Prep 101: The Foundations

You’ve done your planning, done your shopping, and you’ve got a fridge full of food. 

Now what? This is my favorite part (well, second to eating) -- time to prep yourself for success!

Meal prep and batch cooking doesn’t have to be complicated: you don’t need those plastic meal prep containers, you don’t need to weigh and measure all your food, heck, you don’t even need to actually cook! Start easy, start basic. The magic lies in the process.

Meal prep can be as simple as preparing ingredients for the week. This will set you up for quick and easy meals throughout the week -- think marinating, washing, chopping. When I first started, I threw meat and veggies into a baggie for simple slow cooker meals throughout the week. Before I left for work, I would dump a premade baggie in my slow cooker, let it cook all day, and come home to dinner (and leftovers for lunch)!

A great place to start is to wash and chop your veggies for the week. For me, this is the bare minimum I do each weekend because it is the L-A-S-T thing I want to do when I come home from work. Having all my veggies washed and chopped makes it easy to throw into a big stir fry, eggs, sides, or a salad for meals.

You’re busy. I get it. To make prep even easier, you can buy your vegetables precut, in the freezer or produce sections. You can even buy cooked proteins, like eggs, chicken, and steak strips for quick meals. These options will cost a little more, but a great option to save valuable time.

And honey, your time IS valuable. Spend more time during the busy week doing what you love: with your kids, at the gym, or having a quiet moment before dinner.