There are plenty of renewable resources. Unfortunately, time isn’t one of them. Whether you’re a full-time employee or a full-time parent, having a busy schedule can make planning meals difficult.
Luckily, there’s a simple solution: cook your own meal or having food delivered right to your door by meal prep services. Don’t know where to begin? Here’s a simple list of tips that even busybodies can take advantage of.
Create a Schedule
One of the first steps to a successful meal prep week is creating a schedule. Choose a day where you have at least a few hours of free time. You’ll need these hours to make a grocery list, shop, and prep.
When you make your list, be sure to include healthy and tasty options you and your family will enjoy. Otherwise, you’ll spend hours prepping and find yourself ordering out. Diversifying your meals will help encourage your whole family to commit to eating healthy.
If you only have a few healthy recipes, you can always look online for popular dishes to prepare. Trying something new is a great way to maximize motivation when it comes to health goals.
Outsource Responsibilities
Maybe something came up at the last minute and you can’t make it to the grocery store. However, there’s no need to worry. You can call in reinforcements. Fortunately, there are meal kit delivery services that have proportioned, healthy meals. Utilizing a delivery service can allow you to complete other tasks or provide some much-needed relaxation time.
Make sure that any allergies in your household are accounted for before ordering a meal kit online, you want to make sure that the supplies ordered can be eaten by everyone. These services are especially helpful if you live in a remote area and cannot shop at grocery stores often.
Consider Large Batches
Since you’re already more than likely buying in bulk, you can save even more time by cooking big batches of proteins and sides without separating them into meals.
For instance, if your family is big on brown rice and quinoa, you can cook a large amount of them and then allow people to portion their preference during their meal. This makes it easier to eat a variety as opposed to being forced to eat the exact same meal for days in a row.
You should also refrain from cooking large batches of food that spoil too quickly.
Freeze Leftover Portions
Depending on how much you prep, you may not be able to eat or store all of it within a week. If you have leftovers, put them in storage bags and pop them in the freezer. This is especially great for produce if you and your family enjoy smoothies.
If you freeze proteins, you can pre-portion servings to make thawing and eating easier. Make sure to write down the date of when you stored your food so that you can avoid keeping food that has gone bad. Consider doing some research online to see how long certain foods last when kept inside of the refrigerator or freezer.
Being busy shouldn’t interfere with your ability to eat delicious meals. By meal prepping at least once a week, you can enjoy your favorite foods in a fraction of the time and price. This is especially great if you have children.
Meal prepping empowers them to enjoy meals whenever they want without the mess or need to cook for themselves. Keep in mind that meal prepping is easier if the whole family contributes in some way, whether you have assistance when it comes to planning or preparation, making your meal plans a collaborative effort will make them less stressful and more enjoyable.