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When you think of meal prepping, you may feel overwhelmed by the thought of preparing an entire week of multiple meals for your family. I’m here to tell you to relax! It doesn’t have to be intimidating and scary! I’m here to help you make eating healthy and saving time easy. Meal prepping : it’s so much easier than you may think.
First Things First : Let’s Have a Plan!
When preparing for meal prep day, I start by choosing a day that makes the most sense for me. I normally grocery shop on Friday nights after work and buy everything I need for meal prep. Friday grocery shopping is my JAM because it’s way less crowded then. Once the groceries are acquired, I tend to do the actual meal prep on Sundays. I LOVE Sundays because I get a lot done, complete chores and just set myself up to have a great week because I’m prepared. I also usually try to plan out my workouts for the week so that I don’t have to worry about programming or setting aside time.
Have Handy Tools in Your Toolbox!
Of course, you can meal prep with your stove top and oven. I did it for years. As I grew more experienced with my meal prepping, I added more tools to my arsenal. I am not joking, guys. At the very least, a crockpot *aff link* and rice cooker *aff link* can be a freaking G-A-M-E C-H-A-N-G-E-R. I usually make a week’s worth of chicken thighs in the crock and a week’s worth of jasmine rice in the rice cooker – and they’re always cooked perfectly. Up your game with crockpot liners *aff link* (for stupid easy clean up) + an air fryer *aff link* and you’re SET. I also keep a digital scale *aff link* for weighing my food and a decent supply of meal prep containers *aff link* for easy transport, storage and minimal waste.
Pick Your Menu!
My boyfriend and I are both serious creatures of habit. We can eat the same thing damn near every day and be happy. I do change up our lunches + dinners every couple of weeks, just for a little bit of variety. Assembling a menu is easy – pick a protein, a carb, a fat and veggie. When you create your menus using this template, you’re covering all the bases for nutrients your body needs on a daily basis.
Proteins
Proteins are super important for your health and luckily, fairly easy to choose. Protein is the second most abundant molecule in your body, after water. Protein is not only important in exercise recovery, but it’s involved in nearly every single bodily process, including nutrient transport, energy production and cell repair. I normally rotate through chicken thighs (beware, thighs are higher in fat content), ground beef (usually 93/7) and ground turkey. I keep deli turkey with no added sugar and fat free Greek yogurt in the fridge in the case that I need additional protein or if I get bored with my selection.
Seasoning can make all the difference when it comes to proteins. Some of my favorites include Everything but the Bagel Seasoning *aff link*, Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Ranch Seasoning *aff link*, Tajin *aff link* and FlavorGod seasonings *aff link*. Pick your seasonings based on your wants and needs, but I typically pick mine based on the sugar/salt content and if I can pronounce the ingredients. You can never go wrong with some good ol’ S + P and garlic!
Carbohydrates
Carbs are my absolute favorite. Carbs are your body’s main fuel source and help store energy within your liver and muscles for later use. I live for my carbs! However, my current meal plan (preparing for summer, duh) has restricted my carbs so I am missing them in a major way. My favorite carbs to prep are jasmine rice (in the rice cooker) and quartered red potatoes (in the air fryer). I rarely season my rice, but I do throw a little bit of salt, pepper and garlic on my potatoes.
Fats
Fats tend to be a little bit harder when it comes to prep. They are just as equally important to your diet as they provide essential fatty acids (such as omega-3s and omega-6s), provide energy, support cell growth and help keep your body protected and warm by means of insulation. I keep it simple and use a tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil as my fat and drizzled over my rice as a way to keep the rice moist during re-heating. You can also have some avocado, toss in a handful of nuts (peanuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, etc) or have a spoonful of nut butter on the side of your dish for some fat.
Veggies
I know, I know. Vegetables are also carbs, I get that. I like to use vegetables to make my plate more colorful and to create more volume when my rice/potato carbs are more restricted. I’m sure growing up you probably heard, “eat the rainbow,” or “make your plate colorful.” The reasoning behind this is because the more natural colors your have on your plate, the more essential nutrients you’re eating and feeing your body! I try to eat veggies at every meal – or at the very least, my main meals. My favorite veggies to prep with are baby spinach, bell peppers and broccoli. I’m a super cheater though with the broccoli because I use steam-able bags!
Work smarter, not harder, my friends!
Get to Cooking!
Once you have your meals decided, get to cooking! To accomplish this, I thaw my protein and then place it in the crockpot on top of a liner, season everything and add a little bit of water as needed. Then, depending on the amount of time I have, I’ll put them in for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. And then … that’s it. Once the protein is nearing being done, I will get the rice cooker fired up and cook the rice in there. It takes about 30-35 minutes for 7-8 cups of rice. It literally cooks itself once you add water and press the button. Once done, I’ll shred my chicken in a bowl with a hand mixer because, duh – easy AF.
Assembly
This week, I’ve chosen chicken thighs in the crockpot, rice in the rice cooker and then I’ll place those on top of a bed of baby spinach with chopped up bell peppers and a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Tajin for lunch. For dinner, I’ve made burger bowls! All they are is a scoop of jasmine rice, 93/7 ground beef and broccoli with a drizzle of olive oil, yellow mustard and topped with Everything but the Bagel seasoning. That’s it. Once you have everything assembled, store it in the fridge and grab and go as you need!
As far as additional nutrients and meals throughout the day on my meal plan, I normally keep it simple. I keep good snacking veggies (such as carrots, grape tomatoes, celery, etc), fruits (dried fruit, bananas, apples, grapes, etc) and nuts on hand, as well as fat free greek yogurt cups and sugar free deli meat. And I carry a large water bottle so that I can stay hydrated through the day – because hydration is key.
That’s literally how simple it can be. You don’t need to slave away in the kitchen all day long if you allow your kitchen tools cook for you. As far as the actual work I put into prep, it cuts down to about 1 – 1.5 hours TOTAL. I mean it when I say meal prepping : it’s so much easier than you may think.
What are some of your favorite meal prep meals? How long does it take you to prep for the week? Share your prep ideas and stories with me below!
I love meal prepping, I find it very relaxing actually because I love to cook. I try meal prep soup for lunchtimes and anything spare goes in the freezer.