Have you read numerous headlines about the benefits of meal prepping and are curious about how to get started? I’m a beginner at this whole meal-prepping thing and want to share what I have learned so far.
Like any new habit you add to your life, meal prepping can feel like another thing to do on your already long “to-do” list. But, after a month of commitment to prepping, I get why there is so much hype.
To say the least, food is complicated in my family. Try cooking for this bunch: my son is trying to gain weight and eats tons of meat, my daughter is careful about her diet and prefers salad, my husband loves a big variety of ethnic food and I am vegan (for health reasons). Although meal prepping hasn’t solved all of our family food issues, it makes some parts so. much. easier.
After reading about the benefits of meal prepping from an absolute beginner, you’re going to be ready to give it a try!
This post is all about a beginner’s explanation of the benefits of meal prepping.
The Benefits Of Meal Prepping
Why meal prep is bad: Before I get into all the positive aspects, let’s discuss the downside. For one thing, “prepping” is also known as “kitchen work.” And, even before the “kitchen work”, there has to be a plan and shopping. Unlike my normal shopping, meal prep shopping was very thought out down to the number of carrots I needed. But, it’s still worth it, and here’s why:
Less Waste
As soon as I started meal prepping, I noticed I was eating everything I bought. Not only did I notice I was wasting less food, but I also noticed I was wasting less money. In order for this to work, you need to have a plan.
Currently, I make four days’ worth of salads, roasted vegetables, and overnight oats. In order to keep the salads fresh and not waste any ingredients, I carefully layer them. (To clarify, I add hard veggies like carrots and radishes on the bottom. Followed by softer veggies like peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Then, I add beans, grains, or pasta. If you are a meat eater, then you can add your cooked protein or cheese. Next, the leafy greens get stuffed in. Lastly, I top my salad with a variety of seeds, goji berries, dried fruits, and nuts. Additionally, I do not add salad dressing of any type until I am ready to eat it.
Before I started meal prepping my salads and roasted veggies, I often had leftover wilted lettuce and other vegetables at the end of the week. Now, I have four days of meals and not a single veggie left to rot!
In short, the work it takes to plan and chop is totally worth it! You will waste less food and less money.
It Feels Like “Someone” Cooked For You
When someone makes me food, it ALWAYS tastes better. Another great benefit of meal prepping is that it feels like someone cared enough about you to make your food. And, someone did – YOU!
(Look at this beautiful salad I made for me!)
Meal prep takes so much stress out of your day and it saves you a ton of time. Before I had this system in place, I would often be chopping this salad while I was starving. Or, I would give up on the salad completely because it would take too long to prepare. Generally speaking, if you’re busy and want to eat healthy meals at home, meal prep will help you out.
If you want to feel excited about meals instead of stressed, this could be your answer. Take care of your future self, it is worth the work!
Meal Prepping Makes It Easier To Stick To Your Diet Decisions
If you are working on your diet in any way, meal prepping makes everything easier. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, following a keto diet, counting calories, or on any type of diet, meal prepping is your new best friend.
When we make a choice to make changes to our diet, it’s usually because we want to make an improvement in our health. In my case, I became vegan for health reasons and the change did in fact benefit my health. But, being vegan in a family of non-vegans isn’t always easy. In fact, I definitely prioritized my family’s meals over my own because there didn’t seem to be enough time to cook both. So, if you’re struggling to stay on track with your commitment, I hear you! It’s not easy.
But, if you make a simple plan and stick with it – even if it’s just one meal at a time – you will find that everything becomes easier. And, take it from me, you should even meal prep some treats that are allowed in your diet.
( These overnight oats are ready and waiting when I feel like I want a taste of something sweet.)
To put it another way, know yourself and plan accordingly. If you make things easy for your future self, then you are WAY more likely to succeed. And, don’t forget to make time in your schedule for this new habit!
Meal Prepping Gadgets And Containers
Obviously, if you decide to make meals ahead of time, you are going to need a place to store them properly so they stay fresh. But, that doesn’t always mean you need to buy tons of new things to start your journey. In fact, I only bought salad jars to begin my meal prepping.
These are similar to my salad jars:
Click Here To Buy From Amazon.com.
Price at the time of the post: $20.99 for 4 pack
Other Top-Rated Meal Prep Containers:
If you’re looking for basic meal prep reusable containers, these have been highly rated by over 20,000 people:
Click Here To Buy From Amazon.com
Price at the time of the post: $19.99 for 20 pack
If you prefer glass containers, check out these top-rated pink containers. How cute are these?
Click Here To Buy From Amazon.com
Price at the time of the post: $39.99 for 10
If you want containers with multiple compartments, then this set might be right for you – and they are super cute!
Click Here To Buy This Set From Amazon.com
Price at the time of the post: $29.99
Are you looking for an environmentally-friendly option? These containers are completely compostable!
Click Here To Buy From Amazon.com
Price at the time of the post: $19.99 for a 50 count
One thing I have purchased to help me meal prep faster is this amazing vegetable slicer. After reading about the top mandoline slicers and checking out a ton of reviews, I settled on this one from OXO. One thing I love about it is that it folds flat and I can easily store it. It has been a lifesaver! Check it out:
Click Here To Buy This Amazing Slicer From Amazon.com
Price at the time of the post: $45.90
Another key point to keep in mind is that you don’t really need to purchase anything to meal prep. In fact, I still use spaghetti sauce jars to store my roasted veggies and my overnight oats are made and stored in some old smoothie containers. In reality, I didn’t want to spend money on cute containers until I was sure I would stick to meal planning. I just bought the mandoline slicer about two weeks ago. This can be simple and should be easy!
This post was all about the benefits of meal prepping – explained by a beginner.
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