Hack Your Food Routine
Hello thriving young professionals,
Going with the theme of last week, let’s talk about another time-saving strategy that also has the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, delicious food, and cost savings. This week we’re talking about the benefits of meal prepping: my favorite life hack that allows me to look forward to every meal without spending an hour every night prepping food.
Meal prepping is not a new concept, but I don’t want to talk about eating chicken, rice, and broccoli till it comes out of your ears. As a lover of a wide variety of foods, I use meal prepping to eat a mix of cuisines, fuel my body, and save mental capacity when deciding what to eat, all while saving time and money. Sounds too good to be true? It is not. I have been eating this way throughout college and have adapted my strategy to continue into the working world. Keep reading to learn the benefits, how you can apply it to your life, and some of my favorite meals.
Benefits
My mom is a dietitian, so I grew up eating a balanced diet (eat a rainbow of foods then add chocolate <3). Another significant aspect of my upbringing was making fresh baked goods. The combination of these two taught me the importance of fueling my body with quality food which I also enjoyed (dessert is crucial). I was lucky to have grown up eating that way, as preparing foods that made my body feel the best became a habit. Meal prepping has enabled me to consistently eat meals I look forward to and know will nourish my body and mind.
Meal prepping is commonly referred to as a timesaver, but the amount of mental capacity it saves is not often mentioned. In order to best use my time, I grocery shop and meal prep breakfasts, lunches, and dinners before the start of each week. I typically work five days per week in the office, so I pack 5 breakfasts and 5 lunches in their own containers and have 1-2 large containers of my dinners for the week. I absolutely love not having to think “What should I have for dinner?” Minimizing the time/thought that goes into choosing meals lets me put that effort into getting all of my after-work tasks done.
Lastly, meal prepping allows me to buy food in alignment with my personal spending goals. Not only does my system enable me to choose the things I am consuming based on quality and cost, but these prepped meals also give me another reason not to purchase meals elsewhere. I completely understand the convenience of getting takeout or eating out when you have nothing prepared at home. Meal prepping eliminates this temptation because having delicious prepped food at home is easier to heat up than grabbing food from a restaurant. Of course, I enjoy the occasional meal out, but because I use meal prepping weekly, I am able to use restaurant food as a way to treat myself.
How can I apply this to my life?
I love meal prepping because it has become so easily incorporated into my weekly routine. With a little forethought, you can easily add this to your routine and it will quickly become habitual. Another thing I want to point out is that I am writing from the perspective of a 23-year-old female with no dependents. Meal prepping can easily be scaled up for larger portion sizes or more people to feed. As there are tons of articles on how to meal prep, I am going to share my favorite tips.
- Plan out the meals before going to the store.
- Set aside one session of time to cook all meals.
- Have enough Tupperware (preferably stacking ones) to hold the meals you need for the week.
- Establish a good pantry supply of sauces/seasonings to add interest to your food.
- Throw extra meals in the freezer, good for future use when you don't want to cook anything.
Favorite Meals by Week
The meals I listed below are in pairs or in trios because I tend to cook one grouping of meals at a time. The meal groupings utilize similar ingredients which reduce food waste and prep time.
Breakfast (I keep this extremely simple)
- Yogurt and granola
- Overnight oats
Lunches/dinners
- Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken / Chicken Spring Rolls / Chicken Noodle Soup
- Salmon Rice Bowls / Chicken Fried Rice (fridge cleanout meal)
- Chicken Stir Fry / Chicken Quesadillas
- Banh Mi Meatball Sliders / Taco Salad / Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Spaghetti and (turkey) Meatballs / Nachos with Taco (turkey) Meat / Meat and Bean Enchiladas.
- Sourdough Pizza with Sausage and Mushrooms / Spaghetti and Sausage
You can definitely simplify these meals. However, I spend more time on certain recipes because I enjoy a few time-intensive things like making my own bone broth, pizza dough/ bread from my sourdough starter, sauce, and granola.
If you are not the cooking type, you can sign up for a meal kit service and prep all the meals you need, at the beginning of the week. Store them in Tupperware and grab them as needed.
I hope this post helped illustrate the benefits meal prepping can add to your life. Eating this way has become embedded in my weekly habits, so it now takes no additional effort and ends up saving me time day-to-day. Having yummy, nutritious, prepared food always available supports me in showing up as the highest functioning version of myself. If you have any questions or recipes, I would love to hear them. Reach out!
