Meal Prep is about more than just cooking.
It’s part of your lifestyle. It should be easy, stress-free and delicious.
Meal Prep can also help promote a sense of mindful eating.
When planning meals ahead of time, organising ingredients, and stocking the fridge and freezer with a healthy variety of foods, you are planning for success.
Meal prep can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be!
Follow these 4 simple tips and you’ll be on your way to mastering meal prep in no time.
Start with a plan
The first and most important step to meal prepping is to have a plan. Without a plan, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or end up with a fridge full of food that you don’t know what to do with.
- Consider your budget, favourite foods, and goals when meal planning
- Use a meal planner to record and plan your ingredients.
- Order your groceries online to save time
- Allocate a day for prepping and cooking
- Reduce food wastage
Using a Meal Planner
Meal prep is a great way to create healthy meals to get you through the week.
It requires some thought into what’s on the menu for the week and a meal planner is perfect to record and plan ingredients.
It is important to consider your budget, favoutite foods, and most importantly, consider your goals.
Start by deciding on what meals you would like to eat for that week and how many meals you want to prep.
Then, make a list of all the ingredients you’ll need. Once you have your list, check your pantry and fridge to see what you already have on hand.
This will help prevent waste and save you money at the grocery store.
By joining the Health Mind Body Australia community from the sign up form, I send you a free Meal Planner template to use, making this process even easier!
You can also view our other Planners and journals for further inspiration.
Ordering the Ingredients
Now that you have your list of ingredients, it’s time to order from the grocery store.
If you are short on time, consider ordering your groceries online. This can be a huge time saver, especially if you have a busy week ahead.
Ordering online is so convenient, I will log in online and add all my ingredients and other household items in my cart, pick a day and time for either pick up in-store or for delivery and pay. Simple, Quick, and easy.
The best part is, that I can avoid temptation at the store and the potential to over spend my budget for the week.
Prep Day
I like to choose Sunday as my meal prep day because it’s usually my least busy day of the week.
This gives me time to relax and enjoy cooking without feeling rushed.
Now that you have all of your ingredients, it’s time to start cooking!
When choosing recipes, stick to recipes that have fewer than five ingredients. The less time you spend in the kitchen, the better!
Keep in mind how much time you have, and how many meals you want to completely cook, and how many you want to prep ready for cooking.
Don’t try to make seven days worth of meals at once. Start with one or two recipes and work your way up.
Chop your veggies, portion your protein, and place in air-tight containers for an easy grab-and-cook process throughout the week.
You can also cook your meals ahead of time and freeze them. I like to cook a double or triple batch of Bolognese sauce.
This is a great option if you have a busy week ahead and won’t have time to cook. All that needs cooking is a quick pack of pasta.
Just pop it in the microwave or oven to reheat when you’re ready to eat!
By following these simple tips, you will be on your way to mastering meal prep in no time!
Meal prepping is a great way to save money, time and eat healthy.
Don’t forget – Make it fun, listen to music and enjoy the process.
Do you have any tips for mastering meal prep?
Share them with us in the comments below!
Happy cooking,
Amy x