Sticking to a healthy diet can be challenging, but meal prepping offers a solution. Like consistent workouts, consistent meal prep leads to results. Whether you love planning or dread it, this guide helps make meal prep work for you.
What is Fit Food Meal Prep?
Fit Food Meal Prep involves planning, preparing, and packaging meals and snacks in advance. It simplifies healthy eating, saves time, and helps you reach your fitness and health goals.
Why Meal Prep is Essential
Meal prepping helps you stick to a healthy diet, which is often the most challenging part of maintaining fitness and health goals. It reduces the stress of figuring out what to eat and makes you less likely to opt for unhealthy fast food or takeout.
According to registered dietitian Elyse Homan, meal prepping saves time and money and reduces the stress of deciding what to eat. Having prepped meals ready in the fridge can prevent you from impulsively choosing unhealthy options.
Benefits of Meal Prepping
- Reduces Decision Fatigue: Eliminates the daily "What should I eat?" dilemma.
- Saves Time: Frees up time during the week by prepping meals in advance.
- Leads to More Thoughtful Meals: Encourages balanced meals with a variety of nutrients.
- Saves Money: Helps you buy only the food you need, reducing waste.
- Weight Management: Helps you eat consistently, control hunger, and prevent overeating.
Foundational Meal Prepping Tips
Meal prep should simplify your life, not complicate it. Here are some essential tips to help you get started:
Read also: Plant-Based Diet Guide
- Plan Your Meals: Don't start meal prepping without a clear plan.
- Create a Grocery List: Compile a list of all necessary ingredients.
- Consider Your Schedule: Choose quick and easy recipes if you have limited prep time.
- Invest in Good Containers: Select containers suitable for the meals you're preparing.
- Variety is Key: Avoid eating the same meals every day to prevent monotony.
- Start Small: Begin by prepping meals for a few days to get used to the process.
Getting Started with Meal Prepping
Step 1: Think About Storage
Before you begin, consider how you'll keep your meals fresh and organized. Microwave-safe containers are ideal for hot lunches. Mason jar salads are also a great way to keep ingredients fresh for several days. Have small containers for sauces and dressings to prevent soggy salads.
For freezer meals, use smaller containers to portion out soups and chilis. You can also portion out smoothie ingredients ahead of time.
Step 2: Decide on a Prep Day
Choose a day when you can consistently set aside time for meal prep. Sunday and Wednesday are popular, but pick a day that works best for your schedule. Ensure you have a few hours available for the process.
Step 3: Make a Game Plan
Ask yourself these questions to create a solid plan:
- What meals will I prep? Start by prepping the meal you struggle with the most.
- How much food do I need to prep? Begin with two or three meals instead of overwhelming yourself.
- What recipes am I going to make? Choose simple recipes that reuse ingredients.
Step 4: Choose Your Recipes
Pick simple recipes with few ingredients. Slow cooker recipes can make things even easier. Consider recipes that reuse ingredients in multiple meals. Vary your ingredients to include a balance of protein, produce, and complex carbohydrates.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
Step 5: Make Your Grocery List
Before heading to the store, make a grocery list. Decide which ingredients you'll make yourself and which you'll buy ready-made. Buying a rotisserie chicken, tuna packets, or a veggie tray can save time.
Avoid individually packaged foods, as you can save money by portioning things out yourself. Keep frozen berries and vegetables on hand, as they are pre-washed and pre-chopped.
Step 6: Get to Work!
Make your time in the kitchen enjoyable by listening to music or a podcast. Prep food individually, such as washing and chopping veggies that can be used in various recipes.
Once your food is made, cooled, and transferred into airtight containers, it should last about three to four days in the refrigerator.
Bonus Step: Freeze the Extras
If a recipe yields more food than you can eat in a week, freeze the remaining servings for future use. This provides a quick option for days when you don't feel like cooking.
Read also: Satisfy Your Cravings with Whole Foods
Meal Prep for Weight Loss: Sample Recipes
Meal prepping can be particularly effective for weight loss. Here are some easy and delicious recipes to get you started:
- Mediterranean Salad: A mix of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, and feta with a lemon-olive oil dressing.
- Overnight Oats With Blueberries, Chia, and Greek Yogurt: Combine rolled oats, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, and almond milk in a mason jar.
- Sweet Potato and Ground Turkey Tacos: Roasted sweet potatoes, sautéed ground turkey, bell peppers, black beans, and a sprinkle of cheese.
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas: Chicken breast, bell peppers, and onions on a sheet pan, drizzled with olive oil and spices.
- Chickpea and Vegetable Stew: Chickpeas, bell peppers, tomatoes, and green beans flavored with olive oil, garlic, and herbs.
- Sweet Potato and Cashew Stir Fry: Sweet potatoes, cashews, bell peppers, and ground turkey.
- Hard-Boiled Egg and Avocado Salad: Hard-boiled eggs and avocado over mixed greens.
- Brown Rice and Lentil Salad: Cooked brown rice, lentils, chopped bell peppers, and feta cheese.
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad: Combine quinoa, roasted tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, olives, onion, and pine nuts. Toss with Italian dressing, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add roasted chickpeas, arugula, and fresh basil and mint before serving.
Healthy Meal Prep Ideas for Breakfast
- Overnight Oats: Combine oats, water, protein powder, blueberries, and peanut butter. Let it sit overnight and grab and go in the morning.
- 10-Minute Egg Muffins: A quick and easy source of protein.
- Pre-Portioned Smoothie Bags: Put smoothie ingredients (banana, spinach, avocado, strawberries) into individual zip lock bags and freeze. In the morning, blend with protein, ice, and water or milk alternative.
Salad and Bowl Meal Prep Recipes
- Roasted Tomato and Olive Salad: A hearty salad with roasted tomatoes, olives, and Italian dressing.
- Nutty Broccoli Salad: A favorite meal prep idea with a nutty dressing that tastes fantastic on a variety of veggies.
- Kale Salad: Kale holds up nicely once dressed, making it perfect for meal prep.
- Turmeric-Tahini Veggie Bowl: A veggie and brown rice bowl with a sunny turmeric-tahini sauce.
Packable Sandwiches, Wraps, and Rolls
- Prepare fillings in advance, as most sandwiches are best on the day they’re made.
- Egg Salad: A bright, briny egg salad that keeps well for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Zingy Wraps: A go-to meal prep recipe that’s easy to assemble.
- Spring Rolls: Assemble these entirely in advance for a fresh, yummy lunch served with peanut sauce.
Soups and Stews
Soups and stews are excellent for meal prep and freeze well.
- Smoky Chili: A perfect one-pot meal packed with protein and veggies.
- Curry: Adapt this recipe to use whatever veggies you have on hand.
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup: A reader favorite with a lightly creamy broth and rich curry flavor.
More Freezer-Friendly Meal Prep Recipes
- Baked Pasta: Assemble the casserole up until the point of baking, then cover and freeze. Reheat by baking, covered in foil, at 350°F for one hour, or until warmed through.
- Falafel: Freeze the cooked patties after baking. Reheat in a 400°F oven until heated through, about 10-20 minutes.
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes: Freeze after baking. Reheat in a 400°F oven for about 25 minutes, or until crisp and warmed through.
Component Meal Prep: Flexibility and Variety
Prepare components rather than full recipes for more variety throughout the week. Cook a pot of rice, bake tofu, or make a flavorful sauce.
- Grains: Perfect for bulking up grain bowls and salads, serving with curries and stir-fries, or tossing into fried rice.
- Proteins: Toss them into bowls, salads, stir-fries, noodle or pasta dishes, and soups.
- Roasted Vegetables: Serve as a side dish, add them to a salad or bowl, fold them into tacos or burritos, stir them into pasta, bake them into frittatas.
- Sauces: A flavorful sauce can enhance many meals throughout the week.
Shortcuts and Hacks
Meal prepping doesn't always mean making everything from scratch. Here are some shortcuts to save time:
- Rotisserie Chicken: A quick and easy source of protein.
- Canned Beans: A convenient and affordable option.
- Cauliflower Rice: A low-carb alternative to rice.
- Pre-Cut Zucchini Noodles and Butternut Squash: Saves time on chopping.
- Steam Packets of Rice and Vegetables: Quick and easy to prepare.
- Meal Prep Services: A luxury option that can save time and effort.
Fitting Meal Prep into Your Lifestyle
Managing Time Constraints
"Not having enough time" is a common excuse, but it's essential to prioritize and plan. Schedule meal prep into your week, knowing it will take a couple of hours. It doesn't have to be on a Sunday; choose a day that works for you.
Simple Snacks
Don’t forget about snacks! Choose options that you can enjoy without feeling like you've strayed too far off track.
Batch Cooking and Food Prep
Instead of planning out entire meals, prep individual veggies, proteins, and starches that you can combine to make a full meal. For example, bake chicken breast, sweet potatoes, asparagus, and zucchini in one go. Cook ground beef, boil eggs, and cook quinoa on the stovetop.
This way, you can make meals on the fly and have no reason to grab something unhealthy when you're hungry. It also takes away the pressure of having to eat exactly what you planned.
Avoiding Boredom
To avoid boredom with meal prepping, choose foods you enjoy and try to recreate your favorite restaurant meals at home. Challenge yourself to choose one new recipe each week or stick to weekly themes like Meatless Monday or Taco Tuesday.
Include small treats as part of your meal planning to make it more enjoyable. Remember, meal prep isn't all-or-nothing, and there's no right or wrong way to do it.
The Fit Foodie Club
Consider joining the Fit Foodie Club, a mix of fitness, food, and fun recipes that your family will enjoy. As a member, you'll get access to:
- Weekly recipe archive with new recipes each week
- Weekly Meal Plans
- Workouts
- Online Cooking Classes
- Mindset + nutrition guides
- Tips, tricks, kitchen hacks & more!