Do you have a busy week ahead of you, but you’re not quite ready to meal prep for your whole week? No worries! Meal prepping isn’t for everyone, and it doesn’t always work for all schedules. There are ways to save some time by cutting corners in areas you can, but still make a full and healthy meal!
Cook Some Items in Bulk
Meal prepping doesn’t always have to be perfectly balanced, entirely cooked meals for seven days of the week. Meal prepping includes anything from buying pre-cut vegetables to having pre-cooked rice for your week. Try cooking some of your grains or vegetables ahead for the week, so you can save time on dinner by having half of it ready ahead of time. Some protein sources like fish don’t always work best as meal preps, so there are some portions of our meal that we may have to make fresh. But just because the fish doesn’t hold well for the next day, doesn’t mean that rice needs to be made fresh every night! Save yourself the time and effort, cook your rice or broccoli tonight and enjoy tomorrow!
Buy Pre-Cooked Meats
Buying pre-cooked, unseasoned meat can be a heck-of-a time saver. Usually the time consuming part of cooking dinner is making sure the protein is done all the way through. Why bother with cooking, when you can buy a whole rotisserie chicken? Unseasoned and pre-cooked meats are excellent ways to save time, but still have a balanced meal. Bring that baby home, and add fresh sauce and a side of vegetables (maybe the ones you cooked for the week). Voila! A meal that requires very little dishes and time.
Portion Out Your Snacks
Not all preparation has to surround your big meals. Snacks are easy lifesavers. Snacks hold a huge importance in our day and can be the one thing that can easily be fit into even the busiest of days. Pre-packing and portioning your snacks are an easy way to know you have one thing ready for the week. If all other meals are difficult to make time for, snacks are there to work with that busy schedule! The best part, snacks take very little time and no cooking to prep. This means that you can pencil in a few moments of peace and balanced meals by having this easy-to-prepare snack ready to go!
Try testing out some of these methods for your meal prep this week. Meal prepping doesn’t always look like seven days worth of full meals. Meal prepping can be any or all of the tips above. Having even the smallest amount of preparation done ahead of time can save you the effort later in the week when energy might be dropping. Start your week strong by having what you need ready!