If preparing containers of meals for the week works for you, very best. But in my house it most definitely doesn’t. When you have a family it can be hard to plan—especially with picky children and partners. Here is how I do my prep-cooking!
Disclaimer I’m not meal prepping, I’m ingredient prepping.
- Know yourself!
Most of us become a different person when we’re hungry. Though it isn’t a good idea to get to that point, it is a good idea to be prepared! When you are not feeling hungry, channel your hungry self and make a game plan together!
We’ve all heard the saying, don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, but it’s important to channel the hungry version of yourself at this time! It does feel good to walk passed the cookies, but you might regret it after supper when you’re looking for sweets! Make the decisions for your hungry self while you are in a good headspace! Look for a healthy alternative and enjoy that after supper!
- Prep ingredients, not meals!
When I come home from the grocery store, I wash my veggies and fruits before I put them away (shout out to my mom for drilling this into me). If it’s berries, I wash and mix them in a container, I do the same with melons, cut up carrot sticks and celery—if I’m really feeling it, I’ll grate cheese!
We always have a giant container of prepared quinoa or rice, and another of washed and cut lettuce or spinach.
We usually have a few hard boiled eggs on deck as well as some cooked chicken or a tuna salad mix.
The idea is to have all the healthy ingredients ready, for when you bust in the door after a long day! This works for us because, even though you have a bit of preparing to do, there’s almost no wait time. Not only that, what if we aren’t in the mood for something we already have prepared! Meals, especially supper, are meant to be enjoyed with your family. Imagine the whole family sitting down eating curry but everyone is in the mood for sushi?!
(quick flex, I also make my own sushi and yes I always keep a few rolls locked and loaded ;))
- Tools! (not-sponsored)
I highly recommend an Instant Pot- the Instant Pot is a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a pressure cooker—heck you can even make a cake in that thing! I suck at cooking rice but the Instant Pot has my back.
Air Fryer- Though this doesn’t really help with prepping too many ingredients, it’s a game-changer for sure. In barely any time it will fry your food for you with just a few drops of oil. So you can enjoy fried foods without all the oil! Hallelujah and amen.
Proper containers- To help your food stay fresh and last longer, do some research on how it should be stored. For example, store your herbs in a cup of water, celery in a full container of water, keep a wet paper towel on top of your greens etc
If meal prepping isn’t working for you, try ingredient prepping!