Meal Prep can be overwhelming. Follow these Top tips to set sustainable habits for prepping healthy meals for the week!
If you are looking to create healthier nutrition habits or save money on your grocery bills, meal prep in advance is essential! To avoid food waste and poor choices during snack attacks, prepping your food is very helpful. Are you ready to level up your nutrition while keeping money in the bank?
Get in to the routine
Choose a day of the week to plan your meals for at least five days, and stick to this same routine every week. The most common day to meal plan is Sunday to prepare for the work week ahead.
Find a planning partner
Ask your partner, roommate or family to help you plan the meals for the week. Enrolling your housemates will help you to stay on track, and make it easier to stick to the grocery list when it comes time to shop! If you live solo, ask a friend to be your planning partners for your healthy weekly meal planning.
Make it visible
A magnetic fridge calendar is visible for everyone, and a reminder to eat the food in the fridge that you prepped. Choose a weekly dry erase calendar to save paper and the planet! If you prefer pen-to-paper or typing it out, make sure that paper goes up in a visible spot so that you stay on track. Coming up with a weekly meal plan ensures that you stick to healthier choices to fuel your body, and will also save you money at the grocery store!
Reverse engineer
Start by planning your dinners first, for at least five days of the week. Some common themes are ‘Taco Tuesdays’ or ‘Pizza Night’’, but remember that it’s important to have a variety of different whole foods – lots of vegetables, protein and healthy fats – throughout your week. If you like to order take-out or dine out once a week, add that to your planner. Plan for a few of your dinners to have leftovers for lunch the following day. Then plan for a couple of lunches during the week. For breakfasts, choose two or three different options that you can alternate throughout the week.
Write out your grocery list
Write your grocery list while referring to your meal plan so that you get exactly what you need for the week. Most of your list should be vegetables, protein (meat, fish, eggs or vegetarian alternatives) and healthy fats (nuts, avocados). Include everything on your list for your dinners, lunches and breakfasts. Choose a handful of snack items to add to your list – fruit, vegetables, yogurt, cheese, nuts — sticking to mostly whole foods. Don’t forget to add staple items like cooking oils, dressings, and seasonings. Keep this simple by using olive oil for low heat cooking or salad dressings, avocado oil for high heat cooking and coconut oil for baking. Salt and pepper is sufficient for most seasoning. Apple cider, red wine or balsamic vinegar combined with olive oil for dressings.
Grocery time
Always shop the outside aisles first! Most of what you’re buying from your list should be from the produce, meat and whole food sections. Less of your cart should be filled with processed food from the interior aisles. If possible, buy organic produce, especially the items on the Dirty Dozen list. Stick to your list! Don’t be swayed by on sale snacks or displays of treats – if it’s not on your list, don’t get it. If you want to indulge in some treats during the week, add them to your list during planning so that you are mindfully choosing them. If you’re looking for dairy-free (or gluten-free) alternatives, read the label to ensure you are buying items without added sugars, soy, excess salt or flavors.
Meal Prep your produce
Once you have your meal plan and have bought all of the items on your grocery list, you can spend some time prepping for the week! Most people prefer to do this on Sundays or Mondays, but choose a day that works best for your schedule.
Put all of your fresh produce by the sink and into a strainer/colander (you may need to do this in different groupings if you have a lot of fresh produce and herbs). If you have a clean spray bottle, fill it ⅔ with water and ⅓ with white vinegar. Spray the produce in the sink all over and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Rinse with cool or warm water thoroughly and let produce air dry — lay out a clean towel. Chop any veggies or fruits that need more bite-sized pieces (for you or your littles). Store them in a glass container for easy meal prep or quick-grab snacks. The more produce you have prepped, the more you will eat! This is a great way to reduce the number of processed/packaged snacks consumed in your family.
Batch cook
If you set aside 1-2 hours (or more) on this same day, this is an opportune time to batch cook. Some of the easiest meals and snacks to pre-make are soups, energy balls and healthy baked goods. Baked goods are also an easy way to add in nutritional boosters like chia, flax, and hemp hearts. You’ll find more nutrition hacks in this course. If you have a slow cooker or instant pot, cook one or two dinners and freeze them for a quick thaw during the week.
