After a long day, the last thing you want to do is spend an hour in the kitchen cooking dinner from scratch. That’s where meal prep comes in! By prepping a bunch of food all at once, you don’t have to cook individual meals every day.
Meal prepping is the solution for wanting healthy and tasty food but lacking the time to prepare it daily. Now I know what you’re thinking… meal prepping is too much work, and you don’t want to eat the same things every day. But the good news is that you can do it your way and make it work for you.
If you need some motivation to start prepping your meals ahead of time, think about these benefits of meal prepping. Each is a reason to start your meal prepping journey today.
Meal prepping benefits
If you’re considering jumping on the meal prep train, here are some benefits.
Save time
Some may say that meal prepping takes too much time. After all, you’re cooking multiple things at once, which often takes an hour or more in the kitchen. But once you get the hang of prepping your meals, it will save you time.
Cooking a new meal every single day takes time. For example, it takes around an hour to prep, cook and clean up dinner every single night. Say you do that 5 nights per week and that’s 5 hours of time for just one meal per day.
Prepping five different meals at once may only take 2-3 hours max. If the thought of spending that amount of time in the kitchen at once is overwhelming, think about it as “me time”. Pop in your headphones and listen to your favorite podcast or audiobook while cooking.
Or, just prep ingredients, rather than cooking an entire meal. Chop veggies and protein, cook a few grains, like oats or quinoa, and make a simple dressing. Then you can throw together a quick meal, like a bowl or salad, in just a few minutes.
Save money
How often have you struggled to figure out what to make only to give up and order take-out? Cooking at home is budget-friendly and stops you from spending $20 on a take-out dinner.
To cut down on your food bill, prep simple recipes for healthy and tasty ingredients. Sometimes, I just prep ingredients, like roasted veggies, marinated tofu and whole grains. Then I combine all three into one container and call it a meal.
To cut down on grocery bills and food waste, cook recipes with similar ingredients. For example, buy a pack of tempeh for these Vegan Burgers, then also add this Tempeh Stir Fry to your list.
Here is a list of other simple meal-prep and budget-friendly recipes:
- No-Bake Cherry Cacao Energy Balls
- Tahini Maple Oat Bites
- Cherry Coconut Yogurt Bites
- Farro Salad with Feta, Brussels Sprouts & Grapes
- Spiced Chickpea Veggie Burger
- Green Eggs & Quinoa Muffins
- Lentil Veggie “Meatballs”
- Vegan Couscous with Za’atar Vinaigrette
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Dried Cranberries & Apple
- Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Cookies
- Pumpkin Pie Granola
- Blueberry Maple Walnut Trail Mix
- Slow-Cooker Vegan Tacos with California Walnuts
- Easy BBQ Tofu Salad Bowl
Reduce food waste
Meal prepping is the ultimate lesson in planning. You start with a meal plan for the week, then buy the ingredients and make those meals. If done successfully, all of the meals and food in your fridge should be eaten by the end of the week.
Say goodbye to the food that goes bad and ends up in the garbage! The secret to keeping food fresh is using the right containers. I recommend single-serving glass containers for meals, mason jars for drinks and sauces and reusable baggies for odds and ends, like dressings or toppings.
Freezing food is a great way to store it for a few months. Label and date the container, so you remember when you stashed it.
Eat healthier
Cooking at home is almost always healthier than buying take-out. And prepping a meal ahead of time allows you to plan a well-balanced meal. Throwing together a meal when you’re hungry or pressed for time often results in carb-rich foods, like a bowl of pasta or a simple sandwich.
If you prep your meals, you can pay attention to building a well-balanced plate that includes carbs, protein and fat. That combination of nutrients keeps you fuller for longer and contributes to muscle growth and brain health.
Lastly, knowing what you’ll eat at each meal may stop you from mindlessly eating when you’re stressed, bored or anxious.
Less anxiety over mealtime
If you’ve ever stared into your fridge at 5pm and wondered what to make for you or your family, then you’ve probably felt the dreaded mealtime anxiety. What should I make? Will I like it? Will it be healthy? All of those questions are frustrating to deal with three times a day.
Prepping your meals ahead of time rids you of that dread. You’ll no longer need to worry about what to make for everyone because the food is already prepped.
How to start meal prepping
If you have one or two hours to spare and want to dedicate the time to cooking healthy meals for the week, then you have time and motivation to meal prep. Although it may seem overwhelming, meal prepping has many benefits, like saving your time, money and anxiety, reducing food waste and helping you eat healthier.
To get started, Set aside 10 minutes to create a plan for the week. I like to use the notes app on my iPhone to plan out my meals for the week. Or let me do the planning for you—download this 7-day plant-based meal plan.
Ask yourself these questions when coming up with a plan:
- When you’re coming up with a plan, ask yourself these questions:
- What days will I eat at home?
- What days will I eat out?
- How often am I okay eating leftovers?
- Do I want to prep breakfast, lunch and dinner?
- What meals can I make on the fly?
Work smarter, not harder. If you hate chopping and slicing, buy pre-cut ingredients. Use canned beans or lentils for an easy no-prep protein. Utilize frozen fruits and vegetables in soups and smoothie recipes. The same goes for frozen grains, like quinoa or brown rice.
Multitask while cooking. Always start with the steps that require more time, like roasting veggies or cooking grains. If several recipes require same cooking methods, like roasting in the oven, cook those two recipes simultaneously.
With time, meal prepping will get easier and become more seamless. Start small and work your way up to the amount that is right for you!
0 Comments