Ultimate Advice For Beginners
As a society we're getting busier and busier, rushing between work, family and relationship commitments, a social life, and everything else we try to squeeze in-between. Next, you need to PLAN your meal recipes. You have to find recipes for meals that taste great and will store well in the refrigerator for up to a week. You've cooked it all and now it's time to package it all up for the week ahead. You can choose to spend a whole day meal prepping for the next few days or spread it out nightly.
We all know how important it is to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and real foods, but it needs a certain level of organisation to be able to do this on a daily basis. Subscribe and receive lots of easy and delicious meat-free recipes straight into your inbox every month.
If you're brand new to meal prepping, it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. Stick to ideas that don't need many ingredients or complicated cooking techniques. Previously, Toby has authored and developed recipes for two cookbooks, including The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook and The Easy 5-Ingredient Healthy Cookbook.
Meal prepping is one of those life habits that's worth sticking with… the health benefits for your mind and body far outweigh the energy required to get in the swing of it. However, if you are single, or cooking for one or two people, then you may want to try to prepare breakfast or lunch meals first.
Single recipe meal preps provide your protein, grain, and vegetables all in one recipe, so there is no need to make a side dish. The first step to prepping for the week ahead is by planning out all of your meals and buying all of your groceries. Sometimes life gets in the way of that healthy homecooked meal you planned to make.
Sometimes, just simply having a few ready-to-go meals available, but having the flexibility to pick what to eat on the fly, is the best strategy. When you meal prep, you utilize all of your ingredients for the week, and it is very unlikely that you will have any left over.
Don't kid yourself: while it does replace vending-machine meals and fast food runs throughout the week, meal prepping is simply a supplement to all your fresh home-cooked meals and occasional nights out at restaurants. Whether you're sorting cut vegetables into containers during prep or cooking them on the spot, prepackaged is your friend (cue the collective gasp).
You don't have to spend a whole day in the kitchen cooking if you don't want to. You can just double a few meals you make each night and within a week you will have a nice stash of meals built up. I of course LOVE to make a whole bunch of meals in a day as one day of hard work equals many days of me not cooking.
This is also why I don't recommend cooking for the whole week at once. Whether you're prepping meals for an entire week or just a few days ahead, the way you store your meals is just as important as cooking the food. Next, freeze, refrigerate or store your portioned meals.
Start prepping with recipes you already know, and then build up your meal prepping repertoire. This will help you get the hang of cooking meat. Cooked meat typically lasts about Healthy Recipes 3-4 days in the fridge. Remember, the physical benefits of meal prep will take time to manifest.