Meal Prepping is all the rage right now! You see pictures of it on Instagram. Videos on how people prepare and pack everything. Everywhere you turn you see tuperware filled with food and exactly how many calories/macros are in them.
But let’s get real…
Meal prep is basically just glorified leftovers. That’s literally what it is. Leftovers. Packaged in their own nice tupperware so they’re slightly more appealing.
Now let’s be honest…
Meal prepping is a HUGE time saver! When you are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, making lunch everyday is a pain in the ass. Meal prepping takes the thinking out of it. It takes the “I didn’t have time” out of it. And whether you’re fixing food specifically for planning, or are actually packing up leftovers, doesn’t mean your food for the week has to be boring. Check out what I took to work for 3 days. I have a morning snack, my afternoon snack, and a lunch.
I love it because it saves me time. I cook one batch of food and divide it up right away. I will save chopping fruit/veggies for the night before because they’ll stay fresher longer that way. But things like carrots or celery can be kept in a container of cold water and they’ll stay nice, crisp, and crunchy.
If you look back at my groceries post, this is the chicken that I bought. I cooked it all that night with a little olive oil and an herb rub. Lunch protein for the rest of the week. I cooked rice in chicken stock (adds more flavor) and stirred in a 5 oz. baby spinach that was sautéed with garlic. Carb and veggies for the week. And I have a serving of fruit and another serving of veggies to have along with some hummus (fats). See how I’ve got food from each major macro group? And the fruit and veggies are full of vitamins and minerals.
Not only is this meal going to keep me full, it’s healthy AND it tastes good. I feel satisfied after I eat it. I’m no longer hungry, but not overly full. I’m not craving a cookie or chocolate. For the last 2 days of my work week I took shrimp scampi zoodles! Check out my previous blog post and see how that turned out!
What’s your go-to meal to prep for the week? Do you buy food to prepare for lunches or make one big dinner and divide it up after?