Meal prep:
There are different ways to meal prep for the week. There is the option to batch cook a bunch of different meals for the week and having them all prepped for the week. And there is the option to pre portion out different meals for the week. I like doing a combination of them both for my upcoming work weeks and it just makes my work weeks ten times easier.
Why do I meal prep?
I get this question a lot, and the short answer is, it is what works for my lifestyle. I have a full time job as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. And before this whole quarantine happened, I was driving all over Orange County to work with my kiddos and would have to scarf down my meals in my car before each client. And now I am working remotely, but I have found meal prepping is just as important to be able to manage my time efficiently.
Where to start:
If you are new to meal prepping, I would suggest you start off small. Remember I have been doing this for years, and feel like I have it down to a science at this point for knocking it out in a few hours. But for starters, I would suggest you pick either a breakfast, lunch, or dinner option to prep for the week. And just focus on making that one meal for your week. Once you feel comfortable, add in another meal, and so on until you feel more comfortable to add on another meal.
Have a plan:
Having a plan is key! I like to start planning out my menu around Friday and start making my grocery list. This not only helps structure your meal prep, but it helps you stick to your grocery list. Which helps saves money and reduce food waste.
Grocery haul:
I like to do my grocery shopping on Saturday’s and have everything set for Sunday meal prep. Once I get home from grocery shopping, I wash all my produce, let air dry on counter before putting away. Depending on the day, sometimes I will pre chop everything Saturday to have it all set to go for Sunday.
Prepping stations:
On Sunday is when I meal prep everything for the week. And what helps me stay organized and help get it all done in a few hours, is having prepping stations for each meal I am making. I will lay everything out that I need for each meal in its own station, chop any needed vegetables or items, and then I figure out which items to start with first. Multi-tasking is key to getting your meal prep done in a few items. So figure out what kitchen appliances you can use at the same time to get a variety of meals going at once.
This weeks menu:
Almond Pulp Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Cauliflower Garlic Turmeric Hummus
Hard boiled eggs: I bring my water to a boil and then I bring it down to a slow boil and cook eggs for 12 minutes. Once done, I transfer to an ice bath, to stop them from cooking.
Instant pot garlic white rice: For my rice, I add 1 cup of white rice, 2 cups of Chicken bone broth, salt + pepper to taste, and 1 heaping Tbsp of Garlic ghee. I mix and set my instant pot to rice function and cook for 12 minutes. Once done let the pressure release naturally and with a fork fluff once done.
Storing everything:
Depending on my week, I will either store my meals already pre-portioned out in my Tupperware, or I will just store each item individually in its own Tupperware. I will only prep enough meals for 3-4 days and towards the end of the week will meal prep more items for the remainder of the week.
I hope this helps guide your next meal prep! And if you want some more ideas, come follow along on my Instagram every Sunday to see what items I am meal prepping for the week.