Everyone wants to eat healthy, but the problem comes in the execution.
Many people are simply too busy during the week to properly plan, shop for, and prep healthy meals for themselves and for their families.
The key is planning ahead and doing meal prep in advance. There is no right or wrong method when it comes to meal planning and prepping, and meals can be tailored to fit diet goals, fitness goals, food preferences, and cooking abilities.
A small investment in planning and prepping can have many benefits, including saving money and time, helping with portion control and weight loss, contributing to a more nutritionally balanced diet, and avoiding fast food options.
Harvard’s School of Public Health offers some useful advice on meal prepping.
Keep your goals to a minimum and start small. For those who are eating takeout several nights a week, the goal might be to set aside some time to plan a couple of meals, make up a shopping list, and visit the grocery store.
For those who already shop for food regularly, the goal might be to pick one day a week to cook meals in advance or try a new recipe. For those who already cook some of their weekday meals, the goal might be to create a schedule in advance so that you know what you are cooking and when, as well as to make several meals in advance and freeze them. This way, you can be sure to have whatever ingredients you need on hand.
To ensure success, make sure the meals you plan will satisfy your family’s needs and cravings and be sure to plan snacks for your family as well. Collect recipes from friends and family and look for healthy options. Stay organized by using a spreadsheet to keep track of everything, including meal ideas, recipe websites, shopping lists, etc. Consider having certain days of the week devoted to certain meals: Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Whole-Grain Wednesdays, Fish Fridays, etc. Try to cook in advance where possible and aim to make a few days of meals ahead of time whenever possible.
Use a calendar to help you plan when you will shop, when you will do meal prepping, and when you will do most of your cooking. Be sure to stock up on staple ingredients. On meal prep days, focus on foods that are the most time-consuming to prepare, such as proteins like chicken and fish; whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and farro; dried beans and legumes; and roasted vegetables. If you prefer not to pre-cook proteins, do what you can to have them ready to throw in a pot: chop them up, determine the amount needed for each meal, marinate them, etc.
When you cook, try and make extra portions that you can freeze for later use. It helps to have a good stock of containers in which you can set aside meals and snacks for the week. These containers also come in handy for freezing extra portions. Successful meal planning and prepping are about making the most of your refrigerator and freezer so you are not constantly starting from scratch with each meal.
Meal planning and prepping can seem like a challenge at first, but they will get easier with time, and soon you will wonder how you ever survived without them.