Meal prep 101
Last Updated on: 6th May 2024, 10:21 pm
Time Management & Health Perks
Learn how to meal prep like a pro. This will help you save money, save time, and gain overall wellness from eating balanced meals.
On Sundays I meal prep!
I dread Sundays for this very reason. I only recently started meal prepping for myself. So far, it's been about 6 months.
Ironically, although I am a chef, I don’t always eat well. This is because after working in a kitchen all day, I then come home not interested in cooking for myself. I don’t have kids yet so there's that. If you think about it, I really have no need to cook since it's just me. Sometimes I order out, sometimes I snack and other times I just don’t eat.
Self Care
It’s easy to let work be the driving force of your life. Often, I come to the realization that I'm not devoting the time that I deserve towards making sure I am living a well rounded and healthy lifestyle. If this is you, STOP and think! What can you do better?
Bad Habits
For year’s my dad would ask me if I’m eating right and my response would be, “eh, not really but I'm working on it”. It's strange. I can be really hungry and begin to cook a meal for someone else. THEN. By the time I'm done cooking, I don’t want to eat. I’m still trying to figure out why. It could be a combination of taste testing, the smell of the food, allowing gas to build up in my stomach? No idea. Whatever the cause, it’s an unhealthy habit I'm trying to break.
On Sundays I meal prep!
I dread Sundays for this very reason. I only recently started meal prepping for myself. So far, it's been about 6 months.
Ironically, although I am a chef, I don’t always eat well. This is because after working in a kitchen all day, I then come home not interested in cooking for myself. I don’t have kids yet so there's that. If you think about it, I really have no need to cook since it's just me. Sometimes I order out, sometimes I snack and other times I just don’t eat.
Self Care
It’s easy to let work be the driving force of your life. Often, I come to the realization that I'm not devoting the time that I deserve towards making sure I am living a well rounded and healthy lifestyle. If this is you, STOP and think! What can you do better?
Bad Habits
For year’s my dad would ask me if I’m eating right and my response would be, “eh, not really but I'm working on it”. It's strange. I can be really hungry and begin to cook a meal for someone else. THEN. By the time I'm done cooking, I don’t want to eat. I’m still trying to figure out why. It could be a combination of taste testing, the smell of the food, allowing gas to build up in my stomach? No idea. Whatever the cause, it’s an unhealthy habit I'm trying to break.
Meal Prep Sunday
On Sundays my partner & I meal prep. We prepare 5-7 meals for the week. I quickly began to realize how beneficial having ready-made meals was while on keto. If you've ever done keto or any diet for that matter, you're probably aware that meal prepping improves your success rate by a great deal. Additionally, coming home from a long day of work and not having to cook is a huge relief.
The Process
Step 1: Figure out your goals and purpose for meal prepping
-Are you dieting?
-Lack of time?
-Eating on the go?
-Looking for overall wellness
Step 2: Plan your menu
-Whilst planning your menu, consider timing and how advanced you want your meals to be? This MATTERS A LOT! Why? Because you will spend countless hours in the kitchen. It’s not an easy task, even for a chef.
-Consider recipe difficulty & clean up time when planning your menu.
-Consider your portion sizes. This is especially important if you are dieting. It will also help you determine how much food you will need to purchase.
Menu Planning Tip:
-One-pot meals are awesome! For example; Chili, casseroles, spaghetti, soups, etc. Follow this link for a quick one-pot chicken dinner.
-Oven meals are even better! For example; Baked chicken, roasted potatoes, casseroles, etc. Follow this link for a quick oven dinner.
Step 3: Write your grocery list.
-Follow this link for tips on how to write out an organized grocery list. This will cut your shopping time in half! Time is money and you're already spending a lot of it in the kitchen.
Step 4: Make sure you have storage containers for your food.
-You may want to invest in disposable sauce containers as well.
Step 5: Grocery Shop & Start cooking!
-Follow this link for an efficient way to get in and out of the grocery store. Remember, Time is Money!
Step 6: Order of Operations
Start with the most time-consuming items first.
-Prepare hot items first to give them time to cool.
-If you are preparing a dish that needs 1 hour to cook in the oven, start that item first.
-Once you have a handle on your hot foods, begin to prepare your vegetables & salads.
-Lastly, package any sauces you may want in sauce containers.
-Allow your food to cool then package in storage containers.
-SAFETY FIRST! Be aware of TDZ and avoid Cross Contamination.
Meal planning tip: Work smarter not harder!
-Clean as you go so you’re not working in a mess, this will slow you down!
-Clean as you go so you don’t have so much to clean afterward!
Happy meal prepping!
Chef Abyssinia