5 Meal Prep Strategies to Stay On Track

Have you ever been in such a hurry that you had to just grab a granola bar from home or stop for fast food on the way to work? Have you ever been so hungry that instead of taking the time to make a nutritious meal, you just quickly heat up a pre-made microwavable meal? Although these choices are okay every now and then when you're really in a pinch, they're not the healthiest choices, and they're certainly not choices you want to be made into a habit.

You may have heard the phrase 'meal prep' and have absolutely no idea what it means, or maybe you meal prep regularly but are looking for new tips and tricks to improve your meal prep process. Meal prepping can be beneficial in helping you stay on track and reach your nutrition goals as it is associated with healthier diets and less obesity [1]. Meal prepping is essentially preparing your meals and snacks for the week or another defined period of time to stick to your nutrition goals, help with time management, and help curb those cravings that come when you're not eating nutrient-dense foods. It's much easier to grab something less healthy and less filling when you're unsure what to eat or don't have anything prepared. There is no correct way to meal prep, and you might have to do a little bit of experimenting to see which kind of meal prepping works for you, but today we're going to talk about five meal prep strategies that can help you stay on track with your nutrition goals.

1. Choose Healthy Recipes

To ensure that you're eating delicious, nutrient-dense meals and snacks throughout the week, you should spend some time finding recipes that you like and saving them for later. Pinterest is a platform I use to find and organize healthy recipes very simply, and the saved recipes are easily accessible. You can also easily google phrases like 'healthy dinner ideas' or 'quick healthy snacks' and save certain websites to go back to. You can even go old school and buy a cookbook filled with healthy recipes if you prefer reading from a paper while cooking. The key to choosing healthy recipes is planning ahead of time and having realistic ideas for nutritious meals and snacks that you can make for your week. Writing out a mini-plan to help you visualize what you'll be eating for the week can also be helpful.

2. Make a List

The next step in prepping healthy meals and snacks for the week is to make a list of ingredients you need. This step is essential to save money and stay on track with your health goals by consuming healthy foods. If you go into the grocery store with a list of everything you need and nothing more, you will save money and only purchase items you need instead of grabbing other unnecessary things. This can also help you stay organized in your home as you figure out which ingredients in your recipes are items you already have in your pantry and which ingredients you will need to go out and purchase.

3. Have a Designated Prep Time

This step may not seem important, but it is a necessary step! For example, if you set aside a specific time every week, or every couple of days, for food prep and choose to plan around this time, you won't find that you 'don't have the time' to prepare healthy meals. Instead of just trying to squeeze in some cooking time whenever you can spare a few minutes, planning a specific prep time can help you stay on track and make sure that you finish all the meal preparations you need for your week.

4. Leftovers

How many times have you made a meal and later wished you had made more so you didn't have to cook again so soon? Been there, done that many times! One of my favorite things about meal prep is that it's super easy to make more than you need and save the extras for later. This is especially helpful for those times that you need something in a pinch. Having extra healthy meals and snacks on hand will decrease the chances of grabbing something processed or less healthy on the way out simply because you had nothing else prepared. Having extras on hand also saves you the trouble of having to cook multiple times throughout the week.

5. Storage & Portion Sizes

My final meal prep tip is to buy proper storage containers and store meals and snacks in portion sizes. Proper storage can help your meals and snacks stay fresher longer and allow you to freeze things for later. If you don't have the appropriate storage, things can go bad faster, and you risk the possibility of wasting both food and money. Having airtight containers or seals will prevent occurrences like moisture build-up and freezer burn. Storing your prepared meals and snacks in portion sizes can also help you stay on track with your nutrition goals by preventing you from eating more than necessary and making it easier to just grab one or two containers to go. In addition, you can buy storage containers that have different compartments to keep food separate and allow you to put main dishes and sides together in one container for convenience.

Now What?

There are many ways to effectively meal prep. Starting off with a few minor changes can go a long way. Why not try finding some new recipes this week and picking one night of the week to cook a couple of meals? Maybe just starting with new storage containers and dividing meals into portions will change your meal prep game. Starting small and creating new habits that will last will significantly help stay on track with meal prepping. Here is a link to a website with many excellent meal prep options if you're looking for a perfect place to start.

Best,

Abby