Meal Prepping
DISCIPLINE STARTS IN THE KITCHEN
Meal planning and prepping is the practice of mass preparing meals that fit your macronutrients so that you are set up for success in staying with your diet. Here are some tips that will help you meal prep like a pro.
Batch cook – prepare multiple batches of a recipe to be portioned out and frozen for meals for the following week.
Make a plan – choose meals to prep, write your menu, and schedule your prep.
Shop – take stock of what you already have and make a grocery list of everything you need. Costco is a fantastic place to bulk shop for meats and produce.
Prep and store – begin with foods that require the longest cooking times. Preheat the oven and prepare ingredients that will be cooked first. Make sure that you have enough Tupperware containers to store your batch cooked foods in and enough containers for your individual meals.
Be mindful of storage life -if stored in airtight containers, cut vegetables like onions and peppers will keep for two to three days in the refrigerator.
Freeze properly for best quality – Foods like soups, chilis, casseroles, and cooked grains are quickly frozen for future meals.
Enjoy your food – as part of your meal prep, portion your proteins, fats, and carbs according to your meal plan and store them in similar foods. Assume that your meal is prepped on a Sunday, you should have an entire refrigerator full of batch-cooked foods that are portioned out. Make sure and prepare 4-5 meals, or whatever your meal plan prescribes.
