Sitting down and planning what to eat today, tomorrow or next week can become exhausting. Especially when you remember that you have to go buy the food and then prepare the meals. It becomes easy to form a bad habit of eating out. Often those meals consist of the junk food of course. But it does not have to be that way. You can choose to meal prep. Meal prepping will lead you to an easier and healthier life. Now, continue reading to find out why and how.
What Is Meal Prep?
Meal prep is a way to make healthy meals ahead of time and save money, time and stress. It’s not just for people who need to lose weight or have dietary restrictions like food allergies or intolerances. In fact, meal prepping can be beneficial for anyone who wants to:
- Save money on groceries
- Eat healthier
- Eat more balanced meals by eating seasonally and locally grown foods
- Save time and their health by reducing stress of constantly cooking.
- Reduce food waste and much more.
Why You Should Meal Prep?
Meal prep saves time. If you’re the kind of person who thinks a plate of healthy food is more attractive when it’s been sitting in the refrigerator for two days, then meal-prepping is for you. Not only does it save you from having to cook multiple meals per week, but it also makes sure that your meals are ready when hunger hits and you don’t want to wait.
Meal prep saves money. In the same way that preparing healthy foods in bulk will save time in your busy schedule, it also helps keep costs down by minimizing trips to the grocery store and allowing for more efficient use of ingredients throughout the week (especially if all those veggies aren’t going anywhere).
Meal prepping helps you eat healthier overall because it encourages thoughtful preparation—meaning no more last-minute sandwiches or fast food runs! You’ll have healthy snacks on hand too, so there’s no excuse not to eat right during hectic days when finding time for a proper meal isn’t possible or realistic.
Finally: meal prep helps prevent unhealthy snacking! You’re less likely to reach into the fridge at midnight after work because everything has already been prepared ahead of time; plus there’s no room left over for junk food after stocking up on fruits and veggies first thing every morning before work starts again tomorrow morning at 8 am sharp!
Meal Prep By Yourself?
There are a few key things to keep in mind when you get started.
- Make sure you have the right tools. This includes a good meal prep container, food scale, and kitchen timer (or stopwatch app). These will help make your life easier down the road by ensuring that you’re making the most of your time and ingredients.
- Take care of your food properly so it stays fresh for longer periods of time. Be mindful of how much air exposure each container has, as well as how long it takes for foods to spoil after being opened or reheated on their own—this information can be found online or at most nutrition stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.
- When storing meals in various containers (like Tupperware), be sure that they’re stackable so they take up minimal space while saving lots of room in your fridge
Get creative with your meals. There are so many different types of foods that you can make, from chicken and beef to tofu and lentils. If you’re feeling like going vegetarian, there are plenty of recipes out there for plant-based sources of protein like quinoa or legumes.
- Eat a variety of foods
- Eat at least 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, but as much as 2 grams if you’re lifting weights.
- Make sure you get enough fiber (about 25-30 grams per day).
- Avoid processed foods and eat whole foods like fruits and veggies, lean meats, nuts, and seeds.
- Manage your carbs and fats depending on how demanding your day will be. More physical activity, eat more carbs before them.
Make Your Life Easier With These Programs
The following programs provide a list of different recipes that you can get inspiration from. You may even want them to generate all meals of the day for you. It is possible. Some of these programs even offer to make food and deliver them to you. There is plenty to choose from, all depending on your needs.
Home Chef
No matter how busy you are, Home Chef has everything you need to put more wonderful meals and moments on the table. Because Home Chef feels that making and eating a meal at home should be an enjoyable experience.
In reality, the key phrase is simplicity. They make every step of planning and cooking a home-cooked dinner easy, practical, and motivating, from the internet to your doorstep…to your kitchen table.
All you need to do is answer a few questions about your taste preferences, portion sizes, and delivery choices. Then, create an account to get going. The Home Cook takes care of the rest.
Every week, choose from a range of different dishes. Additionally, you may upgrade, switch out, or double up on your preferred protein with Customize It feature.
Get pre-portioned, fresh ingredients delivered straight to your house along with recipe instructions that are simple to follow. You may always stop your account or skip a week whenever you want! Many of meals even come pre-cooked, so you only need to put them in the oven for couple of minutes.
Gobble
Gobble offers so much variety for a much more affordable price. Not only do you get to choose from classic or vegetarian dinners, you can even from choose low-calorie options. They really do meet everybody’s needs.
From Gobble’s extensive weekly menu, you pick your meals. Explore low-carb, vegetarian, and wheat- or dairy-free alternatives.
Their team of chefs prepares your ingredients, using top-quality sauces, marinades, and seasonings that have been weighed out and pre-portioned.
Your freshly prepared 15-minute supper kits are delivered to your home in a cool package.
Gobble helps to accelerate cooking so you have more time to relax and spend time with your loved ones.
Chefiesta
Have you ever desired a personal chef? Well, now you can have one. Chefiesta provides a special personal chef experience package for customers who have a very clear objective in mind. Whether you are a person with a goal that you are adamant about achieving or an athlete who needs a particular nutritional diet plan. Chefiesta will serve as your personal cook, collaborating closely with our nutritionists to create a customized diet just for you. Your needs will be taken into consideration for everything, including the quantity of protein and the number of meals you will eat that day.
Their Head Chef has more than 18 years of expertise and has worked as a caterer for notable celebrities including Chris Eubank, Colin Firth, Michael Dapaah, and many more.
Chefiesta has set the pricing of its primary healthy meal preps at up to £5.50 every meal since they recognize that not everyone can afford to pay £8 or £9 per meal.
Savers Meal Prep was established by Chefiesta since they didn’t want to stop there. For only £3.75, you can have the same quality food in a smaller serving.
Additionally, they provide a subscription plan for everyone. Chefiesta has you covered whether you want to prepare 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, or 10 meals a week every two weeks. Options are wide.