Something that I started to do right when I moved into my first apartment 3 years ago was meal prep. I started with dinners and some components of dinner. Doing this helped me to have healthy options ready to go, reduced my chances of eating out, and allowed me to know have to think about what I was going to eat for each meal.
Getting Started
How I start meal prepping is by deciding what I want to eat that week and making a grocery list for the items that I do not already have. For me I have two different breakfasts that I eat, I eat the same lunch and then I have a list of my favorite dinners that I rotate between. I also rotate the type of snack that I eat. Once I have a list I only buy those items at the grocery store. This helps to eliminate buying excess food and creating more waste. Below are pictures of the grocery list and dinner meal plan that I make for each week.
When making your list order it in the way you move around the store. Start with produce, then move to aisles, meal and deli counter, dairy and eggs, frozen, and lastly healthy food section. Something that my mother does is include the aisle number next to the grocery item.
To break it down I will either eat egg muffins or boiled eggs for breakfast with a navel orange. A spinach salad with black beans and an apple with almond butter for lunch. I make a homemade lemon vinaigrette. For a snack I either have a fruit that is in season or pickles. Dinners vary week to week. Lastly for dessert I have Enjoy Life chocolate chunks and either frozen mango or frozen berries.
Meal Prepping a Component of Each Meal
Breakfast: This is my number one tip for meal prepping. Have at least one component of each meal prepped. For breakfast I will either make 12 egg muffins on Sunday or 6 boiled eggs on Sunday and 6 boiled eggs on Wednesday. I either eat two egg muffins or 2 boiled eggs for breakfast. I tend to make the egg muffins during the colder months as I like to reheat them in the microwave and I make the boiled eggs in the cooler months as I like mine right out of the fridge.
Lunch: The meal prep I do for lunch is wash and store spinach. I buy it not in plastic. I also make a homemade lemon vinaigrette this is the one I have been making for years now Low FODMAP Lemon Vinaigrette. I also drain and rinse a can of black beans for the salad. For me one can of black beans is three servings.
Snacks/Desserts: The only time I really prep snacks is when I buy a melon and I cut it up to store in the fridge. Otherwise I just wash the produce right before I eat it. Some ideas for fruit that I like for snacks is cutie oranges, grapes, watermelon, and cantaloupe. When I am in the mood for something savory or salty I have a pickle or sometime I even buy Field Roast Chao Vegan Cheese and have a slice of that for a snack.
Dinner: For dinners I will make two different dinners for the week. Up until now I was meal prepping dinners on Sunday that would last me four days and then I would make a second dinner on Thursday that would last me until Sunday. Now that I am coaching soccer on Sunday's into the evening I know I will not want to cook that day so I changed the day. This is another tip I have. If prepping dinners on the weekends works best for you then do that. But if you have a night of the week without an activity I would recommend using that evening to cook instead. For dinners I usually prep a side along with the main meal. I do not allows do this and something just heat up frozen vegetables. For more ideas of the dinners that I like to prep check out
Summer Dinner Meal Plan for One Person
Summer Weekly Meal Prep PlanTips
Most of my meals take 30 minutes or less to prep. Making quick meals allows me to spend less time in the kitchen. I also find that I would be exhausted if I prepped everything in one day or at one time do I do a little bit every day or so and find that that makes it less overwhelming and more approachable. I also recommend getting on a schedule for when you prep your dinners and breakfasts. This helps to make sure that you always have something in the fridge ready for these meals. I find that I can spend a little more time on lunch each day but I am ready for a quick meal right away in the morning and for dinner. Another tip to avoid getting bored of having the same thing is to create a list or recipe book of all of your meals. Check out my blog post 5 Layouts for a Bullet Journal Recipe Book . A tip I have for saving money and to avoid being in a rut is to buy produce the is on sale and in season. This not only helps you to save money but changes the produce you eat from season to season so you are not just eating the same thing. I found this great resource for buying fruits and vegetables. The last tip I have is to use either a note app like the one I showed in the pictures above or a grocery list application where you can mark off what you get as you go. I recommend the free version of Our Groceries.
To learn more about my Low FODMAP Journey check out this additional links
My Favorite Fody Products and How I Use Them
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