into containers on prep day. You can also consider labeling the containers for easy access.
Benefits of Meal Prepping
Meal prep offers multiple benefits to our lifestyle and promotes a sustainable environment promoting reduced food waste. Below are a few benefits that can positively impact our lives.
- Saves Time
Meal prep allows you to dedicate time to cooking and preparing meals in advance saving an ample amount of time during the busy weekdays when cooking from scratch might not be feasible.
- Healthy Eating Habits
By planning and preparing your meals in advance, you have greater control over the ingredients you use and the nutritional content of your meals. This makes it easier to prioritize nutritious, balanced meals over fast food or convenience options, ultimately leading to improved health and well-being.
- Saves Money
It is no surprise how eating out or purchasing pre-made meals is so expensive. Whereas meal prep allows you to buy ingredients in bulk, taking advantage of sales and minimizing food waste. You can save money on grocery bills and eat cost-effectively.
- Portion Control
Meal prep allows you to keep the meals in dedicated containers in advance which leads to portion balance stopping you from overeating and making sure you have a fulfilling and balanced diet each time.
- Reduces Food Waste
Meal prep encourages mindful use of ingredients and reduces food waste by planning meals based on your decided menu.
Conclusion
Meal prep is more than just a trend. It’s a lifestyle that offers numerous benefits. It teaches us the importance of our health, the food we eat, time management, and discipline. We can save our valuable time to invest it more productively by dedicating a little time to meal prep. With a little planning and preparation, you can transform the way you eat and live. One meal at a time.