Simplifying Meal Prep

Being prepared for nutrition is hard work, let’s just put that out there first. A big part of working on your relationship to food for a lot of individuals involves making sure you’re eating more regular and adequate meals and snacks. But those recommendations don’t exist in a bubble, and it’s helpful to have ideas that can help simplify being prepared for your eating experiences on given day, week, etc.

Something that can be helpful is using ingredient shortcuts. Basically any type of item that you’ll use in a meal, finding any easier way to have it prepped! Some examples of this might be:

• Microwaveable grains such as rice

• Pre-marinated proteins such as chicken or tofu

• Pre-washed and prepped produce

• Frozen produce (especially mixtures you find useful such as peppers and onions. Gentle reminder that frozen produce is not “bad” compared to fresh produce; in fact it can often be fresher because of the methods used to flash freeze items when picked, and for many individuals it’s more affordable and accessible)

• Pre-made sauces

• Spice blends

• Pre-made grains like pizza or pie crust

• No boil pasta noodles

• Using a prepared meal or frozen meal item as a portion of your meal such as using a frozen enchilada and then prepping rice and beans to go as a side dish or buying a rotisserie chicken to make chicken salad for the week
  

There’s absolutely no shame in the game of trying to make meal preparedness easier! Meal prep can also look however you need it to look for your household. It does not need to mean spending hours in the kitchen and having everything planned and prepared for the week if that doesn’t suit or actually help you, but if you’re struggling to feel prepared throughout the week with meals, hoping some of these tips help!