Does the idea of meal prepping feel exhausting? Are you a beginner and just not sure where to start? Or maybe you’re longing to simplify your Sundays. I have good news– this post is for you!
Today I’m breaking down the 5 basics of simple meal prep. You’ll stay motivated and create a happier, healthier week. Best of all? You’ll create a habit that you can stick to no matter how busy life becomes.
Here’s the truth–
We’ve completely overcomplicated this concept of meal prep.
I heard about it as a nurse at the bedside when patients thought they needed to become a chef in order to create healthy changes.
And I certainly have experienced it firsthand as a mom.
Each week, I’d feel the pressure to find and make several new recipes and have them ready to go. Talk about overwhelming.
And just not realistic!
However, by changing my mindset (remember how 5 pm improved my emotional wellness?) and remembering that the simple steps create big change, I no longer feel the pressure of picture-perfect prepping.
Instead, I stick to basics.
These tasks that are sustainable and easy to do no matter how busy or how unmotivated I feel each week. And one of my favorite ways to aim for balance and wellness for the whole family.
I hope to encourage you to embrace the basics too.
What is meal prep?
Real quick, I want to offer some insight to meal prep.
According to Merriam-Webster, meal prep is explained as the following:
- The process of planning and preparing meals
- sometimes, meal preparation involves preparing meals ahead of time for a short or period of time.
Reading this definition is so motivating.
If you think you have to plan, shop, chop, cook and portion 5 days’ worth of food into individual containers, I’ve got good news–
You don’t.
Get rid of the Pinterest-y images in your head. Don’t let extremes become expectations.
Ready for a stress-free start to the week? Follow these steps.
The 5 Basics of Simple Meal Prep
These steps are easy meal prep ideas and are ideal for adding more healthy foods to your life inexpensively. These tasks are part of a healthy diet and will also help maintain a healthy weight.
1. Breakfast
Why think of breakfast first?
Because how we start our day effects the tone for the rest of the day…and arguably the week. When I think of breakfast, I’m typically choosing a baked good– muffins or an egg bake. That way we have a grab and go, nutritious option that everyone looks forward to on Monday morning. My suggestions are:
Thinking of breakfast first also triggers me to prioritize fruit in our week (will discuss below). And as a bonus–this item can also double as a snack throughout the week as well.
2. Protein
Another key item is ensuring you have protein on hand. It can be pre-made, ready to go (like the crumbles I use in my no prep lasagna) or you can certainly make the protein (like shredded chicken).
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Most of the time, this prep for me is this:
Putting the Meat in Fridge to Defrost
Yes.
I’m really telling you that opening up the freezer, taking out the meat for the week and putting it into the refrigerator to defrost is meal prep.
Because think of the alternative.
5 pm rolls around and you realize you forgot to defrost meat and now you’re scurrying around trying to piece together a meal. When in reality, in that 10 minutes you could have easily prepared Spinach Artichoke Chicken Bake!
Save yourself the mental and physical energy and include the simple step of defrosting your meat in prep. Even if you’re not entirely sure what you’ll do with it, it’ll be ready to go when you do.
3. Fruit & Vegetables
Fruit
We eat a lot of fruit, so I like to have it ready to go. I’ll wash the berries and the grapes. I’ll even open up a can of pineapple and have it ready in a container.
This can even be like the meat, where I’m simply taking a bag of frozen fruit out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost.
Veggies
Vegetable are more likely to be eaten if they are prepped and ready. And it’s easier to toss them in a recipe last minute if they are already washed and sliced. My suggestions are:
- bell pepper slices
- Chopped onion
- sliced cucumber
- bagged carrots
- bagged salad prepped and in bowl
This can even be as simple ensuring you have frozen veggies in your freezer (for a side dish like frozen roasted veggies) or opening up a can of green beans, draining and placing in container so that all you have to do is heat up tomorrow.
That may sound silly, but I’m telling you– it’s so helpful and you’re more likely to eat it if you don’t have to think about it.
4. Whole Grains/Pasta/Legumes
A really easy way to get a head start on the week? Boil whole grain pasta or make a pot of brown rice.
Now you have something to quickly serve with sauce, or my favorite– toss into salads or taco bowls.
Again, this could be as easy as opening up a can of black beans, rinsing and draining and storing in an airtight container. You’re now ready to toss into that taco meat tomorrow or microwave and serve.
5. Snacks
This is as quick as just identifying what to have as a snack. Examples include the following:
- Cheese sticks
- turkey pepperoni
- baked good (previously discussed above)
- hummus/dip and veggies
- fruit and ingredients for peanut butter honey dip
So there you have it. Simple meal prep that anyone can do!
Is it okay to meal prep for 5 days?
Please know that it’s absolutely okay to meal prep for the week. Especially if that works for you!
In fact, most meals will last for 3-5 days so it’s certainly doable from a safety standpoint.
Just be encouraged that you don’t have to.
I’ll bet that even if you do prep all meals for the week, there’s bound to be times in life where that’s just not possible or doesn’t work.
Go back to the 5 basics.
I’ll also add this— once I had kids, I never could stay consistent with the idea of family meal prep. And that’s okay because I’ve actually learned the following:
- My family doesn’t love eating my Sunday prep on Thursday
- The week changes and we don’t end up eating what I made
- I don’t want the added weekly meal prep menu stress on Sundays
And finally, it’s very important to me that my kids see me in the kitchen and have a role with preparing meals each day.
This is the best of both worlds!
How do Beginners Meal prep for a busy week?
Okay now that you know my top 5, I’ll give a real example of what meal prep looks like for me this week.
For my breakfast baked good, I prepare pancake muffins (in silicone bakeware of course) and while those bake, I do the following:
- Boil Water for pasta
- Take meat and bag of frozen fruit out of freezer and place in refrigerator
- Wash cumbers, bell peppers and grapes; slice and/or place in container
- Cook and drain pasta
- Prepare bagged salad
And finally, I’ll identify a couple of snacks– apples, cheese sticks, almonds, turkey pepperoni, and popcorn.
When the oven timer dings, I’ll take the muffins out of oven and pop them out of the pan.
I’m now ready to welcome the week ahead!
Looking for Simple Meal Prep Ideas?
Take a step back and apply the definition of meal prep to your life to create intentional action this week. Ask yourself these questions:
- What process would work for me?
- How can I define what planning and preparing looks for my family?
Be sure to check out these blog posts for more resources:
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