My Minimalist and Efficient Meal Prep Guide
Are you looking for an efficient and easy way to plan your meals for the week?
Are you fed up with discarding food at the end of the week you didn’t get too?
Are you looking to adopt a better diet?
If so, i know you because I am you… in a sense. At the beginning of the year, I would have answered yes to all these questions. A couple months ago, I revealed that I had moved into a smaller studio and tapped into my “minimalist” personality. Like any other term, minimalist has different definitions based on who you ask. When I use it, I simply want to express a desire to downsize and be conscious of my products/usage of resources. I’m the fashionista that loves her clothes but realizes the down falls of fast fashion. Similarly, I’m a budding cook who loves food but cries when I have too many left overs.
Below is my step by step guide of how I adopted a routine that makes a bigger/better impact on the planet. It saves me hours in the morning each day and creates more hours for me to do other things… like workout.
First things first… Pick a meal prep day:
Your meal prep day is the day when you cook these meals, and make them ready for the week. For some it also includes getting groceries on this day. I like to separate my grocery shopping from my cooking day. I typically place my order for my ingredients to arrive the day before my meal prep day. For me, my meal prep days are Sundays.
Gather your Tupperware.
For various health and environmental reasons, I’ve become a huge fan of glass Tupperware. At the beginning of this year, I bit the bullet in my student salary and purchased a set off Amazon. I made sure to get a set that included at least three huge bowls, and 3 small ones.
Plan.
This is game time. This easy process allows you to have all your nutrients for the week by simply breaking them down. It is based on a system of mixing and matching food through the week, and hence, goes against the stereotypic meal prep. You are not confined to one meal and left overs for days. Instead, you create staple items to mix and match through out the week.
Mix and Match Meal Prep with Examples:
Your Carbohydrates. Select Two Carbs. This week, I chose sweet potatoes and white rice.
Your Protein: Select Two Proteins: This week, I chose beef and shrimp
Your Fruits: Select Two Fruits: This week, I chose Lemons and Mangos
Your Vegetables: Select ATLEAST Two Vegetables. This week, I chose tomatoes, broccoli, and spinach,
Your snacks: Select two snack items. This week I chose carrots, and granola.
Above is the template to help you get started. Download for a free and helpful way to stay organized and healthy!
