Let’s face it, we’ve all been guilty of stress-eating. But have no fear, I’ll be able to teach you how to meal prep in no time.
What exactly is meal prepping? Essentially, you prepare meals all at once at the start of the week, or each night in preparation for the next day’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Meal prep takes a bit of time at first, but it saves a lot of time throughout the week. Plus, it’s usually geared towards healthier options. This way, you really do kill two birds with one stone.
Meal Preparation 101, let’s go!
1. Pick a good quality container
First things first, let’s start with the basics. What goes inside the container is important, but the container you use is equally important. A few things to keep in mind are durability, microwave oven use, reasonable size, and of course BPA free. Also make sure it is leak proof and air-tight—you don’t want soup leaking all over your lecture notes.
2. Plan your meals
It can be a little overwhelming to make something that can last a whole week, so this step is crucial. Knowing the meals you want to make in advance will help you know what to get when going grocery shopping. Make sure the meals are recipes you know you’re capable of doing before making them in bulk portions.
3. Preparing/Cooking time
Now it’s time to get some preparation done. Preparing your meals can be fun and rewarding. Try to include a variation so that you won’t be tempted to chow down on something else that you might regret later. To make meals more interesting, change the protein. Switch it up by using chicken instead of beans, or even the types of seasoning can make a big difference.
#SpoonTip: Your carbohydrates (such as rice or pasta) should also be cooked in advance, that way you can combine them with different ingredients all week.
4. Storage
A good idea is to buy containers of the same size so storing them in the fridge will be a piece of cake (there’s no need to play a game of Tetris). As for the actual food, store three days worth of food in the fridge and freeze the rest.
Any university student with or without a tight schedule can benefit in learning the essence of how to meal prep, which happens through trial and error. You’ll get the hang of it!