Meal Prep 101: How to Make It Simple, Fast, and Fun
I’m a foodie. Nothing sounds less appealing to me than eating chicken, rice, and steamed broccoli for every meal.
However, this is the perception of meal prepping as popularized by body builders and gym bros all across my social media.
There has to be a better way, right?
Meal prepping doesn’t have to mean eating boring food day in and day out. It can actually be a valuable tool for weight loss, while still satisfying your taste buds.
At TeleHealthNP, we are of the firm belief that meal prep should make your life easier, and standing in the kitchen for your entire Sunday afternoon just to save some time during the week does not fit that description.
Instead, meal prepping should help you save time, learn and exercise portion control, and reduce impulsive eating.
Done right, it’s not a chore but rather an easy way to keep you on track.
Meal Prep Can Make Weight Loss Easier
When most people begin thinking about meal prepping, they do so as part of a weight loss plan. And meal prep can indeed make weight loss easier in many ways.
For one, meal prepping prevents you from making impulsive choices like skipping meals, calling for take out, or going through a fast food drive thru when you’ve had a long or stressful day.
Next, meal prepping can be a helpful tool to cultivating and solidifying healthy habits, creating consistency around making healthy choices each day.
We make tens of thousands of choices everyday, from what to wear, what to watch on t.v., and of course, what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
We can become burnt out by the plethora of choice, leading many people to make unhealthy decisions that satisfy their lack of time or energy rather than serve their greater good.
Meal prep can help you eliminate decision fatigue simply by planning ahead. When you already have lunch ready, you no longer have to decide if you’ll make a healthy wrap or hit the drive thru.
Finally, meal prepping can make it much easier to track your calories or macros.
If you are on a weight loss journey or using a GLP-1s, chances are, you are in a calorie deficit. Tracking can become a chore in itself, but prepping simple and consistent meals can take some of the work out of keeping tabs on your daily calorie intake.
We get it though, meal prepping can be really intimidating for those who haven’t tried it, or those who have, but done it wrong.
Start Small & Keep It Simple
Like any new habit, it’s a good idea to take things slow. Don’t try to prep every single meal for the whole week the first time you meal prep.
For starters, you’ll probably be really sick of your choices by day 4 or 5. Besides that, prepping that much food will take so long it will probably turn you off from ever trying this again.
That’s not even to mention that your food might not even be fresh anymore by the end of the week.
Worst case scenario, all of these reasons and more cause you to leave the prepped food to rot in the fridge while you take yourself to McDonald’s.
Instead, start small, picking one meal to prep for the next couple of days.
Maybe you are always running late so you usually skip breakfast. Start there!
Or maybe the takeout you eat at your desk for lunch is your biggest sticking point, so you decide to prep lunches for the work week.
Whatever you decide, start with 3-4 meals, which is about how long you should store leftovers to keep them fresh and prevent bacteria growth which could lead to food poisoning.
Maybe you aren’t ready to start prepping full meals at once yet, and that’s fine too! There are plenty of ways you can save time to make food prep easier.
Some Strategies to Save Time
Meal prepping doesn’t have to mean making one meal to eat all week. There are other food and ingredient prepping techniques you can use that will help you save time without the pressure of cooking a full meal.
Read on for some other helpful techniques that will make feeding yourself nutritious, balanced meals, easier.
Batch Cooking basics
Instead of making a full meal, you can instead make some basic ingredients that will give you the building blocks for whatever it is you’re craving.
For example, you could grill up a big batch of chicken breast. Throughout the week you might heat it up with some frozen veggies in a stir fry, use it in a wrap with some hummus and leafy greens, make some easy chicken tacos, or chuck it on top of your favorite bagged salad kit.
You could do the same with grains. Make a batch of rice, pasta, quinoa, or couscous and use it up throughout the week. Mix in some pesto and chicken for an easy meal, add it to a cold salad, or stir fry rice with some tofu and veggies to make an easy fried rice.
Even if you don’t cook them right away, chopping up your fruits and veggies ahead of time makes it a lot easier to throw them into a salad, or as a side dish, heated or cold.
shortcuts that don’t short nutrition
We get it, you’re busy! There is nothing that says you can’t take some shortcuts, especially if you aren’t sacrificing nutrition or taste.
Some of our favorite shortcuts include frozen veggies, pre-washed greens, bagged salad kits, fully cooked and frozen meat and fish, or rotisserie chicken.
Preparing food can take up a lot of hours in the day, and not everyone has or wants to spend that time in the kitchen. There is no shame in utilizing convenience items if it means making healthier choices.
We’re not saying to heat up pizza rolls and call it dinner, but rather to make healthy choices that support your goals while making cooking just a little bit easier.
Leftovers
Leftovers are the unsung hero of meal prep. All you need to do is take whatever you are making for dinner already, and double or even triple it!
Instead of making dinner that will be eaten once, making a little too much can automatically become your lunch for the next couple of days.
It takes the same amount of time to prepare the food, no matter what the portion size is, and it saves time the rest of the week when you don’t feel like cooking.
Even better, if you have a spouse, partner, or roommate, you can coordinate and each pick a day to cook for the household. Presto, you have the whole week covered!
Make Cooking Fun!
For many people, cooking feels like a chore. However, there are some easy things you can do to make it a little more enjoyable.
You can make it a family affair, getting your spouse, kids, or roommates involved. This can be a great time to bond and relax together, and dividing the work might actually make it go by faster.
You can try new recipes or even do theme nights— everyone loves a taco Tuesday! Exploring new recipes can help you get creative and expand your palate. You might even find you’ve discovered a new hobby.
If you are a solo chef, pop on your favorite playlist or use the time to listen to a podcast or audiobook while you prep your meal. Suddenly, making dinner might be your favorite part of the day.
What You Need to Get Started
Don’t rush out and buy those coordinated meal prep containers just yet!
You actually don’t need a ton of fancy equipment to get started. All you really need is the kitchen basics: quality knives, some Tupperware containers, measuring cups and spoons, sheet pans, skillets, and pots.
There are some items that might make things easier if you have it in the budget to invest. Some of these include a food scale, rice cooker, instant pot, air fryer, or toaster oven.
To stay organized, you might consider labeling your food, especially putting dates on leftovers so you can enjoy them before they spoil. Some masking tape and a sharpie are all you need to label your food.
Bonus tip: keep your fridge organized in a way you can see everything in it, keeping leftovers that need to be eaten first, fresh fruits, and veggies towards the front where you can easily reach them.
Get Inspired
We know this was a lot of information, but remember what we said earlier: start small, choosing one or two meals that you can easily prep.
To help you out, we have come up with a sample 3 day plan for breakfast and lunch. Try it out or come up with your own!
Your 3 Day Beginner Plan:
Meal prep is supposed to make your life easier. No one wants to spend hours in the kitchen preparing bland, uninspired meals.
Instead, to get you started, here is a 3 day plan for breakfast and lunch that you can prep in under an hour— yes, really!
Overnight Oats
This recipe has fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Every thing you need to kick start your day.
Base Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup greek yogurt, milk, or plant-based alternative
1-2 tbsp chia seeds
Handful of berries (fresh or frozen)
Optional: cinnamon, honey, or maple syrup
How to Prep:
Combine oats, yogurt or milk, chia seeds, and berries in a mason jar or container. Stir it up and repeat 3 times for 3 breakfasts. Chill overnight. Ready to grab and go!
Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
A protein-rich meal that is easy to heat up and will keep you satiated all afternoon.
Ingredients:
12 oz. of chicken breast or rotisserie chicken
3 cups of stir-fry frozen veggie mix
3 cups of cooked white or brown rice
Low-sodium soy sauce, coconut aminos, or stir fry sauce
How to prep:
Combine chicken, veggies, and sauce of choice in a pan. Cook rice according to instructions. Divide into 3 containers, store in the fridge, and heat when ready to eat.
Other meal ideas to try
Short on inspiration? The possibilities are endless. You can get creative, make extra of your favorite dish and enjoy leftovers, or use simple ingredients to make some easy meals to enjoy all week.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Breakfast egg muffins
Hard boiled eggs
Protein muffins
Turkey and hummus wraps
Mediterranean quinoa salad bowls
Burrito bowls
Vegetarian chili
Lentil soup
Do you have a favorite meal you can prep ahead of time? Get creative!
Your Future Self Will Thank You
Meal prepping can be an amazing tool for weight loss. It helps you to make better decisions, create lasting habits, and makes calorie tracking so much easier.
Not only is it a tool for weight loss, but done right, meal prepping can also help you to save time during the week, and make your routine a little less stressful.
Like any new skill, meal prepping gets easier to do with time and practice. So, when you are first starting out, start small and introduce new habits to your routine slowly, leaving you plenty of room to grow.
Just like your unique tastes and preferences, meal prepping is not one size fits all. Take the time to make it your own, and don’t be afraid to get creative—there are no rules!
