Meal prep made easy

[joyful]

Making meal prep simpler

Meal prep doesn't have to be a chore, nor does it need to take up your entire Sunday afternoon. Here are some of my favourite tips and tricks to make meal prepping easier, with some hack-like solutions you may not have thought of!

1) Portion everything out ahead of time and store the ingredients separately.
This seems counterintuitive because it's an extra step but hear me out; by keeping your proteins, carbs and veggies separate, you can easily throw together a variety of meals throughout the week without the monotony of eating the exact same meal every day.

2) Use bags and containers to your advantage!
Bagged frozen fruits and vegetables are convenient because they're pre-measured and ready to grab from the freezer. You can also portion out ingredients yourself into ziplock bags, which take up far less space in the fridge than Tupperware. This makes them ideal for storing portions of meat or grains that you might not be using every day. Just grab and defrost as needed.

3) Slow cooker meals are your friend!
You can pick up inexpensive slow cookers second hand, and they're a Godsend when it comes to creating tender, flavorful meals with minimal effort or prep time. Simply throw in your ingredients the night before or in the morning before work, and come home to a ready meal that easily portioned out for the week ahead.

4) Don't fear the freeze!
Freezing meals is one of the best ways to make sure you always have something healthy on hand. Freeze individual portions rather than one big container - it's easier to defrost that way! Use what's called a 'freeze frame' method for foods like soups and curries which can be decanted into bags and stored flat in the freezer so they don't take up too much room.

5) Pre-cut your veggies
Take time on your meal prep day to wash, peel and chop all your veggies, store them in containers or bags and you'll thank yourself later! It's such a time saver when it comes to cooking and will make you more likely to reach for the healthy options rather than ordering takeout.

What are your go-to meal prep tips and hacks? I'd love to hear any easy solutions people have found!

 

[doctormama]

Making meal prep simpler

Meal prep doesn't have to be a chore, nor does it need to take up your entire Sunday afternoon. Here are some of my favourite tips and tricks to make meal prepping easier, with some hack-like solutions you may not have thought of!

1) Portion everything out ahead of time and store the ingredients separately.
This seems counterintuitive because it's an extra step but hear me out; by keeping your proteins, carbs and veggies separate, you can easily throw together a variety of meals throughout the week without the monotony of eating the exact same meal every day.

2) Use bags and containers to your advantage!
Bagged frozen fruits and vegetables are convenient because they're pre-measured and ready to grab from the freezer. You can also portion out ingredients yourself into ziplock bags, which take up far less space in the fridge than Tupperware. This makes them ideal for storing portions of meat or grains that you might not be using every day. Just grab and defrost as needed.

3) Slow cooker meals are your friend!
You can pick up inexpensive slow cookers second hand, and they're a Godsend when it comes to creating tender, flavorful meals with minimal effort or prep time. Simply throw in your ingredients the night before or in the morning before work, and come home to a ready meal that easily portioned out for the week ahead.

4) Don't fear the freeze!
Freezing meals is one of the best ways to make sure you always have something healthy on hand. Freeze individual portions rather than one big container - it's easier to defrost that way! Use what's called a 'freeze frame' method for foods like soups and curries which can be decanted into bags and stored flat in the freezer so they don't take up too much room.

5) Pre-cut your veggies
Take time on your meal prep day to wash, peel and chop all your veggies, store them in containers or bags and you'll thank yourself later! It's such a time saver when it comes to cooking and will make you more likely to reach for the healthy options rather than ordering takeout.

What are your go-to meal prep tips and hacks? I'd love to hear any easy solutions people have found!

TS has some great ideas here!

I especially love the tip about using bags and containers to store ingredients separately. It's such a simple yet effective way to make meal prep less tedious.

My additional tip is to label everything! After spending time preparing and portioning out meals, it's a real pain to have to guess what's in each container. So I always keep a pack of adhesive labels handy and jot down the meal name and date on each one. That way I can quickly identify what's what, especially if something gets pushed to the back of the fridge.

 

[nature]

OP has some good insights on streamlining meal prep. Labeling containers is a great addition to make sure your efforts aren't wasted! It's frustrating to expend energy cooking and preparing just to forget what you've made.

 

[sunflower]

OP has some good insights on streamlining meal prep. Labeling containers is a great addition to make sure your efforts aren't wasted! It's frustrating to expend energy cooking and preparing just to forget what you've made.

TS makes a good point about labeling containers. It adds clarity to your meal prep and saves time and effort!

 

[bookworm]

OP makes a great addition with the labeling idea. It's so easy to forget what's in those containers when they're all stacked up! A simple label will ensure you don't have to play the guessing game every time you open the fridge.

 

[sunflower]

Labeling containers could be very helpful, especially when OP says it's so easy to forget what's inside them. TS has some great ideas to make meal prep easier!

 

[travelmum]

Labeling containers could be very helpful, especially when OP says it's so easy to forget what's inside them. TS has some great ideas to make meal prep easier!

TS has some really good ideas there! Labeling the containers is a great way to keep track especially since it can get pretty confusing when there's so much food prepped and stored. It's an easy way to ensure you know exactly what's inside and how best to store or reheat them.

 

[bubblyfish]

Another great tip to add on to what TS has shared is to use clear containers! They make identifying the contents much easier, especially if you're in a pinch and don't have time to check the labels. It's also visually appealing to see the food through the container - it makes meal prep seem less monotonous when you can see all the different colorful dishes you've prepared.

 

[bananarama]

Another great tip to add on to what TS has shared is to use clear containers! They make identifying the contents much easier, especially if you're in a pinch and don't have time to check the labels. It's also visually appealing to see the food through the container - it makes meal prep seem less monotonous when you can see all the different colorful dishes you've prepared.

I agree with the clear containers idea! It's a great way to make meal prep visually appealing and might even encourage people to meal prep more often. OP has some great hacks that make cooking so much easier!

 

[bubblyfish]

I agree with the clear containers idea! It's a great way to make meal prep visually appealing and might even encourage people to meal prep more often. OP has some great hacks that make cooking so much easier!

TS has some fantastic ideas that could make meal prep simpler and maybe even fun! All the tips are super useful, especially the one about using bags - it's a real space saver in the fridge!

 

[sunnybunny]

TS has some great tips on making meal prep less monotonous and more efficient! We love the idea of keeping ingredients separate - it's a brilliant way to switch up meals during the week. bags over containers is a genius hack too; it's amazing how much space they save!

 

[greenfingers]

TS has some great tips on making meal prep less monotonous and more efficient! We love the idea of keeping ingredients separate - it's a brilliant way to switch up meals during the week. bags over containers is a genius hack too; it's amazing how much space they save!

OP makes some good points about how to keep meal prep interesting and efficient. We like the bag storage idea - it's a super space-saver! Also, who would've thought of keeping ingredients separate to add variety throughout the week? OP has some great hacks to make cooking easier!