Tips for Meal Prepping to Get the Most Out of Your Time and Meals

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Overwhelmed with meal prepping? Don't know where to start!? Trust me you are not alone! For a long time I would go most of my work days without eating lunch. Terrible, right? Not because I was purposely trying to starve myself or because of harsh work conditions. But because I wasn't taking the time to put together a proper meal for myself! 

As an avid I-woke-up-late-after-snoozing-all-five-alarms-and-now-I-am-rushing-and-don't-have-time-to-eat-breakfast-or-prepare-lunch I would go nearly all day not eating a full meal. Two cups of coffee and a donut from the breakroom wasn't cutting it and I was starting to feel fatigued, irritable, and bloated after rushing through my dinner a.k.a first full meal of the day. Or, I would find myself trying to beat midday traffic to wait in a drive thru line for a mediocre fast food lunch.  

I'm not much of a planner. Or cook. So when a friend of mine spent 20-minutes telling me about her weekly routine of meal prepping I didn't know how I would make it work. I work 40 hours a week, sometimes overtime and have a long commute. When would I find the time to grocery shop AND cook AND not bore myself while doing it? Finally, I decided the worst that could happen was I made all of these great meals and ate them in one sitting. At least I got to enjoy some good food, right? But luck will have it that the first week I tried meal prepping took me into another week which led to me to a month and so on. Don't be like me and let the process overwhelm you. Here are the tips I recommend for getting started with meal prepping to maximize your time and get the most out of your meals. 

Tip #1: Get organized in planning out your meals in advance. 

This will be a game changer! Gather up your favorite meals in advance and plan out which days you are going to eat them. Be sure to include a plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course, if you are anything like me you may even add a plan for a snack (or two)! I use this planner to help me plan out my meals and shopping list. Planning out your shopping list will also help you pinpoint which ingredients can be used in more than one meal to get the most bang for your buck. It even has sections for tracking weight loss and exercise -  bonus! 

The Ultimate Weekly Meal Planner, Grocery List, Weight Loss and Exercise Tracker

Tip #2: Invest in food containers with compartments. 

Food containers with compartments will allow you to keep the different elements of your food separated and fresh. Keeping crackers separate from your chicken salad will help them from getting soggy, similarly to keeping your salad dressing away from your salad mix until it is ready to be eaten. I recommend these glass meal prep containers with two compartments. Not only are these containers eco-friendly, they have air tight lids to keep your food protected and fresh! 

Glass Meal Prep Containers with Compartments

Tip #3: Plan a certain day to get all of your meals prepared. 

This day will vary depending on your personal schedule. For most who work the typical 9 to 5 job Monday through Friday, Sundays will generally be the best day to cook and store your meals. Depending on the ingredients, you can meal prep a week or more in advance by storing the appropriate recipes in the freezer. 

Tip #4: Get creative and have fun! 

It is totally possible to get bored with eating the same ol' thing day in and day out. So don't be that person. Get creative with your meals, try something new, test yourself to mix different elements for a wholesome meal. Get inspired by following chefs and influences that share their own recipes and meal prepping on social media. One of my favorites is Carleigh Bodrug who runs the Instagram page @plantyou (this is not an ad - I genuinely just love her!). Her recipes are 100% plant based and she teaches you how to get the most out of your food with her series 'Scrappy Cooking'! I'd love to hear about some of your other favorites in the comments below! 

(Bonus tip: If you are a salad lover, you NEED these reusable dressing containers! 

Dressing and Sauce Reusable Containers with Lids

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