Sick of scrambling for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Meal prep ideas that can be frozen on to find out how meal prep might be the solution you’ve been looking for.
2014 and has been climbing ever since. Instagram has more than 11 million posts, chances are you’ve been inspired by the movement, which involves photos of neatly-packed, portion-controlled food containers. At the same time, meal prep can feel like a puzzle you don’t have time to solve—particularly when life gets busy. But here’s the truth: You can do it! These pre-prepped foods are usually packed into grab-and-go containers that can be refrigerated or frozen, and then microwaved or baked. Serious meal-preppers might buy and pre-assemble several recipes at once so almost all their meals are covered for a few days or a week.
But you can start off small by planning and packing up tomorrow’s lunch or a couple days worth of snacks. You can also prepare big batches of specific meal components, says cookbook author and registered dietitian Dana Angelo White. I’ll make a big batch of rice early in the week, eat some that night, then use it later in the week if I’m doing burritos or fried rice. In terms of logistics, some people prefer to plan, shop, and meal prep all on the same day, while others spread the shopping and cooking into two separate days. What are the benefits of meal prep? While you may still have to reheat your prepared meal or snack and, of course, wash your dishes, doing all your shopping and prepping over the course of one or two days will save time on cooking and major clean-ups during the rest of the week. Instead of staring blankly at the items in your fridge wondering how they fit together—all while your stomach grumbles—you can grab an entire snack or meal, reheat it, and enjoy.
Take the guesswork out of portion control. Because meal prepping tends to involve divvying up your recipe into single servings ahead of time, it can be very beneficial for portion control, White says. TIP: Whether you opt for plastic or glass, food containers are key when it comes to meal prep. Planning your meals ahead of time means you’ll already know what ingredients you’ll need when you head to the store. This means you’ll be less likely to waste time wandering the aisles or spending way too much money on impulse buys. Male subjects who meal-prepped were less likely to be diagnosed with obesity while women who prepped meals in advance were less likely to deal with excess weight or obesity. In theory, this makes sense: By definition, meal prep involves cooking at home, which is associated with a higher-quality diet.
That said, the jury is out on whether an interest in eating healthy is a result of cooking at home or a catalyst for the habit. For the people in the back: Just because someone goes through the motions of meal prepping doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to lose weight. However, common sense suggests that making meal decisions ahead of time could help set you up for success—or at least help you steer clear of the drive-thru. Allison Grupski, PhD, WW’s director of behavior change. What’s more, preparing a meal at home means you know—and can control—exactly what ingredients go into it, says endocrinologist Dr. For example, baking salmon at home means you can avoid the extra calories and excess saturated fat found at a restaurant where the fish is fried in butter instead of baked.
There’s no right or wrong way to meal prep. If the concept overwhelms you, just start small, White says. Or, try cooking two more meals a week over the weekend to offset weeknight scrambling. On Sunday, pick out a Monday dinner recipe, and get everything ready to make it: If it’s a stew, chop your veggies and put them in the refrigerator. Get out your pot, and other utensils you will need. Then, when you come home on Monday, cooking will be so much easier. Step 1: Invest in meal prep containers.
Even if you’re a huge fan of your famous chicken chili recipe, you won’t want to eat it on day three if it tastes iffy. To offset the risk of food going bad, invest in quality meal prep containers. 1 to 7 and identifies what the plastic is made from. It’s also a good idea to avoid microwaving your food in a plastic container, or pouring piping hot ingredients into one, as the heat can break down the plastic. On the other hand, glass dishes aren’t only reusable, but safe for storing both hot and cold foods. The same goes for stainless steel options, although they shouldn’t be microwaved.