We live in a fast-paced world, where time is precious and convenience often dictates our food choices. Meal planning and food prepping may be our "meal ticket" to better health and maintaining a healthier weight.
There I've said it- but do I do it?
I try to plan and meal prep. I really do try, and sometimes I'm very successful. But then things get in the way such as vacations, visiting relatives, eating in restaurants, parties, weddings, graduations, birthdays, etc. I have to admit that it's a struggle to stay focused on my healthy eating goals!
Fall off the bicycle? Get back on!!
Sometimes I get off track, and I continually try to reel myself back in and stay on track, but the trouble is that once I am eating out and get a "taste" of what I think of as highly exciting stimulating foods( laden with high salt, sugar, fat, and taste sooo good- excitotoxins), I get addicted to the salt, sugar, fat etc and don't want less exciting foods such as lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli, etc.
I often find it more difficult to discipline myself to get back to less stimulating healthier choices (salad, vegetables, beans, legumes etc.)
Do you know what I mean?
Love my cooking!!!
Don't get me wrong. I am a darn good cook, and I make some awesome recipes that are extremely health giving - but they take planning and prep to make them. So here I am back to the original topic- planning and prepping good healthy food!
Who is the busiest and has the least time?
Does it matter if you are a busy professional, a parent juggling multiple responsibilities, very active retirees like me and my husband, gluten-free or plant-based? Don't we all share the same challenge ? We all need to -Plan, Prep, Repeat (every week)
So the challenge is to figure out ways to minimize our efforts.
Groceries Delivered
My son and daughter in-law who are BIG planners and prep-pers save time by having their weekly grocery orders delivered to their front door. They spend 2-3 hours prepping for the week for a family of four.
Hire Assistance:
One of my good friends. who is dealing with a very sick husband, has hired a cook for 3 hours a week to prepare plant-based batch cooking for the week. This helps her eat nourishing meals that helps her keep up her own strength and health during this very difficult time. She pays an hour-rate, so three hours a week is affordable.
Use Frozen:
I often use frozen (organic) vegetables . I stock up at Costco with a large bag of each of organic broccoli, organic green beans, organic cauliflower rice, organic mix of cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, etc. I find it convenient because there is no need to wash, clean, cut or make a mess AND I always have some vegetables available. I simply open the bag, pour the amount I want to use in a skillet, add a small amount of water, cover, and steam for 5 minutes. I definitely eat more vegetables this way. (recipe link here)
 |
| Frozen vegetables in a skillet (cover) with 1/2 cup of water for 5 minutes |
Freeze Grains :
I also cook grains such as rice or quinoa in large quantities and then once they are very cool, I divide them into portion size baggies and freeze for future use. See how to freeze rice here. *don't like plastic ?- use freezer-safe glass containers.
 |
| I cooked this rice with cumin seeds! |
Some ideas I found online to help minimize the effort:
Batch Cooking: Dedicate a few hours on a weekend or a less busy day to prepare large batches of staple foods like grains, proteins (for me- beans), and vegetables. Store them in portions for easy reheating or assembling throughout the week.
Meal Planning Apps: Use meal planning apps or websites that provide recipes, generate grocery lists, and allow you to schedule meals for the week ahead. Some popular ones include Mealime, Plan to Eat, and Paprika.
Simple Recipes: Focus on recipes that require minimal ingredients and preparation time. Look for one-pot meals, sheet pan dinners, or salads that can be easily customized.
Pre-cut and Pre-washed Ingredients: Purchase pre-cut vegetables, pre-washed greens, and other convenience items from the grocery store to reduce prep time. ( I don't like to do this one because there may be added preservatives - not sure. I prefer to cut my own. Recipe link here for make-ahead salads in mason jars.
Freeze Meals: Prepare extra portions of meals and freeze them in individual containers. This way, you can simply thaw and reheat them when needed.
Use Leftovers Creatively: Plan meals that can be repurposed from leftovers. For example
Keep a Stock of Healthy Staples: Always have essentials like canned beans, frozen vegetables, whole grains, and healthy sauces or spices on hand to make quick meals.
Plan Around Weekly Sales: Check grocery store flyers for weekly sales and plan meals based on what’s on offer to save money and simplify your shopping list.
Invest in Kitchen Gadgets: Consider using tools like a slow cooker, instant pot, or air fryer, which can simplify cooking and reduce hands-on time. My Instant Pots (I have two) make my cooking so much easier ( soup, rice, quinoa, vegetables, potatoes, )
Create Theme Nights: Assign specific themes to each day of the week (Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Italian night, Middle Eastern, Asian, etc. ) to streamline decision-making and grocery shopping.
By incorporating these ideas into your routine, you can make planning and prepping healthy meals more efficient and less time-consuming.
I like the comment of Veronica Lee author of the blog "Of Mice and raMen" (link to her blog here)
What do you do? Do you plan your weekly menu? Do you prep? Share some of your ideas in the comments.
Don't do meal planning at all because I never stay with the plan. I like the idea of flavour rice with cumin.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful, colourful food! We try to eat a variety of vegetables every day. It does take work!
ReplyDeleteI eat rice daily, so I usually cook 3 cups of rice, two times a week. I don't freeze cooked rice, but would like to try it.
ReplyDeleteI too love cumin rice. Sometimes I add a tiny bit of turmeric powder to make rice yellow. :)
Planning and prepping are definitely game-changers for healthier eating habits!
ReplyDeleteLove your tips, Judee.
I do not meal plan, same as Angie, I don't stick to it. There is always something that will change what was on the written meal plan. But I like you, have become proficient in getting it done, using the best ingredients for my eating style (organic, cooked ahead etc) and using what I have. I also do not like plastic, but I have found that sometimes it is all that will work in my little house. I love having rice, and pasta ready to go in the freezer, plus it is great for digestion to eat resistant starch. Thanks Judee.
ReplyDeleteI admire your c ooking and meals. I am the world's worst cook, or at least one of them. But when I go out for a meal I do try to eat healthy! Hugs,
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of meal planning and meal prepping, but it’s rare that I have been able to actually put it into practice. I don’t know what I’m going to want for dinner when I wake up in the morning, I can’t imagine what I am going to want a couple of days hence. I have made salads ahead of time, put them in airtight containers, and they will last the week so that I can just grab one when the mood hits, but that’s the extent of what I’ve done.
ReplyDeleteYou share so much great information - I relate to falling off the wagon. I guess most of us do. I can't eat a potato chip or a good chewy cookie without wanting lots of more.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually meal plan far in advance other than holidays or special occasions. I do wash and somewhat prep all vegetables when I bring them in. It does save a little time when I pull something to cook. When it is just the two of us when I make a large pasta dish like stuffed shells, I put them in separate pans and just assemble the extra and freeze to cook another time instead of cooking the entire pan and freezing leftovers.
ReplyDeleteThese are all such good tips. I confess, I always have things from which to make meals but I don't always plan ahead in terms of "this on Monday," "That on Tuesday" and so on. I do more planning for holidays and company and such but mostly it's what we decide we want that day, or the night before. But as you suggested, when you have a well stocked freezer or cupboards, t falls into place quite easily! The staples in my house always include salad fixings, broccoli, shrimp, lemon, salmon, pasta fixings, chicken, frozen corn, eggs and rice. But I'll stock up on other meat on sale.
ReplyDelete