Meal Planning 101

Sometimes, food can be the last thing on our minds. When trying to balance work, family, school, and other obligations, food can easily be pushed to the bottom of our priority list. Not only can this hinder our wellness goals, but it also adds another burden of stress to our lives. And more often than not, we sacrifice our goals for the sake of convenience.

If you often find yourself struggling to make time to eat nutritionally balanced meals or just want to have one less thing on your plate, then meal planning and prepping is for you!

Meal planning and prepping are tools to help you maximize your time and take care of your future self. There is no one way to meal prep, and the best thing is that it’s entirely customizable for you and your needs. Whether you struggle with eating breakfast in the mornings or don’t have time for lunch, meal prepping can help alleviate your problems.

Types of Meal Prep

Mix and Match

One of the simplest meal-prepping types is mixing and matching carbs, proteins, and vegetables to create different meals on the go. So maybe you prep two proteins (chicken breast and ground turkey), one vegetable (roasted vegetables), and two carbs (whole grain wraps and rice) for the week. Now, you can make several meals from the food you’ve prepped. So maybe you have chicken and veggie wraps for lunch and ground turkey, rice, and veggie bowls for dinner. Mix and match as you see fit, and do not worry about cooking during the week. 

Batch Meal Prepping

When you batch meal prep, you prepare breakfast, lunch, or dinner options and portion them out. When batch meal prepping, you can have all your food portioned into containers, so all you have to do during the week is grab and go! This is especially helpful if you’re trying to reach specific daily amounts of macronutrients or calories. 

*Please consult with a Registered Dietitian for your specific caloric and macronutrient needs*

Make a plan

So now that you know some of the different ways to meal prep, it’s time to focus on planning. Planning may seem daunting at first, but spending 10-15 minutes a week planning will save you hours, money, and stress in the long run. 

The first step is to consider your nutrition goals and what foods you crave that week. Make a meal plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, and include any meals you plan to eat out because of any commitments. Now, you can make a grocery list and go shopping or even deliver your weekly groceries!

Now that your plan is in place and you’ve gone grocery shopping pick a day that works best for you to meal prep. Maybe you have extra time on Sundays, so Sunday would be a great day to dedicate to meal prep. 

Start cooking the item that takes the longest to cook first (likely the protein) and proceed accordingly until you’re all finished. A great tip is to ensure everything has cooled to room temperature before assembling things like wraps and salads so they don’t get soggy. 

General Tips

Meal prepping can be overwhelming, so here are some general tips to help you be successful!

• Start Small
  • Your first meal preparation can be stressful. Consider starting with meal prepping dinner (or your hardest meal), and once you get the hang of that, you can add other meals to your weekly routine.
• Be Prepared
  • Make sure you have all of the necessary materials before you begin. Planning ahead really helps with this process. Investing in quality meal prep containers will also last longer and help you have a more seamless meal prep routine. 
• Set a Routine
  • Meal prep’s role is to serve you and your needs. Work towards fitting it into your weekly routine so that it becomes second nature instead of feeling like a burden.
• Overlap Ingredients to Save Money
  • Sometimes, it’s just easier to use similar ingredients in your meal preps, not to mention it saves money. For example, you decide you want to have tacos for dinner and are using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for extra protein and less fat. You can also have Greek yogurt bowls for breakfast to ensure you aren’t wasting ingredients. 

Meal prep is an investment into your future self. It helps you waste less time stressing about food and spend more time doing the things you care about. Always remember that meal prep is meant to serve you, so be flexible throughout your journey.