Meal prep is a helpful habit that can save you time and help ensure that you eat healthy meals throughout the week, our guide has tips to help you get started. I tend to like meal prepping lunches, but its easy to meal prep dinners and breakfasts as well. Prepping can take a bit of time to get used to, but it can be a great way to ensure you’re eating healthy, delicious meals every day.
Here are some basic guidelines to get started with meal prepping:
1. **Planning**: Decide what you’re going to eat for the week. Make sure to consider breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any snacks. Try to balance your meals with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Also, think about your schedule and plan easy-to-eat meals for busy days.
2. **Grocery Shopping**: Once you’ve planned your meals, make a grocery list of all the ingredients you’ll need. Stick to your list to avoid buying unnecessary items.
3. **Preparation**: Many people set aside a few hours on their day off to do their meal prep for the week. Cook and prepare all your meals, then divide them into portion-sized containers. For example, you might grill chicken, steam vegetables, and cook rice, then divide these into containers for each day’s lunch. See below for additional ideas.
4. **Storing**: After you’ve prepared your meals, store them in the refrigerator or freezer. If you’re storing meals for later more than a week, it might be a good idea to freeze them to ensure they stay fresh. Just remember to defrost them the night before you plan to eat them.
5. **Eating**: Take your prepared meals with you to work, school, or wherever you go during the day. You’ll have a healthy and delicious meal ready to go, saving you time and stress.
In addition, remember the following tips:
- Include variety in your meals to prevent boredom.
- Consider investing in quality food storage containers. They can keep your food fresh longer and are typically more durable. Here are some of my recommendations:
- Don’t forget about healthy snacks. Having prepared snacks on hand can help you avoid unhealthy choices.
- Remember to consider your own dietary needs and preferences. What works well for others might not work as well for you.
Meal prepping can take a bit of time to get used to, but it can be a great way to ensure you’re eating healthy, delicious meals every day.
Meal Prep Food Ideas:
Proteins:
- Grilled Chicken
- Meatballs (Try our Teriyaki Chicken Meatball recipe)
- Salmon
- Patties made with canned chicken/salmon/tuna (try our Salmon Patties recipe)
Vegetables:
I typically prefer to use frozen vegetables. I add them to the meal prep container while still frozen.
- Broccoli (Frozen or fresh)
- California Vegetable Blend
- Normandy Vegetable Blend
- Peas
- Carrot Sticks
- Green Beans
Healthy Carbs:
- Brown Rice
- Quinoa
- Sweet Potatoes (Try our Mashed Sweet Potatoes recipe)
- Beans (Like Pinto and Black Beans)
Bowls:
- Teriyaki Chicken Bowl – Use grilled chicken (or our Teriyaki Chicken Meatball recipe) Top with Teriyaki. Add brown rice and broccoli slaw or California Vegetable Blend.
- Mexican Chicken Bowl – Use grilled chicken, add black beans and brown rice, chopped zucchini and pico de gallo. Season chicken with Bolthouse Cilantro Avocado dressing.
Breakfast:
- Overnight Oats
- Yogurt w/ Fresh Fruit (store the fruit in a separate container, add right before serving)
- Breakfast Sandwich w/ Whole Grain English Muffin, Egg/egg White, turkey Bacon. Can easily be frozen and reheated as needed. To heat from frozen, microwave for 1 minute on defrost or 50% power. Turn over and heat for an additional 30 seconds-1 minute until fully warmed.
- Egg scramble bowl – scrambled eggs and/or egg whites. Add toppings such as spinach, bell pepper, turkey bacon, & ham.
