How to: Make Meal Prep Less Boring
Why would anyone want to eat the same thing everyday?

When I was in college, I assumed that the only way to eat healthy with my busy schedule, was to eat the same dishes everyday that I prepped for the week. After a while, this got repetitive, and I began to hate the dishes I was preparing for the week and I was eating more for "fuel" and less for satisfaction and enjoyment. I'm here to tell you that there are ways to meal prep for the week without eating the same thing everyday, that will make your dinner after work exciting and delicious!
Meal Prep Tip #1: Freezing Soups for Cold Winter Evenings
The last thing you want to do after a long day of working, taking care of the kids or being out all day is to chop, prepare and cook a large soup. Freezing your soup in a freezer safe container is a great way to get ahead of your busy schedule!
When freezing soup make sure to:
Use a freezer-safe container
Label your soup with the name/date (frozen soups can last 3 months in the freezer)
If soup calls for sautéing and cooking vegetables, undercook them so that when reheating the vegetables are not mushy!
Let the soup cool completely before freezing
Liquid expands in the freezer so make sure to leave 1-2 inches of space in the container
If using glass or plastic, line your soup with plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn
How to Thaw Soup:
Thaw in the fridge (1-2 days)
Thaw in water bath (once soup loosens from the container place in large saucepan and reheat)
Thaw in microwave (make sure in microwave safe container)

Meal Prep Tip #2: Salads don't have to be soggy
I used to always stay away from meal prepping salads because I hate soggy vegetables, and fresh salads are always better. Now I know how to prepare the right salads for meal prep so that I can get the nutrients while enjoying my lunch or dinner. Egg Salads, pasta salads, beet salads or cabbage-based salads all taste great over time and don't require much prep. When preparing the salad, make sure to keep the dressing in a separate container or pour the dressing on the bottom of the container to prevent soggy greens.
Meal Prep Tip #3: Chop Chop Chop
One of my favorite parts of the week is turning on a show or music playlist and spending an hour or so chopping and preparing vegetables for cross-over ingredients in dishes for the week. Vegetables I love to prepare for the week includes, carrots, celery, onion (red/yellow/white), garlic, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, etc. These will be used for snacks, mixed in with grains for extra fiber, added into scrambles, burritos, fajita dishes, etc. Also using a chopping gadget can help ease the effort while speeding up the process!

Meal Prep Tip #4: Make Your Life Easier with Cooking Gadgets
Using cooking gadgets like choppers, pressure cookers, air fryers, rice cookers, etc. can help make your meal prep day go by way smoother. Here are my favorite ways to use cooking gadgets for meal prep:
Prepping shredded chicken/beef in the instant pot can be used in several different dishes throughout the week such as burritos, added into grain bowls, salads, or sandwiches.
Prepping vegetables with choppers can help save energy for the rest of meal prep
Preparing grains in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker can help save time as some grains take a long time to cook!
Using air fryers to heat up vegetables can help prevent sogginess
Use your instant pot to prepare large batches of beans for fiber and deliciousness!
Meal Prep Tip #5: Cross-over Ingredients
My favorite meal prep tip is to prepare ingredients that can cross-over into several dishes. Hearty vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, broccoli, etc. can be great for reusing into several dishes with grains and proteins. Proteins with fajita veggies can be reused into burritos, grain bowls, or even remade into delicious scrambles, and marinaded proteins such as fish, chicken, or beef can be used several ways throughout the week for different dishes, and so much more!
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