Blog / Food

10 Apr 2018

Benefits of Meal Preparation

When we arrive home after a long day at work with many other things to do, the last thing we feel like is making a healthy meal from scratch. This is an all too common scenario that occurs in households around the world, and it fuels our addiction to convenience meals and snacks. This is where meal-prep can make your life easier, more organised, save you time and money in the long run and ultimately improve your health.

Meal-prep involves setting aside a few hours a week, preferably on a day when you have some extra time, to prepare various meals and snacks for the week ahead.

Buying convenience meals, snacks and paying for take-out and restaurant meals adds up financially. People who meal-prep regularly spend less money because they don’t buy expensive ready meals, they shop with a purpose and they make fewer impulse buys at the grocery store. Preparing meals also allows you to have more control over your portion sizes which can have a beneficial effect on weight and overall health.

Try to schedule a weekly shop before your meal-prep day so that you always have staples like protein, fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, pulses, herbs and spices. You will also need to invest in some BPA-free containers that are safe to freeze and microwave.

Some meal-prep ideas include:

Roasted vegetables
Raw pre-sliced vegetables like carrots, celery and cucumber.
Pre-cooked protein options to freeze or refrigerate for use during the week.
Homemade bread that you freeze in small amounts can make your life easier and help you avoid buying processed supermarket bread.
Healthy dips and spreads like guacamole and hummus which can be easily stored in the fridge or frozen.
Pre-sliced fruit that can be stored ready for snacks and use in smoothies.
Make overnight oats before you go to bed so your breakfast is ready when you wake up.
Wash and store salad greens for easy access during the week.
Boil some eggs and store them to add to salads or eat as a snack during the week.
Healthy muffins keep well and are an easy snack

Sources

http://www.foodmatters.com/article/how-to-meal-prep-in-less-than-2-hours-a-week
https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/how-meal-prep-makes-your-life-better/