“Think simple’ as my old master used to say – meaning reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principles.” — Frank Lloyd Wright
"Meal prep" (the process of planning and preparing meals in advance) is a popular strategy that can be used for a wide variety of end goals, including weight loss.
And while it can be a key component to successfully reaching and maintaining a healthy weight,
Most Fed Up Dieters struggle to stay consistent with the habit.
And that's because there's a common misconception that meal prep needs to look something like this...
Which I totally understand because I used to think the same way.
I remember the first time I ever did an intentional meal prep session, I stayed up until 1am making (amongst other things) a split pea soup recipe that I got from a meal plan I purchased online.
I had never made that recipe before.
I had never even made soup from scratch before.
Honestly, I don't know that I had ever EATEN split pea soup before.
And yet there I was, in my tiny NYC apartment, blending away into the wee hours of the night.
The next day I went to class (I was in college at the time) carrying my little cooler packed full of tupperware, feeling proud...but also exhausted.
The thought of doing that every week was daunting, but I didn't think there was better way.
And as a result, meal prep consumed WAY too much of my time and energy for many years.
Thankfully, after lots of trial and error, I realized that the reason my meal prep sessions felt so overwhelming was because I was making 3 major mistakes.
So, if you've been struggling to make meal prep a consistent habit, chances are you are making 1 or more of the same mistakes I was.
And once you fix these mistakes, you'll see just how simple it becomes to make meal prep a regular part of your routine.
Mistake #1: Thinking that you need to do it ALL...and all in ONE day.
Most people hear "meal prep" and think of spending a few hours on Sunday to cook ALL of your meals for the week. While that is one way of approaching meal prep...it's not the only way.
ANYTHING that you can do to save yourself time, energy or the need to make a decision in the future is helpful.
Already cooking dinner? Make extra for the next day's lunch or double the recipe and freeze the second portion.
Have 15 minutes of free time? Throw a bag of frozen veggies, a can of beans, a carton of stock and some seasoning in a slow cooker and you've got a simple soup you can zhuzh up with a variety of add ins later (like leftover chicken, fresh herbs and a soft boiled egg 🤤).
Is there one meal where you struggle to make healthy choices most often? If so, just focus on prepping that meal for the week.
Every. Little. Bit. Counts.
Mistake #2: Using new and/or complicated recipes (really, just recipes in general!)
If you want your meal prep session to be quick and easy, leave your Pinterest board out of it.
When you stick to things that you can comfortably make without following a recipe, you'll be able to prep more items at the same time.
Think of it like driving. The first few times you did it, you probably weren't changing the station while checking your mirrors while chatting with the person in the passenger seat...right?
Of course not. You needed to put ALL of your attention on the act of driving, since it was so new to you.
The same goes with a new recipe, kitchen gadget or cooking technique...they will require too much of your attention, save them for another time.
Instead, assemble your list of meal prep "go-to's" — the things that you can comfortably make even if you were also...having a conversation with your partner, helping your kid with their homework, finishing up an email or just generally distracted.
Find the stuff that requires the smallest amount of brain power to execute (this will adjust as your comfort in the kitchen grows fyi) and make those things the staples of your meal prep sessions.
And if you think you might get bored, then you're probably making...
Mistake #3: Thinking that you have to prep "meals"
A common complaint about meal prep is that it gets boring eating the same thing on repeat.
But you don't have to prep full meals. You can just prep "pieces" of meals.
And then you can "mix and match" those pieces to create a variety of meals.
For example, you can make a batch of quinoa, wash/chop/slice your favorite veggies and buy a rotisserie chicken and turn those "pieces" into: salads, stir-frys, egg scrambles, stews, etc. simply by adding in different seasonings and add-on items.
When it comes to which "pieces" to prioritize, I always suggest proteins and veggies because,
Most Fed Up Dieters struggle to get enough of both AND because,
There are lots of starchy carb sources (frozen rice, canned beans, bread, pasta) and fat sources (oils, nuts, cheese, olives) readily available with little to "no prep" required.
These 3 mistakes were the biggest reasons why food prep overwhelmed me for so many years and why most Fed Up Dieters struggle to stay consistent with the habit.
But once you overcome them, you'll see just how easy it becomes to make meal prep a regular part of your routine.
Which of these 3 mistakes have you been making?
Comments