Tips for Easy Meal Prep
You're running late for the family dinner, and you have no food prepared. Or maybe, prepping a whole meal every day for your office or kids seems too much work and is just not manageable. The thing is, meal preps can be incredibly easy and make your life so much easier too. You don't have to spend hours in the kitchen every 7am to make lunch boxes anymore when you have everything prepared beforehand. Here's how you can manage that:
Schedule a Prep Day
If you have a hectic schedule during the week, utilizing one of your free days as a prep day can greatly help. Pick any day of your convenience, and prepare for as many dishes as possible. If you have trouble covering the whole week's meal in one go, you can prep the rest of the dishes on another day. Many people have their Sundays reserved for kids' activities or family time. Even various experts think it to be exhausting to prep only on Sundays, so they divide their work and do the rest mid-week. The aim is to make sure your new habit is sustainable and helps instead of being an extra burden. To make a prep day more enjoyable, you can invite a friend to assist you, ask a family member to help you out or turn on the music. There are several ways to motivate yourself for this chore.
Prep Tip for Veggies
Prepping veggies can be a bit of a handful, but this tip can make it extremely convenient. If your veggies keep going stale even in the freezer, blanching them will make them last longer. Before freezing them, wash them thoroughly and cut them into right-sized pieces. Now, dip these pieces in hot water; boiling water is preferable and immediately cool them. This will keep them fresh for many more days and help get rid of germs. Blanching gives vegetables a bright color in addition to sealing in the taste and the nutrients.
Planning your Meals
The best way to start a meal prep is by planning and thinking ahead. If you already know your menu for the entire week, or even for the next few days, this can be a lifesaver. If you're new at it, you don't need to analyze macros and spend hours researching. Make a small start, and then gradually build your confidence. Just think of what you'd like to eat, and jot down the one option you've finalized. Once you've figured out which planning strategy suits you best, then you can start focusing on the delicacies. Make sure you've included each food group in your plan and haven't jeopardized your body's well-being by missing out on any nutrient. Excess salt, refined grains, and added sugars can be detrimental to health. Therefore, limit the intake of their sources.
Using Dependable Recipes
If meal prep isn't your forte, you need to make sure you do everything you can to make it easier for you. Trying out new, difficult, and complicated recipes, especially at the start, isn't recommended. If you have a list of recipes that you know by heart, making those dishes can be a great initiative. Keeping all such recipes in a single place makes it easier to navigate them.
Choosing the Right Containers
Food storage containers are one of the most important, if not the most important, meal prep tools. Mismatched containers with missing lids can be a nightmare. Containers with the right size, enough sections, and a proper seal or a lid are essential. Containers that allow freezing and reheating food in them are a blessing. If you decide to go out shopping for them, make sure you buy clear and transparent containers. It will save you the hassle of opening the lid and checking what's inside each time. Additionally, go for recyclable material to reduce your plastic waste.
