Are you someone who wants to save time, money or just wants to eat a healthier diet? Meal prepping can help you reach those goals. Meal prepping is scheduling a certain block of time on one day a week to prepare for all of your upcoming meals. Meal planning is different, where you find recipes that suit your schedule best. Meal prepping is actually preparing meals or ingredients ahead of time, storing them for when it’s time to use them. Some like making and freezing entire meals ahead of time. Some like preparing meals in individual containers for quick on-the-go lunches, or chopping and storing ingredients ahead of time. Regardless of your preferred method, meal prepping can help you reduce food waste, save money, and eat a healthier diet. Ready to get started? Here are a few ways you can be successful on your first meal prep.
Start small If you are a beginner– just starting with meal prep— it can be overwhelming to plan an entire week’s meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) in one go. You might want to start with just a few meals a week or maybe just dinners, lunches, or snacks. You can immediately begin the positive changes to your meal planning habits!
Make a checklist Writing down everything you need to do during your weekly meal prepping session is a good idea. Get your recipes and prepare a shopping list of everything you will need. This assures you that you will have the right ingredients on hand once prep day comes.
Invest in containers Doing meal prep means you will be making meals or preparing ingredients for several days of meals all at one go. Investing in a set of quality food storage containers that can be reused each week is important. Consider starting with a medium-size set and just add more containers if you need to. It may take you a few weeks before you can identify just how many containers you will need. Remember that the more eco-friendly glass containers tend to last longer than their plastic counterparts!
Gather ingredients Before prep day arrives, you can begin collecting the ingredients on your shopping list. Start shopping in your pantry! Take stock of what you already have before actually buying anything. Regular food rotation in your pantry helps you to avoid wasting money on expired food items. It’s a good idea, as well, to find recipes that make use of what you already have to maximize your meal prep efficiency.
Schedule enough time Meal prepping can take several hours, depending on how many and what type of meals you are preparing. Set aside a good chunk of time for your meal prepping sessions. To help make it a consistent part of your new meal planning system, it is good to do your meal prepping on the same day of the week and at the same time.
Prep smart Although your ultimate goal might be to prep everything fresh or from scratch, don’t hesitate to take a few shortcuts when you need to. For example, you can buy pre-cut vegetables if chopping vegetables takes up too much of your time (or you just don’t like doing it). Also, avoid elaborate meals in the meantime. As much as you want to include all the basic food groups into your meal plan, if you find yourself struggling, scale back your meal prepping a bit. When you are more efficient in your meal prepping session, you are more likely to do it consistently every week.
Finally, keep in mind that meal prepping is different for everyone. Feel free to experiment with different approaches until you find one that suits you best.
Are you in the market for a Sherwood rental home with a kitchen where you can comfortably meal prep? Contact Real Property Management Hometown to view listings near you, or check out our available rentals online!
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