There's nothing more frustrating than hearing people say that the secret to eating well is..ugh...meal prep. The reality is it works.
I picked up a cookbook recently because, to be frank, I hit a bit of a wall with my cooking. My go-to recipes were getting boring, and I needed some fresh ideas. Dinners started to take too long to prepare (shredding cheese, chopping veggies for roasting, all the things), and I dreaded the clean-up. And now that summer is here, my world is ROCKED by having my three kids home on summer break, so there is not much (read: NO) energy to think of and cook a thoughtful meal at the end of the day.
The cookbook, everyday dinners by Jessica Merchant, kept my attention because her meals are simple using normal food, and she helps readers like me reframe their perception of meal prep. In each recipe, she spotlights what ingredients can be prepped beforehand - so helpful!
In her book, Merchant shares four meal prep secrets that inspired me to try food prepping. Here's what I've done recently that has set us up for success come dinner and snack time:
Prep: Wash, cut, and store vegetables.
Wash, peel, cut, and store - in my case - broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes. Think through what you'll be making that week and prep accordingly.
Fill a silicone bag (or large freezer bag/Tupperware) with cleaned and chopped lettuce and any veggies you like in your salads.
Why it's helpful:
Without preparing the ingredients, you can assemble a fresh, delicious meal or snack in minutes. Do it once, and you'll be hooked on the convenience of it all. Imagine putting a salad together in less than a minute - eating well and doing it quickly is important in my world!
Healthy snacks are a no-brainer. Cut-up carrots and cucs are ready to go with hummus anytime.
Steaming or roasting veggies is a breeze. Come dinner time, either drop them in a pot to steam or lay them on a baking sheet with olive oil and salt.
Prep: Sauces and dressings
Pesto
Salad dressing
Marinara or pizza sauce
Why it's helpful:
Sauces and dressings are critical to keeping food interesting to me. The Thai peanut sauce adds a ton of flavor to any salad or Asian noodle dish. Having it on hand makes it so easy to enjoy fresh foods.
Homemade salad dressings are much healthier than store-bought. Simple ingredients like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, mustard, and salt combine to make a tasty and super-light dressing. Make it ahead of time, and you're meal time assembly is easy peasy.
I make pizza weekly, and having sauce ready makes this an easy meal for lunch or dinner.
Homemade pasta sauce is minimally processed compared to store-bought. I like having it on hand when I make a pasta dish for dinner the kids might not like, such as mushroom stroganoff. I set noodles aside from that dish to give the kids pasta and sauce with no trouble.
Prep: Starches
Cook rice
Wash, cut, and roast potatoes (sweet potatoes in my case)
Soak and cook beans (black and garbanzo)
Why it's helpful:
Prep work and roasting take about 45 minutes. To save that time when you're off work and everyone is hungry is a huge win.
Add rice and sweet potatoes to heavy vegetable meals making them more filling. Add either or both to Buddha Bowl, and top with Thai Peanut Sauce for a tasty and satisfying meal.
Top roasted sweet potatoes with a fried egg and a small salad for a tasty hash.
With a quick reheat in the microwave, I use the black beans for tacos, bowls, and other fresh meals. When I make the hummus, I use half the garbanzo beans, and the other half I store to add to salads.
Other Food Prep That Makes My Life Easier
Shred blocks of cheese. We eat a lot of shredded cheese, and shredding on demand takes a lot of time and cleanup. Thanks to a nasty run-in with my handheld cheese grater, I recently invested in an electric shredder. The folks at Novant Health Emergency Room did a great job gluing my pinky finger back together, and if I wanted to be sure not to be back in here again for the same accident, I'd need a different tool. Now, I easily shred a lot of cheese in one sitting, and my meal prep time decreases significantly because, as mentioned, we eat A LOT of shredded cheese.
Food prep is not just for Sundays. While it's often easier to prep the food when you get home from the grocery store or farmer's market, it's often unrealistic. And you don't have to do it all at once. Do it when your schedule and mood allow.
Enlist help. My husband and I did our food prep together this week, and it was enjoyable. Not just to have someone else do the work but to work together in the process. It helped me feel like the weight of all food is not solely on my shoulders.
If you don't like meal prep, this seems like a lot. I encourage you to pick one or two foods to prep this week and see what works for you. It's made our lives a bit easier as we don't have to expend too much mental energy trying to figure out what to eat!
Comments