Meal prep made easy: Time-saving tips for healthier choices
The concept of meal prep can feel like a chore. Because let’s be real - who can actually dedicate a whole day, or even a few hours, to prepping? And further to that, who wants to eat the same soggy chicken, broccoli, and rice every single day? But what if i told you by focusing on time-saving tactics and a few simple adjustments throughout the week, you can streamline your routine and have delicious, healthy, exciting food options ready without the fuss.
Meal prepping is a game-changer. Aside from saving time, it also:
helps you make healthier choices
takes the guesswork out of the age old question ‘what am I going to eat?’
saves you money
and reduces food waste
Meal prep doesn’t have to mean spending your entire Sunday in the kitchen. With some clever tools and strategies, you can make meal prep easier and more effective. Here are our top 5 tips for effective meal prep.
Tip #1: focus on individual components rather than just whole recipes
Meal prep doesn’t have to be cooking specific recipes with dozens of ingredients. Batch cook and individually store proteins, carbs, veggies, and sauces that you can pick, choose, and mix into various nutrient-balanced meals throughout the week. For example:
Roast a whole chicken
Boil and peel a dozen eggs
Cook a batch of grains such as rice, quinoa, or buckwheat
Bake a tray of tofu
Roast a tray or two of starchy vegetable such as potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin
Wash and chop your leafy greens
Pick your fresh herbs
Prep a few simple sauces such as a creamy tahini dressing mixed with fresh lemon juice, water, and salt, or a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, mustard, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper.
Tip #2: double up your dinners
Meal prep as you go throughout the week by doubling up dinners and utilising leftovers! This can stretch one simple dinner into 4-6 extra meals. For example:
If you’re doing a roast, put two on
If you’re roasting vegetables, put an extra tray on
If you’re cooking a specific recipe such as a stew or soup, double it (you can even freeze the extra portions)
Tip #3: utilise time saving tools
There are so many budget-friendly kitchen tools you can utilise to save-time, whether it be for ‘set and forget’ prep or helping you chop vegetables faster. For example:
Slow cooker
Rice cooker
Pressure cooker
High speed blender
A food processor with chopping attachments
Tip #4: don’t forget your freezer!
Some meals freeze exceptionally well - think soups, stews, casseroles, and pasta sauces. This can even tie in to tip #2. For example
If you’re cooking a pasta dish, make a double batch of the sauce component to freeze and add to cooked pasta as needed
If you’re cooking a soup, stew, casserole, or curry double the batch and freeze the leftovers in individual portions
You can even portion and freeze cooked grains like rice and quinoa
If you’ve made a roast, freeze individual portions
You can even chop and freeze old, over-ripe, or wilting fruits and vegetables for later use in smoothies
Tip #5: lean on pantry staples and pre-prepared options
Now, I know this one doesn’t really count as meal prep but when we’re thinking about having access to healthy, nourishing food, sometimes it helps to just lean on the resources that already exist. This doesn’t need to be your standard, but can be good for last minute options. For example:
Keep tinned fish or tinned beans in the pantry for an easy protein source to add to meals
Pre-chopped vegetables are available at supermarkets and can actually be a super helpful time-saving option
Frozen vegetables are a great emergency option to have on hand for those times you’re really in a pinch
There are some great ready-made salad options at supermarkets. If you skip the dressing (or add your own with olive oil and lemon juice), and add a good source of protein, you have yourself a healthy meal
By incorporating some or all of these tips, you can simplify your meal prep and have fresh, delicious meals ready throughout the week. Whether you’re cooking for one or for a whole family, meal prep can be a sustainable part of your routine without taking up hours of your time.
