Food Prep: My 5 Biggest Tips

I have a love/hate relationship with food prep because it can be so time consuming and how am I supposed to decide what I want to eat everyday of the week on a Sunday afternoon? I do the absolute minimum when it comes to food prep, but it really does make things so much easier so that meals aren't time consuming or a pain during the week. I get a lot of questions on how to meal prep and have healthy options during the week that don't demand hours of cooking during a busy, scheduled week. It gets pricey, it's time consuming, and sometimes I am so tempted to just not bother with the store, but then I am even more unhappy when I don't have food in the house, let alone healthy options. These are some tips that have worked for me personally throughout the years especially since I started buying more food to test more recipes.

Wash & Chop Your Produce;

This is the best thing you can do to ensure that healthy options for meals and snacks, like fruits and veggies, are ready to eat instantly, throw in salads or on sandwiches, and are ready to use for quick dinners. This is also probably the main timesaver over anything. When you're actually cooking a meal, it requires your attention and you don't feel like it's taking any time, but it's the preparation that feels daunting, so get that out of the way.

Choose 3 Nights;

Choose 3 nights of the week that you know you want to make a meal, whether that's just for you, for you and your SO, or for your family. Typically I choose Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday because Mondays are always crazy and Fridays we try to get out of the house or make plans. I'm not going to lie, sometimes Thursdays call for happy hours so if I have something planned then I'll swap that night for Monday night and look forward to starting my week off on a good note. Even if you don't choose the specific nights, just choose 3 meals you want to make that week. These could be specific recipes you want to make, or 3 mains that you want to focus on and then supplement with simple sides. For example, recently I have been grabbing salmon, shrimp, and beef to make in different types of dishes throughout the week. I will then grab rice or another complex carb and a mix of vegetables to serve them with each night.

The Value of Leftovers & Freezer Food;

Use leftovers! Leftovers are very underrated in my opinion, even though I totally used to be that person who just threw everything out. I have a weird thing against re-heating food, but when it's a meal you know is good, was worth your energy and time to make, and worth every bang for you buck, I feel even more against throwing it away. Think about turning the leftovers into an entirely different meal. When in doubt, throw literally anything into an omelette for a quick, easy, and nutritious meal. Freezer food is also underrated and I probably don't use it as much. There are endless options in the Trader Joe's freezer isle for vegetables, fruits, and prepared meals. Just don't forget to check the ingredients on them and watch out for sneaky additives and oils if you're cognizant of that. Frozen food can save you a huge amount of time on chopping and preparing.

Plan 1 Day of Meals;

Sometimes the worst thing about "meal prep" is actually deciding what you want to eat that week. I literally never know, I just know that I want it to be tasty, filling, and healthy enough to give me sustainable energy. The worst is when I'm not satisfied and feel the need to continuously snack during the day. Focus on planning actual meals rather than just grabbing snacky things that you're craving . Trust me, it's a dangerous slope and you can end up consuming the entire bag in one sitting when it was supposed to last you all week. Choose 1-2 breakfast foods you like, 1-2 lunch ideas, and then your 3 nights for dinner. The shopping list and preparation for those 5-7 meals will seem a lot less daunting than choosing something different to eat every single day for every single meal.

Use Similar Ingredients for the Week;

This is probably my biggest tip– save the best for last, right? If you're someone who doesn't like to eat the same thing every day, this will be an alternative for you. For fresh items of food that go bad quickly, buy them with the intention of using them multiple times throughout the week, in different ways. This cuts down on waste, cost, and time. For example, you bought a large carton of strawberries but you're unsure of when to eat them since after you wash them they will probably go bad within a few days. Have some in the morning for breakfast– put them on your toast, in your smoothie, with yogurt, or alongside your eggs. For lunch, throw them in a salad, make a fruit salad as a snack, or have them as dessert by dipping them in chocolate. Strawberries were probably an easy example, but the same concept applies to a lot of fresh foods. Be intentional with what you buy and get excited about the foods you're fueling your body with each day!

I hope this post gave you some helpful information around food/ meal prep. To put it simply, think of 1-2 breakfast meals and 1-2 lunch ideas you like that you can switch off each day and then plan to cook 3 meals. Choose meals that use similar ingredients so you aren't buying 50+ different items at the store. Wash and chop all of your fresh ingredients so when it comes time to actually make those meals, the most time consuming part is over.