Meal prepping is one of those things you know would make your life ten times easier—like keeping three rolls of toilet paper by the toilet even though you only need one—yet for some reason, there’s always something that stops you from doing it.
Maybe you think it’s too much work or you don’t know what to make or which meals to prep for, but meal prepping is actually quite simple, and it doesn’t take a nutritional expert or professional chef to make it happen.
If you have aspirations of getting home from work and not having to worry about what you’re going to eat, or cooking real food instead of spending way too much money on unhealthy takeout, then it’s definitely worth giving meal prepping a shot.
Meal prepping will save you time, money—and a lot of it, long term—and it’s the perfect way to make sure you’re eating balanced meals in healthy portions.
Planning and Grocery Shopping
Like most anything in life, the key to successful meal prepping is planning. Many seasoned meal preppers do their shopping and cooking on Sundays, but if yours are booked with the NFL and precious couch time, then pick any other day that works for your schedule. If doing a whole week’s worth of prep seems too overwhelming for you, break it up into multiple sessions—it’s still faster than cooking every single day.
The first step of the process is deciding what meals you want to prep that week. If you find yourself eating out every night for dinner, then make your dinners for the week. If you hate waking up to make breakfast and always end up going to Starbucks before work, then prepping breakfast could save you tons of money—and calories, too. Try replacing the meals that cost you the most with prepped meals, and you’ll be surprised how much money you save.