So 2020 is still going strong, am I right?? This back to school is not going to look remotely like what we are used to. Those first-day outfits for Zoom class? I guess that just means we all can forget about buying new shorts or pants.
The good and bad of it means that many of us are not packing a daily lunch for our kids, and probably ourselves either. This equals a lot more meals at home, period. It also means that you can easily feel overwhelmed with so many meals and so many people. I have experienced the dread first hand of the “What’s for dinner? Or What can I eat?” question in my pre-nutritionist days after coming home from a long day of work. Not my best moments.
The key to alleviate some of those pains is MEAL PREP!
The top 5 benefits of a good weekend meal prep session:
- You don’t need to continue to answer the above questions (including your family in the meal prep sessions will really go a long way to never having to answer that again)
- Reduces food waste which results in saving $$
- Saves you precious time on those busy weekdays
- Keeps you on track with your health goals by knowing exactly what you plan on eating
- Helps you to avoid those last-minute “I’m starving” mistakes where you may end up stuffing your face without whatever you see
I typically recommend my clients spend around 2 hours over the course of the weekend meal prepping. Again, if this can be a family affair, all the better! Everyone can have a role, even very little kids can wash and chop veggies with kid safe knives. This time should be SCHEDULED in! I understand that these sessions may have to shift depending on schedules, but if it is actually on the schedule, it is much more likely to happen. Just like everything else, the first few meal prep sessions can be daunting and overwhelming, but soon enough it will become a habit.
There are a few questions I believe you should reflect on when meal prepping?
- What does my week look like: Do you work from home or in an office? Will your kids be going to school or e-learning? Make sure you sync your meals with your lifestyle.
- What do I enjoy: Are you sweet or savory for breakfast? Soup, salad, or sandwich person for lunch (or maybe leftovers)? Are you a simple meat and veggie for dinners or do you prefer more complex dishes?
- What is my environment: Do you have a kitchen handy to warm things up? Microwave? or do you need to eat room temp/cold items?
Next-Get started!
- Create your key meal components
- Chop veggies and prep fruit (store in glass contains)
- Roast trays of veggies (throw trays of veggies in the oven at 420 for ~20 min on parchment-lined cookie sheets, spray with avocado oil and coat with some sea salt and pepper)
- Make a grain-quinoa, wild rice, gluten-free ancient grains
- Add in some legumes-lentils, beans are best soaked in advanced (unless you use BPA free cans)
- Prep protein (animal or plant-based)-marinate and thaw necessary protein sources
- Try a new recipe every week for variety, but keep to the basic plan to simplify your life
- For example, have themes but vary them weekly-Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wednesday stir fry, Thursday Italian, Friday Funday, Saturday Seafood, Sunday Surprise! This way you remove a level of the “What’s for dinner” daily stress.
- Get the right containers
- My go-to’s are mason jars of all sizes with plastic lids (they don’t rust)
- Pyrex glass containers and stainless
- Steel lunch containers.
Your goal should be to prep at least 2 breakfasts, 2 snacks and 2 dinners a week.
For each of these meals keep in mind the fundamentals of a well-rounded meal:
- Protein (animal or veggie)
- Animal protein should be of the highest quality you can afford (grass-fed/finished beef, organic poultry, wild-caught fish)
- Top veggie sources of protein include legumes, nuts & seeds, quinoa, spirulina, tofu, tempeh, and even veggies have protein (kale, Brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, green peas, mushrooms all contain moderate amounts of protein). Follow the clean 15/dirty dozen to know what to buy organic.
- Healthy Fat (nuts & seeds, healthy oils, avocado, coconut)
- Fiber (this is typically a carbohydrate -veggie or fruit) and moderate amounts of whole grains
- Flavor (add spice, fresh herbs)
I realize many of you who are my clients, have done my programs or followed me for a while on social media and have several of my meal plans to start from, but just in case you need a simple 5-day plan, I’ve got you covered right here! A 5-Day Meal Plan which includes a step by step prep guide. Use my free Holistic Nutritionist’s Guide to stocking your pantry to help you get started with all the right staples.
Cheers to your health! XDeeDee
