Top 10 Why To Meal Prep & Plan Tips

Why is it so beneficial to Meal Prep & Plan During Covid!

Before you even start.. I am just like you in many ways.  I swear I am !  You may look at the length of this post and think I do not have time for this or think, come on, I just want to get the magic words of what to do and get on with this!  I get cha!   But wait, wait, wait a minute. Remember, to get to our ultimate goal of ANYTHING we have to do the work in the middle.  You want to read it all, so do not create that mental note of “ I will read it tonight when I have time”.  STOP and give this time to yourself to get this started now. I am holding you accountable.

You already know this, we all already know many of the reasons why it is great to meal prep.  Well then WHY do we not do them, incorporate them into our lives.  I mean we know it makes our lives easier, we save money, we do not stress eat as much, we do not stop by fast food as much, we do not over eat as much, we know if we have the ingredients or not, it brings FUN back into cooking….. just to name a few. I feel it is a mental game as many things dealing with nutrition and exercise are.  Not everyone is the same, and we all have different ways of getting things done. One thing that is pretty universal is the desire to change, the mental awareness and putting those two together to make it happen.  I work better when I get all the ideas that are on my mental post it pad on to paper!   Yes, I am a task oriented person, who loves labels, schedules, calendars and routine.  I can go with the flow and switch things up, but I like to utilize my time wisely.  Now utilizing my time wisely is not always strict and structured, as I make time for myself, family, friends and nothing to do time. If you know me, you know I like to be on the move. Nothing wrong with that right? Even during these unprecedented times when we are not running kids around, school, schedules, activities, workouts, WORK, you know our daily routine (never thought you would miss having a daily routine this much now did ya?), then you come home and all of your intentions of stopping to get the few things you needed for dinner… then, well it never happened.   You thought of dinner throughout the day, and mentally you had plenty of time to get it ALL done so what happened?  Life and reality is what happened.  Okay… see where I am going with this. When you slowly start to train, relearn, rethink, whatever you want to call it, to make small changes to our current lifestyle we are actually making “forever lifestyle” changes.  Lifestyle changes that will nourish your soul inside and out.

So here are the Top 10 Why To Meal Plan/Prep Tips:

1. Time: we all want more time in the day right? You will know what you are preparing for your weekly meals. It is included on your grocery list so you will have the ingredients you need to prepare with.
2. Saves Money: because you are only buying what you need and not including items you think you might need.
3. Stress: Everyone has way too much stress in their lives already, why add more when you do not have to. So save your self some stress by having a plan. Maintaining a balanced diet helps to support everything in our bodies, blood flow, mental clarity, sleep cycle, hormones, digestive, cardio etc, from getting out of whack and supports us for the daily demands of our life.
4. Binge Eating: No brainer, we have all experienced that extreme hunger when we have not eaten in a while, had a hard work out, did not get enough sleep, have not had enough water and a hamburger, French fries, milkshake, anything topped with melted cheese is calling your name. When you start meal planning and prepping you have quick “go to” healthy snacks ready to help keep your blood sugar stable and keep those cravings away.
5. Plan: you will slowly start thinking ahead like it is nobody’s business! You will think of that recipe that calls for cilantro and then boom, you are instantly including other meals through out the week that call for some of the same ingredients. Or you will think of the dinner party you are going to attend over the weekend and how you can triple your quinoa for the dish you are taking to the party that will be using quinoa.
6. Healthy: you do not have to have kids, be an athlete to meal plan and prep. Meal planning and prepping is for everyone and all ages.  It helps to keep healthy options in your house, on your plate and in your tummy!    We all know it is so much more healthy to eat from home than anywhere and not processed foods.   Not knocking take out or eating out because we HAVE to do that every once in a while. Especially now to support our local restaurants, but do not make it an every other day choice.
7. Little Waist/No Waste: I am not guaranteeing you will loose weight. What I do mean is, when you meal prep & plan you cut down on making those meals with all of its ingredients only to make a meal the next night with a lot of different ingredients. This leads to a lot of left overs that can’t really be used or will taste good with the other meals you made.  Also leads you to eat more because you do not want to waste all of the food that no one ate.  See it helps you to prepare ahead knowing there may be a night when you know you will be out for the evening and you will not make as big of a portion that will go to waste.
8. Fun: you will become more creative while learning to meal plan and prep because it is enjoyable again and not a chore. You will probably even enjoy teaching other people how to cook, meal plan and prep!
9. Why so important during COVID: Because we are experiencing a Global Pandemic and a lot of people feel more stress, boredom and mental challenges than before. Many people are probably eating more food, bigger portions, more often, more junk dealing with the sudden transition to a new normal. While most have not realized or dealt with the mourning loss of the normal they use to have. That is why it is SO IMPORTANT NOW, more than ever, to MEAL PLAN AND PREP during this time. Remember as I stated in the beginning of this information… it is mental
10. YOU: you will have more time for you! Meal planning and prepping will allow you time to get that workout in, spend time with a book, your kids. You will definitely feel the health benefits over a few months when you clean up your diet by making healthy choices, you will sleep better, have more energy, will not have as many cravings and so much more.

Read This*******This process is not a magic pill, a quick process, the answer to all of your challenges in life, nor will you always be on top of it all.  This is a process that starts mentally, then physically.  Meal planning and prepping is the first step to your forever lifestyle change.

Tips for cooking and planning your grocery list.

• Sit down and write out your weekly menu. Remember to think about all of you activities for the week. Be realistic. Do not set yourself up to make everything from scratch when you know you will not have the time. Also, if you are tight on time and will not have time to prep the vegetables or fruit, go ahead and purchase the vegetables and fruit that is already cut up. Something will definitely always change even when well planned. So go with it. We are just trying to get the week ready in case all goes as planned.
• When planning your weekly menu, think of items that can be doubled to decrease the number of times you are cooking the same thing, ex. rice, noodles, etc. So, say you are planning on ka-bobs over rice one night, plan for making a stir-fry later that same week. Same rule applies to marinades, salad dressings, salads, chicken and many more items.
• Plan your shop and chop day. This needs to be a day where you have time to shop or order online the groceries you will need for the week to prepare your meals. You know the meals you sat down and thought about to make your weekly menu. Or use one of the ones we have created for you.
• When you come home from the grocery store with your goodies….. do not just put them away. Go ahead wash, rinse and store away. Chop, slice, dice shave.. whatever, and put in smaller ramekins or bowls to help speed up the cooking process. This saves so so so much time by not having to dice up vegetables or anything as you are starting to cook, since you already have them ready for use. I always put saran wrap around my ramekins or use my favorite Pampered Chef small measuring cups (glass) that have lids.
• When making your salad for the week keep everything separate and sealed tightly. This will ensure your greens do not get soggy and yuck. Always check the “best if used by” date on your packaged lettuce, spinach, or mixed greens.
• Explore your favorite storage containers. You want good quality containers. Think about what you will use them for before buying in bulk of any container. I use mason jars often to freeze my home made basil pesto, mac and cheese, quinoa etc. I like the smaller mason jars because it serves as an individual size for me and my family. So when I leave for work in the mornings I can grab a mason jar mixture of quinoa, yogurt and blueberries. This has always defrosted and ready to eat within 20-30 min. You can always speed up the defrosting by placing the mason jar in a bowl of hot water. Seriously, it does not take long to defrost.
• If chicken is going to be on your menu more than twice in a week, go ahead and make that your first meal ingredient and grill/bake or crockpot enough chicken for more than 1 meal.

There are many other time saving tips and I would love to hear some of your recommendations.
You can do this for yourself, your family, and to teach others.  LET’S GET GOING!