Help! How Do I Meal Prep When I Don’t Have Time?!
It always feels like we’re rushing around, doesn’t it? It’s hard to find time to cook a ton of food for the week when you have friends to visit, dogs to walk, family to spend time with, and a workout to crush! I have a few tips that have helped me to stay on top of my meal prep while maintaining a packed schedule.
Pick 2 days. Meal prep doesn’t have to be an hours-on-end task. Sometimes I only have enough time on the weekends to get a few things prepped. In those cases, I’ll look at my calendar and pick a second day where I have a little more wiggle room and schedule time with myself to prep that day. This may look like cutting up and cooking half of my potatoes, baking 1 package of chicken breasts, or putting rice in the rice cooker.
Buy Pre-Cut. Sometimes, those 5 or so minutes of cutting up fruits or veggies add up. That means that it might be easier to buy pre-cut options. It may be a little more expensive to do it that way but if it’s going to help you adhere to your plan, I say go for it.
Double Up, Butter Cup! On SUPER busy days I’ll double up my dinner and eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. I find that some foods taste better the next day after having the opportunity to marinate.
Canned, Frozen, or Pre-Cooked! I can’t count the number of times that canned salmon, garbanzo beans, black beans, and Trader Joe’s Frozen Cauliflower Gnocchi have come to my rescue. Next time you go grocery shopping, take a stroll down your canned food section and take a look at those frozen veggies. This is also a great way to introduce something new to your repertoire.
Involve the Family! This is a great tip, especially for those who have kids! By getting them involved in the meal planning process, they’re becoming more empowered to choose foods and to get curious about new ones. We all know that little ones are always watching, so why not take the time to set a great example of how to take care of themselves through food?
I hope that these 5 tips have eased some anxiety around meal prep or given you new ideas. If you have any ideas that you want to share, send me an email so that I can share them! You can also schedule a Macros and Go call with me for a power hour session to discuss meal-prep options.
