Meal Prep for Beginners: Making Meal Prep a Habit

MEAL PREP for Beginners:

Making Meal Prep a Habit

Making meal prep a habit - versus that 4-hour slog you endure when you force yourself every month or so - comes down to some VERY simple habits and tricks.

You kinda have to fail forward and figure out what works/doesn’t work for you, but here are some of MY tried-and-trues.

1. Simplify Oils + Spices

I pick a spice blend and use it for urrything: my veggies, dressing, meat, you name it. Same goes for oils, I’ll use coconut oil until I run out then swap for EVOO, etc.

2. Prep in Stages

Pick 1-2 things to wash and chop as you’re putting groceries away. Then when you pull it out later, all you have to do is cook it. Working in stages prevents meal prep from being so time consuming.

3. Pre-cut Produce

Afraid to commit to a full-on veggie relationship? Consider that pre-cut/washed section your gateway to nutritional ecstasy (no complaints about the price tag if you ever dine out).

4. Prep 2x/Week

Wed/Thurs as your day 2 means you don’t run out of food and waste all that work from Mon-Thurs (plus it means fresher food for the end of your week and less time needed Sunday).

5. Cook Ahead

The rule is #AlwaysBePreppin. Assembling dinner? Bake up some sheet pan veggies while you’re there. Heating up breakfast? Cook up tomorrow’s brekkie or gather your big ass salad for lunch. The more you play ahead, the more FREEDOM you gain.

6. Keep Your Team Ready

Quality oils, spice mix, cookware like @extrema, @lecreuset or a cast iron skillet, silicone baking sheets, glass storage, wooden cutting board & quality knife.

7. Clean As You Go

It may not have sunk in until I was a grown-up, but my mother’s household game is clutch. The ONLY way to maintain your sanity and make meal prepping (or domesticity in general) a truly sustainable habit is to #cleanasyougo.

Here are some of my household habits:

Every time I pass my sink, I clean 1 item.
All dishes left in sink must be soaking.
Fridge and shelves organized with oldest items in front.
Use dishwasher as a drying rack to free up counter space (keep it open to air dry).