One of the most common questions I get from people who want to commit to a healthy lifestyle is, “how do you meal prep?” We talk a lot about the importance of meal prepping and how being prepared contributes to overall, long-term success in healthy eating. I find however, that many people feel overwhelmed by the thought of it and it is enough to keep them from even starting. Let me tell you, I’ve been there!
After years of practice though, I’m happy to be able to encourage you that with just a little time and the right system, meal prepping can and will become not just a manageable part of your healthy lifestyle, but might even become something you enjoy!
Today, I’m taking you inside my own kitchen for a peak at a day of real-life meal prepping and the system I use to do it all in just 2-hours! This is only a suggestion, it what I’ve found to be most successful, but it’s important to make the process work for you and your needs. If at first you find it a bit cumbersome or frustrating, don’t give up! Just keep practicing and tweaking your system until it works perfectly for you! I promise with time it becomes second nature. Add a little music and maybe your favorite latte to the mix and you’ve got the fixin’s for an enjoyable time of preparation!
Let’s get started!
Step One: The very first thing I do is to lay everything out so it’s accessible. I lay out all the food items I’ll need as well as cooking supplies I’ll be using so they’re ready to go. Your kitchen will look like it’s out of control, it will resemble a busy night at a 5-star restaurant, don’t be overwhelmed by that. It naturally cleans up as you go!
(Helpful tip: I get weekly fruits and veggies delivered, so I do my meal prep on the day after I receive it to prepare them while they’re fresh. After I unpack them, I leave the trash bag and box they come in on the floor and use it for trash during prep. I can easily toss stems, pits, packaging, etc. quickly as I go along. It’s not pretty but super functional! You could also use a trashcan.)
Step Two: Prepare Meats
The first thing I do is to start my meats so they can be cooking while I prep other things. I brown 2-lbs of lean ground turkey to use throughout the week and put chicken breasts in the crock-pot for shredded chicken (I usually cook 6-8 breasts). From here all you have to do is occasionally stir the ground turkey and you’re done with meat prep! Easy!
Step Three: Start starches and baked goods
The next thing I do to prepare for this step is to make my own gluten-free oat flour. I absolutely couldn’t live without my 14-cup food processor. If you don’t have one, it’s absolutely worth the investment and will make food prep and overall cooking so much easier for you!
After my flour is ready, I start two batches of baked goods/snacks. I put those in the oven so they can be cooking while I move on to prepare fruits and veggies.
My favorites are Clean Eating Blueberry Muffins (pictured here), Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Muffins, Grain Free Banana Bread, No Bake Cookie Protein Balls and Homemade “Fit” Granola Bars.
Something else I do at this point that I’ve found to be SO helpful during the school week it to prepare peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ahead of time. I send PB&Js every other day in my kid’s lunches. One day they get something a bit more fun and creative, the next a standard run-of-the-mill PB&J. It keeps costs down and mom’s sanity up. I simply lay out two loafs of bread, side-by-side and construct two loaves worth of sandwiches at a time. Then, I keep them in the freezer. On school mornings, it’s a breeze to grab a sandwich for each lunchbox. By lunch time they are at a perfect temperature and ready to eat.
I also start of batch of quinoa cooking in my rice cooker. It’s the simplest, best way I’ve found to prepare it. I just dump it in and forget about it! So great! I use the quinoa all week for meals and sides!
Finally, I put 4 or 5 sweet potatoes in the oven. They are nice to have available throughout the week to quickly heat and serve as a side, or even to mash and freeze for mixing into the following weeks baked goods.
Step Four: Fruit and Veggie Prep
Do you see how this begins to flow? You’ve got two types of meats cooking, two or three sets of baked good baking, along with healthy starches, all while you move on to the next step!
(Helpful tip: At this point, I’ll usually do a quick kitchen clean-up. It helps the process stay organized and keeps it from feeling like an overwhelming mess. I just throw away all trash, load dirty dishes and wipe up the counters before I move on.)
Now, it’s time to prepare your fruits and veggies. You will be AMAZED at how many more fruits and veggies you’ll eat when they are already prepared!
The type of fruits and veggies I prepare each week does vary based on what I’ve had delivered, what’s in season, etc. but the process is always the same. I wash everything and start slicing, chopping, and dicing. Most of the time you’ll find things like sliced cucumber, sliced carrot sticks, pepper strips, cut up watermelon, etc.
(Help tip: If you place a damp paper towel over sliced cucumber it helps keep it fresh.)
(Helpful tip #2: A really great and frugal way to store food is by reusing glass containers. I rarely spend money on food storage containers and instead reuse glass peanut butter jars, applesauce jars, etc. They work GREAT!)
Step Five: Meals and Clean Up
My final step is to make a meal that will last for at least a couple of days or more. For me that usually ends up being something like Dashing Dish soups, Skinny Crockpot Lasagna, Easy Crockpot Baked Ziti, or Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and “Rice” Casserole
Today’s meal was Crockpot Skinny Zuppa Toscana Soup. So, I steamed the cauliflower while I finished the other fruit and veggie prep, that way it was cooked and ready to go. Simple recipes like this one come together in just minutes and can be served for lunches and dinner for days!
Friends, meal prep is just such an important part of finding success in a long-term healthy lifestyle. It is so worth the effort! The greatest part is that with just a little practice it’s absolutely manageable! I hope this little peak into a day of meal prepping in my kitchen helps get you started!
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