Riley Houston RD
- June 2, 2023
- 12:04 pm
Between work and family obligations, finding time to cook healthy meals during a busy week can be challenging. However, with some planning and preparation (and effort), it is possible to eat well without sacrificing your time or health. You might even save some money! In this blog post, we will discuss how to meal plan and prep for a busy week, so you can stay on track with your nutrition goals while juggling a busy schedule.
Set Aside Time For Meal Planning And Prep
The first step to meal planning and prep is setting aside time. Decide on a specific day and time during the week to plan your meals by deciding on recipes you want for the week, making a grocery list, and buying what you need. Then find a day during the week – I would recommend a weekend, a free day like Sunday – to cook all your meals. I’ve found that I can prep five days’ worth of meals (breakfasts, lunches, and dinners) in roughly four hours. By setting aside time for meal planning and prep, you are more likely to stick to your healthy eating goals.
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Once you have set aside time for meal planning and prep, the next step is to plan your meals. Start by considering your schedule and identifying which meals you must prepare. Think of those busy work days where you barely have time to make lunch let alone dinner! Also, consider what works for you. You don’t need to make Michellen star meals; make what works for you. Next, consider your dietary needs, preferences, and the ingredients you already have on hand. Create a weekly meal plan that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Scroll through Pinterest for some inspiration!
When planning your meals, it’s essential to consider your meals’ nutritional balance. Make sure to include a variety of vegetables (aim for vegetables with each meal), fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins in your meals. Also, try to incorporate healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts, into your meals for added flavour and nutrition.
Keep in mind meal prep can be tricky in the beginning. You might make too much or too little. However, after a few attempts, you’ll get the hang of it and end up with a lot less waste at the end of the week.
Make A Grocery List
After you’ve decided on your meals for the week, create a grocery list. Take inventory; check your pantry and fridge to see what you already have on hand, and make a list of the items you need to purchase (don’t forget essentials like toilet paper or deodorant). Stick to your list when grocery shopping to avoid impulse purchases and unnecessary spending. Also, don’t go shopping hungry! I’ve burnt holes through my wallet shopping on an empty stomach (those cookie specials always get me).
When making your grocery list, prioritise fresh produce and lean proteins. Avoid purchasing packaged and processed foods that are high in sodium, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Instead, choose whole foods that are minimally processed and rich in nutrients. Because you’re going to cook all these in one go, you don’t have to worry so much about food spoiling.
There are plenty of apps that you can use for grocery lists. I use Bring but use what works for you.
Prep your ingredients
After shopping, it’s time to prep your ingredients, AKA mise en place. Wash and chop vegetables, cook grains and proteins, and portion out snacks. This will save you time during the week and make it easier to throw together meals quickly. Sometimes you decide on a different starch (like having pasta instead of rice) or another protein, so it is easier to cook each ingredient separately.
To make meal prep easier, consider investing in time-saving kitchen gadgets like a food processor or an air-fryer. These appliances can help with mise en place quickly and efficiently.
Use Time-Saving Cooking Techniques
To save even more time during the week, use time-saving cooking techniques like sheet pan meals, one-pot meals, and slow cooker recipes. These meals can be prepped beforehand and require minimal hands-on cooking during the week.
Sheet pan meals involve cooking all the ingredients on a single sheet pan in the oven. One-pot meals involve cooking all the ingredients in – you guessed it – a single pot or pan on the stove.
Often I will have sandwiches or salads for lunch, so I’ll just grill up some chicken breasts, and when it’s time for lunch, I can just throw it on a roll with some veg. Then, if I want some chips with it, I’ll cut them up and cook them in the air-fryer while making the sandwich because who wants to eat cold chips?
If you want to go further and prep for an entire month, freeze the meals. Although, I think monthly meal prep is a lot more effort, and you might not want to eat the same meals each week! But our diet is centred around us and what works for us.
Conclusion
Life can be so busy at times, and we tend to sacrifice the time we should use for cooking and eating. Meal prep can save a lot of time in the week as well as money and food waste. Although it can take a couple of tries to get it right initially, it can be rewarding and save a lot of time and stress. There’s nothing better than getting home after a long day and not worrying about cooking or what to eat.
