Meal Prep 101

Meal Prep 101

We get it. Meal prep can be intimidating. But it’s also one of the best ways to keep your diet on track for the whole week. By making healthy premade meals early in the week, you minimize the chance that you’ll steer off your diet in favor of a less-than-healthy substitute. But we’ve got you — its not as hard as you think to meal prep. We’ve got all the tips to get you meal prepping like a pro in no time!

1. Buy in bulk: The first rule of meal prepping? Costco is your best friend. Buying in bulk will save you time and money. If you know chicken is your favorite meat to incorporate into your diet, then stock up while it’s on sale. Killer deal on frozen veggies at your local mart? Throw them in the cart! Things that are easy to save are perfect for meal prepping for future weeks ahead!
2. Plan ahead: Don’t go to the grocery store and decide there exactly what you will be cooking for the next week. Figure out what you’ll be cooking, what ingredients you’ll need, and how much. Then, when you go to the grocery store, you won’t need to think twice about what to throw in the cart!
3. Don’t prep the same things every week: Trust us, you’ll get sick of it quickly. Switch up your meals every week. Use a new salad dressing for your lunches. Marinate the chicken in something different. The last thing you want to do is get sick of the food you’re eating. Get creative!
4. Invest in quality tupperware: Since you can’t just throw chicken, salad, and soup in the same tupperware (well, you can, though we may question your judgement…) you’ll need something a little more suited for your meal prep needs. Containers with deep, segmented compartments are perfect for meal prepping! Stock up enough for every day of the week you want to meal prep for, and you’ll be thanking yourself later!
5. Keep track: When you make a new meal, keep track of the recipe, the ingredients, how much you needed to buy of everything, and how much it costed you. That way, when you want to go back and remake it, you’ll have everything laid out in front of you for easy access!