“Why should I meal prep?”
As I started paying closer attention to my gut and body health I began to realize just how much influence large corporations have over our food system, and how many restaurants use products that are loaded with negative chemicals and/or aren’t even legal in other countries. (For more information on this I recommend exploring the Food Babe blog). I realized that to eat healthy and feed my body the foods it could process, I needed to enhance my home cooking. But I quickly became overwhelmed at the thought of having to prepare every meal I ate. Who has time for that?
In the wellness community, I noticed that people talked about meal prepping a lot. I was seeing loads of posts and information online about it so I figured I should give it a try. Every week I would make a plan to try meal prepping out, and every week I got really good at talking myself out of doing it. I loved excuses like “I like to cook, this will ruin it”, “food is gross four days after making it”, “I don’t have time”, and “will this actually save me money?'“. Yet, on the days when I was running out of my house in the morning to teach a yoga class before running to work, or leaving work late for happy hour and getting back too late to make a dinner, or running errands on my lunch break, I always wished I had something quick and healthy on hand that wouldn’t leave me feeling like I didn’t prioritize my body. As I realized that I was picking up snacks and lunches and dinners on the go, I also noticed that I was spending so much money on foods that were not making me feel good. (Not to mention the fact that I was supporting the corporations who were fueling the negative cycles in the food industry). This left me feeling disappointed and unsatisfied week after week, after week.
Finally, I bought the damn glass containers and dipped my toes into meal prepping. But I did it my way. I started with one meal per week. I just focused on breakfast. I figured that if I could meal prep my smoothies then I focus my mornings on more important matters, like being on time to teach a yoga class and having piece of mind that I could get my morning work done well without feeling hungry.
It turns out that some things you see online are right. As soon as I realized how much less stress I experienced in the mornings by simply preparing my breakfast the night before, there was no going back. I started waking up a little earlier so I could take my time walking to the yoga studio and enjoy my smoothie when I got there. I started prioritizing the simple moments of life that brought me joy. By changing one habit, my entire day took on a new and relaxed attitude!
I began prepping lunches and, on occasion, dinners. I quickly learned that by scheduling a few hours every week to prepare my food on Sundays I could save myself time, effort, and brain space throughout the week. After a few weeks I started to reap the financial rewards of meal prepping as well. Instead of going to the grocery store with no plan and pilling in food that would likely go bad in the bottom of my fridge, I got specific and only bought foods that I needed for my recipes. This allowed me to create a weekly budget and stick to it. You’d be surprised how much less temptation the grocery store offers when you go in with blinders on and an agenda.
I know that meal prepping can seem like a daunting task full of unnecessary planning, added time, and high level cooking skills, and it might seem like one of those life skills that you just simply don’t know how to tackle. But I’m here to tell you that you absolutely have what it takes to make this happen. It does not have to be a stressful process. Take things one step at a time and be kind to yourself along the way. Here are a few tips that helped me get started on my meal prepping journey:
For those of you who cook regularly…
Meal prepping will actually cut down the time you spend in the kitchen each week. Set aside one specific time, whether that is Sunday evening or Tuesday morning, to create a meal plan for yourself instead of spending time every night grocery shopping, planning, and cooking. If you like to cook, this is a perfect way to insert some quality “me time” into your schedule each week. I love to meal prep on Saturday or Sunday afternoons! I try to gift myself time to explore new recipes on Pinterest or my favorite food blogs, make a list, take myself on a date to the grocery store, and then play some of my favorite music or podcasts while I cook for a few hours.
I understand that this can still seem like a big hurdle. This is a method of self love and care, and it can be difficult to make time for yourself. I encourage you to start small, maybe just pack yourself a lunch for the first half of the week or make healthy muffins for a week of breakfasts. Notice how you feel making time for yourself to cook those meals and push yourself to make this a priority.
For those of you who do not like to cook…
Cooking does not have to be complicated. Actually, it can be a super quick and easy process that still allows you to eat all of your favorite foods! Most of the time my meal prepping consists of a very simple collaboration of my favorite veggies and a grain. I do love to cook but, realistically, I don’t have the time or the money to dig into the recipes I would like to explore every week.
To get started, I would recommend creating meal bowls. Bowls are a really simple way to make sure you are getting essential nutrients into your diet while also allowing you to include foods that you like to eat! Meal prepping bowls is also nice because you can make foods in bulk, package everything separately, and throw different combinations together right before you eat it. Here’s how I would get started:
Make a list of foods you like from these categories: grains, proteins, fruits, veggies
Pick one food item from each list. (For example, I love sweet potatoes, chicken, blueberries, spinach, and carrots)
Buy the ingredients in bulk
Cook each food with your favorite spices (For example, I like to sauté my veggies with salt, pepper, and cumin)
Separate foods into Tupperware and store in the fridge
Each morning throw a few of each ingredient in a bowl together for lunch and do the same when you get home for a nice dinner bowl :)
Quick Recap | The Benefits of meal prepping
Encourages you to get your body and stomach on a weekly routine
Empowers moments of “you time”, otherwise known as self-care, each week
Allows you to take control of your eating so you don’t over or under eat
Offers the option to choose nutrient filled foods instead of something random off the grocery store shelf or from a restaurant
Encourages you to try new cooking techniques & learn about new foods
Saves money and allows you to budget
Decreases daily stress
TIP: Meal Prep With Friends!
You don’t have to do this alone. Sometimes it is fun to bring a friend, family member, or significant other to the grocery store with you. You can even make a day out of it and go back to someone’s house to prep together, take pictures, and then try one of your fresh dishes. You can also plan meals with friends via Zoom. I offer grocery store tours at your convenience if you want a buddy the first few times you try meal prepping.
TIP: What Type of Tupperware Should I Buy?
You can really use whatever Tupperware you want, but if you’re conscious about chemicals in plastics and the environment then I recommend glass containers. These are also good if you want to heat your food up. You can buy those on Amazon, at Marshals, or at Target.
TIP: Snacking
I like to chop up lots of fruits and veggies and throw them in the fridge for snacking throughout the week. For this I absolutely recommend Stasher Bags. They are my favorite. You can use them for sandwiches, bread storage, and even cooking salmon in the oven!