Meal prepping tips + tricks
Whether you're a block-off-every-Sunday-for-kitchen-time kinda person or of the can't-stand-meal-prepping-because-who-even-knows-what-you're-gonna-want-to-eat-tomorrow-night-nevermind-Thursday variety, I'm hoping some of these tips / tricks will help you make the whole feeding yourself and your family process go more smoothly.
Even though we talk about being able to eat out or order through Door Dash sometimes, the key to success in any health goal is that most of the food you eat is prepared by you or someone who loves you and knows how to balance meals for us to thrive. Batching your time in the kitchen can be a great way to actually spend less time cooking.
1) How's your storage container situation? Grab some more - preferably glass - if you'll need them.
2) Plan to plan. Yeah, it's kinda like making a list of lists but it works. Pick a day and time each week that you'll write out your plan. It's a good habit to get into planning out your meals for the week, scheduling when you'll go grocery shopping or place an online order, and setting aside a couple of hours to pre-cook or chop whatever you can when possible. But first you need to actually sit down and do that. So, plan THAT!
3) Pair the kitchen time with something enjoyable. Save your fav. podcast for cooking time, cook with your family or a friend, or ask Alexa to turn up the 90s alternative or rap or pop or jazz ... whatever makes the time pass for you with a smile on your face. I know it's not always a Hallmark movie moment when you cook with your family, but you're building their skills and one day they will cook for you and you can sit on your butt. Maybe. Let's just pretend. :-P
4) Think about utilizing multiple appliances at once to be most efficient. Example: Protein muffins in the oven, soup on the stovetop, chicken or chili in your instant pot / slow cooker, and raw veggies and fruit to chop on the countertop.
5) When it makes sense, keep different meal components separate until serving. This allows you to mix n' match. Example: roasted veggies can be served with protein and rice for dinner one night, on a big salad for lunch the next day, and then inside an omelette for breakfast another day.
6) If it's a tried and true recipe (the whole fam loves it!), never make just 1 batch. Make 3 or 4 batches so you have leftovers PLUS extra to freeze for quick meals over the next couple of weeks.
7) Every little bit helps. As with everything, the all-or-nothing mentality does us no favors. So what, you don't have 2-3 hours to prep today? (Pshhhh! Who does???) Can you spend 10 minutes chopping up
some carrots to take with hummus for your afternoon snacks? Do it!
8) Wash / soak your produce in a mix of 90% water, 10% vinegar ... or a water + salt mix. Just doing that step will save you time while cooking during the week. Just save more mold-prone items (like berries) to be washed closer to consumption.
9) While you have the salt handy, soak apple slices in water + salt to keep from browning in your lunches or your kids' lunchboxes.
If you need a couple of recipes to prep this weekend, try these:
Protein-packed deviled eggs
Mushroom + Edamame Stir Fry
And if you are looking into meal delivery options, just know I'm constantly looking for ones that are PFF + intentional carb friendly but have yet to find any. Maybe you and I can partner up and make that happen?? Haha. But seriously ... there are a bunch of options that seem to use high quality ingredients (yay), but I haven't found ANY yet that are balanced in a way that'll make us feel amazing and crush our health, body, and longevity goals. HOWEVER, there are some ways around it. Example: I checked out a meal for a client this week from a company called Redefine. It was Take Out Chicken and Broccoli. If she removes half the rice (save for the next day) and adds a drizzle of olive oil or a few slices of avocado, it would be a great PFF + intentional carb meal.
If you're super overwhelmed with where to even start with balancing meals, TRANSFORM: Body + Mind would be perfect for you. The next round starts in March and waitlist people will be getting a discount code.
Happy Tuesday,
Tara