Ella Olsson on UnsplashOkay, so you’re not an influencer who can spend half of their day preparing a bunch of food for the week, nor are you a multi-millionaire, so you can have someone do it for you. Most of us aren’t, but that doesn’t mean you can’t feel a little bit more organized.
Meal prepping has become a main way to eat healthier for folks, especially among those who are looking to lose weight or gain muscle. It allows you to keep track of calories and the kind of food you’re eating a little bit better.
The problem is, not all of us have 4 or 5 hours to dedicate to meal prep on a Sunday night. Or maybe you do, but you don’t want to. That’s totally fair. To greatly decrease the amount of work you’re putting into meal prep, you can follow these steps.
Start Small
Health and fitness are a journey, and that means you don’t have to go from preparing nothing to preparing everything. Pick one meal or one food to prepare for the week and stop there. You’ll find that your prepping will naturally broaden as you figure out what you like to eat.
One-Pot It
Don’t mess up your kitchen with a million pots and pans. Instead, keep your kitchen prep simple, and prioritize meals that only require one pot or one pan. A crock pot, instant pot, or air fryer is also a good option for these types of meals.
Make Some Lists
We know not making lists is not everyone's cup of tea, but we promise that it does help. Start making lists of your favorite meals or ingredients that you use on a week-to-week basis. That way, part of your grocery list is done before you even go shopping.
Use Dinner For Lunches
No matter what size family you have, this trick will do wonders when it comes to prepping for the week ahead. On Sunday or Monday, make a huge meal that your family can eat as lunch for a few days. Repeat this process on, say, Wednesday and Saturday, and you will always have more than enough to eat throughout the day.
Just Prep The Essentials
You don’t have to cook everything on a Sunday night, but what you can do is group all the ingredients together. This makes cooking time much easier, as you already have the exact measurements prepared for what you’re going to cook.
Other Tips And Tricks
Don’t underestimate your freezer. You can double-batch soups, stews, broths, or other items that can be pulled out the following week.
Choose recipes with 10 ingredients or fewer.
If you have kids, choose snacks that they can always have to promote healthy eating.
Create a weekly meal schedule, which can help keep you organized and make grocery lists easier.
It’s more than okay to eat the same food every week. If you have found a schedule that not only keeps you happy and healthy but is easy enough to replicate, there’s no reason not to keep it up.
