It’s lunch time once again and you are sitting at your desk wondering what food truck or fast food joint you will hit up today. Well, the problem with this is that for starters this eating out habit gets expensive, but more importantly, when we eat out we have little control over how many calories, grams of fat, sugar, and carbs we are consuming. This convenient habit of eating out becomes a very unhealthy habit. The solution? Start meal prepping!
Meal prepping is exactly what it sounds like, you set aside a few hours at the beginning of the week to prep your meals. You can go as far as prepping breakfast, lunch, and dinner for every day of the week or just start small and simply pack all of your lunches for the week.
Meal Prepping Basics:
Protein
Pick a protein for the week and cook it off. A great option is grilled chicken. Simply season with salt and pepper so you can customize your protein for every meal with other flavors.
Veggies
To avoid food boredom invest in single serving steamable packs of veggies. These are great because they can help you mix up your meals every day. These veggies now even come in a wide variety of flavors. So one day you can choose to go simple with some steamed broccoli and the next day you can mix things up with Asian-inspired veggies. You can always go simple and get some fresh crisp romaine for lunch time salads. Be sure to wash and thoroughly dry before putting into containers, allowing it to dry fully will help avoid wilting lettuce.
Whole Grain
Pick a whole grain. Some of our favorites include quinoa, brown rice, and whole grain wheat bread. Remember to keep the seasonings simple when cooking as this will allow you to mix up your meals every day by simply seasoning them.
Fruit
When you make a trip to the grocery store plan out what fruit you will bring with you each day. I recommend only buying as many as you need for the week to avoid throwing out spoiled fruit. Example, on your weekly trip to the grocery store, buy five apples, one for each of your lunches throughout the week.
To-Go Containers
Invest in enough to-go containers that will allow you to pack your meals in advance for the entire week.
Pick a Day
Pick a day that will be your meal prepping day. For most of us, Sunday evening is the ideal time to prep our meals for the week.
Plan a Weekly Grocery Store Trip
Part of meal prepping will involve a little bit of planning, selecting your protein, grain, veggies, and fruit for the week. Plan a weekly grocery trip to ensure that you are not wasting produce and are always eating the freshest foods.
Benefits of Meal Prepping
- You know exactly what you are putting into your body, as you carefully planned your meal
- You are eating a balanced meal
- You are avoiding eating out – saving you some major dough and calories
- You are getting into healthy habits
- Get social with it – invite friends and family over on a Sunday night to plan out meals together
For more information on Meal Prepping for Breakfast check out the Breakfast on the Go.