Hey everyone!
Meal prepping can be a daunting task for many but a time saver and life-saving hack!
Why do I meal prep? Well, my work hours are not the average "9-5" as I work in a medical clinic that closes at 8 PM, and 3 nights out of the week I get home after 6:30 PM. Around that time, I really do not want to worry about cooking nor do I have the energy to do that. Another reason, I took it on was because it supported my goals to lose weight when I re-committed to getting healthier last year (May 2018).
What meal prepping looks like for me?
I usually start looking for inspiration on Pinterest or start looking at what groceries I currently have in refrigerator on Wednesday afternoon/evening. On Thursday night after work, I make a menu plan for my prep day and make a grocery list for items I do not have on hand. Friday morning after I leave the gym, I hit the grocery stores to get needed items: Sprouts for my produce and the rest of the items at my local grocery store.
An important part of my meal prep routine is having the right supplies to put my food in: CONTAINERS! I love having leak-proof containers for my foods that contain any type of sauce, but also containers with different amount of sections based on what I am preparing. My latest meal prep day I prepared snack bowls, zoodles with meat sauce, oven fried chicken/blue cheese coleslaw/mac & cheese, and more.
It took me nearly 3 hours from start to finish to prepare everything with the menu plan as a guide. Other times I have meal prepping without a menu plan takes me nearly 6-9 hours depending on how I am feeling.
Menu planning prior to prepping has been a game changer for me! The amount of waste and the time saving factor have sold me on this. I will most likely continue meal prepping in some way, shape or form for a long time. I love finding ways to stay organized and this adulting thing adds enough stress so finding ways to get more free time is always a PLUS!
Some of my favorite containers to use from Amazon: 3-compartment meal prep bowl for food I want to keep separate, 1-compartment rectangular containers for most cooked dishes, or round containers for salads, and the 4-section reusable containers for snacks