Hey everyone, Julia here (again) and today we are going to talk about all things meal prep!
There are a couple different ways to meal prep and all of them are AIYANA approved. Everyone has a different method to their madness. The most important thing is that you are taking part in the best form of self-care–feeding your mind, body, and soul nutrient-dense food to fuel you every day of the week.
So, how can you approach food prep? You’ve got a few options.
The Sunday Cooker
For the peeps who like to spend Sunday grocery shopping and cooking 2-3 meals to eat throughout the week. Typically these folks love to devote a day of planning for the week ahead. It begins with planning the menu, then it’s off to the store to grab ingredients before parking themselves in the kitchen and devoting a couple of hours to whipping up delicious, fully-prepped meals with all the fixings.
Pros: Some people find this therapeutic
Cons: You spend a good portion of the day planning and in the kitchen
The Veggie Prepper
For the peeps who prefer to cook everyday and spend only an hour (ish) washing, chopping and prepping their vegetables for the week ahead. This crew doesn’t want to spend half their day in the kitchen but wants to have healthy food at their fingertips. These folk tend to spend around 30-40 minutes in the kitchen per day getting their meals in order and can whip up some restaurant style meals in no time due to their prep efforts earlier in the week. *Disclaimer: I am one of these people*
Pros: Saves time on your ‘reset’ day
Cons: You spend time cooking in the kitchen everyday
The Crockpot Queen
These geniuses are large batch cooking masters. There is always something in the freezer that is ready to be thawed and served on the plate come dinner time. Crockpot queens have mastered the art of meal planning for the entire month and are able to cook and freeze meals
Pros: You are crowned as a Meal Prepping Pro
Cons: Fresh fruits and vegetables are typically not in these meals
And if you are not any of these people, have no fear. You are most likely a prepping beginner and I would like to officially welcome you to the club!
Some of my trade secrets are:
- Store your items in the proper containers, fridge compartments etc. In my opinion, this is an overlooked tip If you are storing your perishables properly, you can keep your fridge stocked up to twice as long.
- Invest in the proper kitchen gadgets. A sharp knife can cut your prepping time in half and a pressure cooker which can steam a sweet potato in 6 minutes!
- Oven roasted sheet pan meals. Shoutout to my fellow veggie preppers! Sheet pan protein and veggies are the best 30-minute meals and require little to no fuss. Drizzle olive oil over your food, add your current spice blend of the month, toss to coat and roast in the oven. If you have a pressure cooker, you can make your favourite grain/complex carbohydrate in under 12 minutes.
- Stock your pantry. A carpenter can’t work efficiently if his toolkit isn’t well equipped. The same thing goes for meal prepping. A stocked pantry can eliminate so much hassle. Beans, grains, granola, seeds, nuts, spices, hot sauces… I could go on and on. Check out some of the AIYANA-approved pantry items here.
- Never underestimate the power of a couple of eggs. Packed with protein and essential nutrients, egg’s are the OG of protein balls and can be whipped up in under 5 minutes!
- Grab and go items are your best friend. Remember, you don’t have to do it all! It’s all about working smarter, not harder. If you don’t like prepping breakfast, order some of AIYANA’s best selling items that are one handed and nutritionally balanced meals like the frittata bites or the vitality oatcakes. Or if you don’t like making lunches, there are a wide array of bowls, soups and salads to choose from!