Have you ever heard the saying “fail to plan, plan to fail”? Truthfully, I hate using the term “fail”, as it certainly has a negative connotation. I prefer to consider failures opportunities to reflect, gain awareness and pivot, but nonetheless, the saying can still apply.
When it comes to seeing progress in fat loss, body recomposition or building muscle, consistency is the name of the game and it’s next to impossible to be consistent if we don’t set ourselves up for success with some planning and prepping.
Even knowing this, many people still struggle to make meal prep a priority. Just because we know we should, doesn't mean it's easy to execute.
Sound Familiar?
Picture this: You get home from work after a long day; tired, exhausted, and hungry. The last thing you want to do is figure out what to make for dinner, take the time to do so, or first go grocery shopping and THEN make dinner. And thus, Uber Eats to the rescue. 👀
Meal prep doesn’t have to be Instagram worthy or require endless hours of cooking. It really can be as simple as prepping a few ingredients/items in bulk and having them readily available to pull for later use.
Practical Application
First, choose what foods you want to cook or prep.
Choose 1–2 Protein Sources:
- Chicken breast/thighs
- Lean ground beef/turkey/bison/chicken
- Steak
- Fish
Cook and season to your liking. No need to worry about any fancy recipes. Cooking can be as simple as throwing some chicken thighs on the grill and seasoning with my personal favorite, The Blend Seasoning by Kinders and baking until completely cooked. (Costco and Amazon seem to have it!)
Choose 1–2 Carb Sources & 2–3 Veggie Sources:
- Oats
- Rice
- Roasted potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Quinoa
- Beans/legumes
- Fruit
- Veggies
Examples: Throw your potatoes in the oven on a baking sheet or throw your rice in the Instant Pot. Have fruit on hand or cut it up and put it in containers to grab and go. If you like your veggies cooked, use that baking sheet again, give it a quick spritz of olive oil and let them roast until slightly tender. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
If You Need More Healthy Fats:
If you are someone who tends to under-eat on dietary fats (though this is less common), consider adding some high quality fats to your cooking or your meals:
- Nut butters
- Tree nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews)
- Seeds (chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds etc)
- Avocado
- Butter/ghee
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
Remember, you can always add different seasonings & sauces to change up the flavor.
Realistically, What Can This Look Like?
Maybe on Sunday, you batch cook 1–2 lbs of lean ground beef or turkey and add taco seasoning. You also batch cook several servings worth of rice and bell peppers.
Now, for the next 3 days you can make a burrito bowl, tacos, or a stir-fry in 5 minutes with your cooked protein, rice, and bell peppers. EASY PEASY.
Should you want to “dress it up" more (think tacos/burrito) feel free to add:
- Shredded lettuce
- Salsa
- Black beans (from a can of course—no need to make life harder here)
- Avocado
- A dollop of Greek yogurt and/or shredded cheese and DONE!
How to Make Meal Prep Even Easier When Starting Out
- Start small.
If prepping for the entire week feels overwhelming, choose the meals you struggle with the most. For many people, those tend to be lunches and dinners. Then prep for 3 days at a time vs. the entire week. - Cook more than one thing at a time.
Utilize your stove, oven, and appliances like your Instant Pot or air fryer. Example: cook protein on the stove, veggies in the oven, rice in the Instant Pot. You can throw sweet potatoes in the oven for 1–2 hours while you work on prepping something else. - Keep it simple.
I know it’s super tempting to try out new recipes and I will always encourage that, but often we overcomplicate things and then the task feels too big and becomes hard for us to take action or it's not sustainable. Aim to cook 1–2 protein sources, 2–3 veggies and 1–2 carb sources, then mix and match to create your meals for the next few days. - Cook larger portion sizes at dinner.
If you find yourself running out of food midweek, plan which nights you can make dinner and make additional portions to use for the next few days.
Stay Stocked on Some Pre-Prepped Food
I love stocking my pantry with:
- 90-second cooked rice packets
- Cans or pouches of tuna or chicken
- Already sliced veggies (pre-cut stir fry veggies are my go to!)
Pre-prepped protein sources can also be incredibly helpful in a pinch. We always have Just Meats on hand as of late. I’m also a huge fan of Kevin’s for quick protein-dense dinners if I’m caught without prepped protein. I just add some veggies and a carb and I’m done!
You can even invest in a meal prep delivery service like:
- Evolve Chef
- Trifecta
(no affiliations, just personal preferences!)
Final Thoughts
Meal prep doesn’t have to be complicated or take hours of prep in the kitchen. It does take some planning ahead but it will likely make life easier for future you. Once you get the hang of it and find your groove, you will find your process becomes more efficient and takes less time and thought process.
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