Meal Prep: Tips, Tricks and Secrets
Oh I’m so glad you tuned in for this particular blog. Today we’re talking ALL the tips, tricks and secrets to meal prepping.
Why do people do it?
How do you do it?
If you do – how do you make it better?
If you hate it – what’s the secret to loving it? (That last question is my particular favorite).
Let’s tackle the last issue first: YOU HATE MEAL PREPPING. Or you don’t cook – so it sounds impossible.
I was listening to a podcast commercial about one of those meal services that mails you ingredients to cook healthy dinners (which isn’t a terrible option if you have the time to cook every night/you can afford it). But the podcaster began the ad by saying “I hate to prep cook – it’s just not my thing.”
Guess what the big secret is?!?!
I don’ think it’s anyone’s “thing”. I don’t think anyone who does meal prep thinks it’s the very best part of their week. It’s probably not what gets them out of bed in the morning. It’s not the thing they just can’t WAIT to do. But you know what it is? Necessary. It’s the best and most efficient way to hit your nutritional goals and know exactly what you’re putting in your body every day. So while it may not be your “thing” it’s WORTH IT.
And as for those of you who “can’t cook”?
I think you just need to learn. And there’s a great website out there called “YouTube” that has about 1 BILLION videos on prep cooking. I believe in you! And remember our blog about Intellectual Wellness? It’s good to learn new things.
So more on why people even like to meal prep…
3 reasons:
You know exactly what you’re putting in your body because you made it.
That knowledge makes it easier to track what you’re eating, therefore it’s easier to hit your nutrition and performance goals.
It’s the most convenient way to have healthy food already cooked and ready to go when you’re hungry and BUSY. Pop your container in the microwave and POOF - you have a healthy lunch/dinner.
How do you get started?
First you need to do a little planning before you hit the grocery store. Make a list of what meals (and how many meals) you need to prep for the week then start researching recipes (if you need to). At the grocery you’ll just want to make sure you’re buy the appropriate amount of what’s on your list - something that should last you Monday-Friday (typically). Struggling with the “how much” part? Check out our blog on Nutrition. There are some helpful tips in there on portion sizes. After the grocery you’re ready to roll!
Now like I mentioned above - I don’t know if meal prepping is anyone’s favorite activity, but we do it because it makes us better…
Here are the 3 things you need to be “ok” with as you start your meal prepping journey
Eating the same thing (or similar things) every day
-Just because you eat off the same protein/vegetable supply for the week doesn’t mean you can’t change that up at the beginning of each new week. You had grilled chicken last week? Make it an Italian ground chicken this week. You made ground beef with an organic tomato sauce last week? Grill a lean cut of steak this week. You made garlic rubbed salmon last week? Try an herb coated tilapia this week. Same for the vegetables - there are endless combinations and you can change the way you cook them (oven-roasted, grilled, sauteed, steamed, ect.)
-And day to day there are also ways to make this more enjoyable. And these ways are called CONDIMENTS. And no - this doesn’t mean drown everything you eat in ranch. Some condiments can rack up the calories, so try to stick to things like mustard (yellow, brown, hot - go crazy), red/green salsa, Greek yogurt based sauces, hot sauce, vinaigrette dressings, low sodium soy sauce - anything that will add flavor, but too many calories.
Eating “leftovers”
-Grow up, Peter Pan! Leftovers are awesome, and as long as do don’t go over the “eat this by ____ date” (generally around 5 days after cooking) you’ll be juuuuuuuuuust fine.
The actual cooking/prepping part
-I suppose if you have the patience to enjoy cooking, this part isn’t bad. If you’re like my wife - this is not your favorite activity, so you just learn to make the best of it. Put on your favorite movie or playlist in the background or ask a friend/significant other to help!
Feeling better about meal prepping yet?
I hope so! This shouldn’t be scary. Does it take some extra planning? Yes. Does it require a level of sacrifice? Of course. Will it always be your favorite thing? Probably not. But is it worth it? I promise that it is. Have questions about how you can get started on your road to nutrition and fitness success? Click the button below to schedule your FREE Performance Planning Session with me!