Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Wednesday Weekly Recipes - Meal Prep Tips


20 Meal Prep Tips From the Best Preppers We Know
Below are 20 "Meal Prep Tips Worth Stealing" so I stole them. These are not "my" tips. I got them here. I want my weekly meals to look like this. It makes my heart happy. So clean and organized. So so so organized. Yes.. I want this.

Besides, I have realized that, unless I do some sort of meal prep I am never (or at least am RARELY) going to have anything decent to eat for lunch. I never claim to be a quick learner. While I have a knack for becoming obsessed with things others rarely consider, I am fairly oblivious to the things that most people seem to notice. For example... it is difficult to truly have control over what I eat if I do not prepare the food myself. I know.. I know.. this is not news to anyone else. I may have even written these very words before...but if I did.. I quickly forgot.
Anyway, I think this is something I must do permanently. I HAVE prepped my meals before. This truly is NOT new to me. I did not succeed in making this a permanent lifestyle change and I think it is because I was not fully prepared and certainly not committed to making it work.
This time, I am going to follow the tips below and set aside time Sunday afternoon to cook for the week.

So, here's to trying again...


1. Invest in the right containers.Proper food storage containers [allow you to] re-heat your meals and eat from them — and they last forever. I purchase glass containers that allow me to portion-size my meals easily. Additionally, I have varying shapes and sizes of containers for salads and snacks like yogurt and fruit, and zip-lock bags for dry snacks.”

2. Get in on the Mason Jar trend.“I’m all about canning jars for meal prepping! They work for salads, soup, oatmeal, smoothies — almost anything. They are dishwasher- and microwave-safe, water-tight and sturdy as can be. I use plastic caps on mine, which are easier to clean and keep track of than the standard two-part preserving lids.”

3. Make sure your lids match.Buy the same brand of containers. [It] may seem trivial, but it will save time when trying to package your meals up. Matching lids can be a pain if you have three different types of containers

4. Nail down a system for collecting new recipes.“I’ll often screenshot recipes I find online throughout the week on my phone so I have a bunch of healthy recipe ideas saved to my camera roll to choose from when it’s time to sit down and do some meal planning. When I have a little more time, I love sitting down with a few cookbooks and a cup of coffee on Sunday mornings to search for recipe inspiration

6. Go crazy with the spices.“[One of my] secrets is to prep things that I like to eat, and add spices and flavors…If you don’t like what you’re eating, your diet plan will not be sustainable.”

 7. Make a detailed shopping list.“I like to keep things simple… I use the “Notes” app on my iPhone to keep a running list of ingredients I need. As soon as I notice I am running out of a staple ingredient like dried rice or chopped garlic, I’ll put it right on the list so that I remember to buy it at next week’s grocery trip…I try to keep my list in order of where I’ll find in in the grocery store — produce, meat, dairy — so that my trip to the store is quick and efficient. ”

8. Make your kitchen a meal prepping machine.“I pull in a foldable table, a cart [and] get my second toaster oven and other appliances out from the closet. I get equipped with my apron, I put on my headphones, and I try to…meal prep for the week faster than I did last week. Within four to five hours, I can prepare food for six days… This would be impossible if I didn’t employ the strategy of turning my kitchen into a factory when meal prep time comes around.”

9. Stock up on meal prep staples.“I keep my pantry and freezer stocked with quick go-to items. Here’s what I always try to have on hand. Freezer: frozen fruits and veggies (less expensive and lasts much longer), frozen brown rice or quinoa (quicker cooking and no pan to wash!), frozen shrimp or salmon (defrosts quickly). Pantry: Plain oatmeal, beans, diced tomatoes, salsa, chicken or veggie broth.”

10. Pretty up your meals.“It’s one thing to have a delicious meal; it’s another to have a ‘good looking,’ delicious meal. Many times people will prepare a meal, or two, or five, but the reality is that by the third day or so that meal might not look that appealing anymore. For me, the kitchen tool that has helped change this is the cast iron grill pan. Whether you’re cooking chicken, steak, burgers, or even a sandwich, pressing it on to that pan to create grill marks makes a world of difference. Best part about it is, it can be used indoors and you’ll still get the beautiful grill marks without having to go outside and turn on the grill when it’s 10 below. Try it!” 

11. Utilize the weekend.“Get your meal prepping done during the weekend so you’ve got meals for the beginning of [each] week. This has helped me in getting organized!”

12. Set a timer (and stick to it).“Meal prepping can seem so overwhelming, and if you aren’t careful, you can spend a whole day prepping food. I’m a believer that you should keep your meal-prep sessions short. I set a timer for two hours on Sunday mornings. I get done as much as I can in those two hours, and then I go enjoy my weekend happy that I’ve prepared myself for the upcoming week. You’d be amazed at what you can get done in that time!” 

13. Learn to multitask.“When people are first starting to food prep, they tend to focus on doing one thing at a time, which is fine, but it often takes a lot longer for them to get their food prep done and it can be discouraging. Once you’ve done it a few times and start to get comfortable, using multiple parts of your kitchen at once is a game changer. I almost always have something baking in the oven, something cooking on the stove, something in the crockpot and am working on something at the counter all at the same time. This allows you to get more done in a shorter period of time!”

14. Put technology to work for you.“I use an app such as MyFitnessPal, [which makes] it really easy to record recipes and meals so that I can recall them and reuse them again in future meal preps. I can just [modify] a few ingredients and I have a new recipe with all the macros, etcetera, already calculated”

15. Bust out your slow cooker.“I use my CrockPot a TON! It does the cooking for you. It even cooks while you sleep

16. Implement time-saving strategies.“I try to keep a few home-made frozen meals on hand at all times in case I’m having a really busy week and won’t have time to cook. Something like soup or vegetable chili will freeze and reheat really well, and saves a lot of time on really busy days.”

 17. Cut corners.Buy veggies pre-cut. Even though it costs a bit more at first, you may find you waste less and spend less time in the kitchen.”
 18. Shake things up.“Eat different meals at different times every day! Some people get frustrated and think that they have to eat the same thing every day, all day. This is hardly the case! Think outside of the box. Your traditional breakfast or early day meal does NOT always have to be eggs and oatmeal… Plan your meals according to your personal goals

19. Savor your kitchen time.“Like most Americans, I spend most of my work day at my desk. I try to think of my time spent cooking as a way to relax and get out from behind a screen for a bit. I know we’re all busy and have a lot of demands pulling it us in a lot of directions, but I try to enjoy my time spent cooking… it’s my “me time”.”

20. Embrace your freedom.“Meal prepping isn’t just about eating healthy or improving the look of your body; it’s about freedom. When you meal prep for days in advance, you are free from having to make any sort of decision regarding what to eat for that time. You don’t have to determine where or when you’ll get food, you just have it. This saves psychic resources that can be put towards doing other things that are important to you, like focusing on a relationship, a career, your work or training. You no longer have to make decisions about food or focus on it; it’s been taken care of, now work and play and be free of the burden of hunger and the decision making process that comes with it!”

Do you Prep your meals? Any tips you want to share?

Big hugs!
K

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