Howdy!
Today we are going to dive into the How To of meal prepping for an entire week.
Here’s a few questions you may be asking yourself:
Why should anyone meal prep?
What are the benefits of doing this?
What do I get in return for doing this in the first place?
These are all valid questions, so let me answer them. I think everyone should meal prep for a few reasons, it’s a time saver, you can have delicious meals at the ready, and it’s generally cheaper overall.
Unfortunately, most people don’t realize this and think meal prepping is only for people super serious about working out and getting shredded for that summer bod.
Here are a few of the major reasons people struggle with starting or even attempting meal prep.
It’s only for bodybuilders/Crossfitters/Athletes
You can’t have variety in the food
It takes too much time
I can’t cook
None of these are true. I’m going to show you how you can create amazing meals for an entire week that aren’t boring, the same thing over and over, take a very short amount of time, and that anyone can do!
Here’s how, step by step:
Step 1: Plan Ahead
Creating a plan is vital to the success of your meal preparation.
To plan this out, choose a theme or certain recipes that you want throughout the week. These can range from focusing on Mediterranean flavors, Asian dishes, all the way to south of the border with Mexican and South American influence.
Choose to make a wide range of things. A few of each category I have found is the best:
Sauces (hummus, chimichurri, peanut sauce, etc.)
Carbohydrates (rice, pasta, quinoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.)
Proteins (chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, pork, etc.)
Vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, etc.)
Fruit (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, bananas, mango, etc.)
Snacks (cheese, fruits, granola, yogurt, etc.)
Take stock of what you have in your pantry/fridge and see what else you will need for the week.
Step 2: Cook in Bulk
Cooking in bulk will save you time and money.
When you have decided what you are going to make, now you need to choose a day and start cooking it. Making large amounts will save you time, throughout the week, in the kitchen. That way you can simple mix and match items and quickly reheat them.
Here’s a few ideas of how to cook some of these different foods:
Braise large cuts of meat in a crockpot or oven for 3-4 hours.
Saute different vegetables.
Bake fish in the oven.
Make a large thing of mashed potatoes.
The key is to multitask. After a while, this becomes a dance. You will know what items take the longest, which take only a short amount of time, which you can do while others are cooking, etc.
Step 3: Store your creations
Now that you’ve done all the hard work, you need to store this stuff away to easily grab it throughout the week.
Place each creation in their own tupperware containers. And the general rule of thumb is that they will last for 4-5 days in the fridge. This can vary depending on a number of factors. If you are worried about things going bad, you can throw some pre-made meals in the freezer.
Those are the basics of meal prepping. It doesn’t have to be complicated and doesn’t have to take all day, at first it may take 4-5 hours, but as you start to understand everything and how to better structure your time you can cut this in half and be done in no time.
Meal Prep FAQ
How do I figure out portion sizes?
I like to use my hands as guides. Since everyone’s hands are fairly proportional to their body size, using your hands is a safe bet on how much to put on a plate.
A handful of protein, a handful of carbs, two handfuls of vegetables and two thumbs of fat/sauce.
How to reheat?
On busy nights throwing everything on a plate a putting it in the microwave is the way to go. If you have a little bit more time and don’t mind spending 10-15 minutes heating it up on the stove, then you can do that as well.
What about breakfast?
The most important meal of the day. I would choose 4-5 go to breakfast options and just rotate through those. Could be something like breakfast burritos (could make ahead and freeze), oatmeal, fried eggs and avo toast, protein pancakes, etc. If you want me to make a breakfast meal prep idea then send me an email or message and I can certainly do that, links below.
How long does it take?
This is a process. The more practice you have with it the shorter it will become. I like to say 4-5 hours the first few times doing it, simply to learn the dance of it all, but once you have done this a handful of times it can easily be done on a Sunday in 2-3 hours.
My Mix and Match Meal Prep Ebook
If you are wanting to dive deeper into this, I have an ebook that is chalk full of recipes, combinations and more.
Coming soon…
Recap
Meal prepping for an entire week doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s not only for athletes and bodybuilders. It’s for the everyday person, and you can create amazing recipes and flavors all while saving yourself time in the kitchen. You will have more time to binge your favorite show on Netflix or spend time with your kids.
Now let’s get cooking!
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