Meal preparation and planning doesn’t have to be hard. The below guide and tips will equip you with all the information that you need so you’ll be setup for success. You’ll get tips on what to do when your at the grocery and to how to best position yourself for a healthful week of eating. Let’s jump in!
Create a Menu
Before you head out to do your weekly grocery shopping, think about what kind of meals you want to have for the week. This helps in two ways:
First, you’ll have a grocery shopping list and know exactly what you need to buy. If you get tempted to buy “fake food”, you’ll have a list already created to keep you on track. Secondly, the having helps you to be organized and not susceptible to impulsive buying of items you don’t need.
Have a Designated Weekly Shopping Day
You have your menu planned out and your designated grocery shopping day. This takes the stress out of what to buy and when to buy. If you don’t like crowds, google search your grocery store and they’ll list the busiest time and less crowded times from open to close. You may even want to go shopping alone to avoid influences from friends or family members who aren’t on the same dietary plan as you.
Shop the Perimeter & Avoid Eye Level Products
The Whole foods and fresh meat products tend to be on the perimeter of grocery stores. This is where you want to do most if not all of your shopping. The aisles tend to be where the processed junk foods are, and things placed at eye-level are designed to catch your attention.
Have a Weekly Prep Day
National Prep day is usually on Sunday’s, but you can choose whatever day you like to get your healthy meals prep. From your menu, cook healthy meals in bulk and store in the fridge, preferably in glass containers. When your on the go, or just too tired to cook you know you have your meals prep for the week or a couple days. You’ll avoid the uber eats and can stay on a healthy track.
If your not prepping for the week, tried to at least chop all your veggies. Dicing onions and peppers are time consuming, and probably the last thing anyone wants to do at the end of a long day.
Keep Your Meals Simple
When preparing meals in bulk, trying to create fancy dishes every week can feel more like a chore as opposed to getting prepared for a week of healthy eating. Create some go-to dishes that you wouldn’t mind rotating through week to week. Have a day of the week that you do try your hand at a little something fancy. Healthy eaters tend to stick with small variety of foods that they eat on weekly basis.
Plan For Tomorrow
When you get going crushing life and your career, you’ll be extremely busy throughout the week. Grab one of those healthy meals and have it packed and ready to go the night before. The last thing you want to do is spend hours prepping, and then forget to grab your lunch as you rush out of the door in the morning.
Maximize Your Leftovers
After you prep all your meals for the week, there may be some leftover veggies. Throw those bad boys into an omelet in the morning if you have time. For my soup lovers, you can even throw leftover veggies and chicken and make yourself a nice warm bowl of chicken soup.
Get Familiar with a Slow Cooker
Slow cookers are revolutionary. You can literally grab a bunch of veggies, some fresh herbs a nice piece of the cheapest cut of meat you can find. Throw all ingredients in that bad boy, and you’ll have something delicious after an hour or two, or more. This can make cooking a breeze with little to no standing around cooking time.
I hope this guide was helpful and that you got a few tips on meal prepping and maximizing your efforts. It’s really not that difficult to create a well-balanced healthful eating routine, even for the busiest person. With a little planning, some sweat equity in the kitchen, you can be setup for success each and every week.
Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach 