Are you thinking of trying meal prep but you’re not sure whether or not it’s worth the hassle?  

Meal prep is often considered something you do when you want to lose weight, or if you are trying to save time. However, there are plenty of reasons everyone should add meal prepping to their routine.

Here, you’ll discover the benefits of meal prep and how it could potentially change your life for the better.

You Save Money

One of the top reasons to start meal prepping is that you will save money. This is largely because you can buy more foods in bulk.

Consider how much you would save by purchasing your meat and veggies in bulk, instead of just buying small portions that you need for one or two meals. You can then prep your meals, and gain all of the other benefits as well. Not to mention the fact you’re saving money by not making as many different meals throughout the week or indulging in expensive fast food.

Meal prep also ensures you don’t throw as much food away as you may do at the moment. When you don’t plan your meals, it can cause you to forget about the ingredients and foods you have in them, causing them to go out of date before you get to them.

So, if you want to save money and cut food waste down, meal prep can prove essential.

It Allows You More Time During the Week

If you’re someone who often skips making home-cooked meals during the week because you don’t have a lot of time, meal-prepping will be perfect for you.

Choose an evening or one day of the weekend when you have some extra time, then prepare or cook most of the meals for the week. That way, all that needs to be done is to put your meals together and some minor heating up or cooking, each day of the week.

You Can Eat Healthier

Meal prepping also ensures that you will eat healthier meals since each one is very carefully planned out.

You will be making multiple healthy meals at a time; often using fresh or frozen produce, lean protein, and other natural ingredients. It also helps you to learn portion control if you use meal prep containers that include separate compartments. These are so useful for separating portions of different food groups.

As you can see, meal prepping isn’t that difficult to do. It provides a wide range of benefits; especially if you’re trying to stick to a healthier diet. Not only will it help you to lose weight, but it can also be used to ensure you’re getting the right nutrients to stay healthy overall. 

Stress-free Meal Planning Ideas

When you first start meal planning, it can feel overwhelming, intimidating, and even stressful. The point of meal planning is to plan and free up your time so that you’re less stressed, so it’s beneficial to plow through those beginning stages to get to the good stuff.

Here are some stress-free meal planning ideas to make cooking and meal prepping as fun and easy as possible.

1. Start Small

If you’re just starting to meal plan, don’t try to prepare all your meals for the entire week in one day. You don’t need to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner all planned out.

Start with something small, such as your snacks for a few days of the week. Wash and cut up some fruits and veggies, brainstorm some quick and easy snack ideas, or go grocery shopping and get your ingredients.

Some simple snack ideas are avocado slices, raw veggies with dipping sauce, or some carrot or celery sticks with hummus. Then, try to plan for one or more meals when you feel more confident with meal planning.

As with any habit, you’re trying to introduce into your routine, setting small goals and working your way up to bigger ones always works best in the long run.

2. Make Easy & Quick Meals

Often, people try to make complicated meals when they meal plan. Don’t make this mistake — stick to easy and quick meals that won’t make you feel more stressed. Some of the most delicious recipes require little time and are simple to make with few ingredients.

There’s nothing wrong with simplicity and repeating meals. You don’t need to eat something different each week unless you like to experiment with new recipes, and that doesn’t add any extra layers of stress for you. 

3. Keep the Fridge & Pantry Staples Stocked

If you notice that you’re using certain ingredients in many of your meals, make sure to continue buying those staples. Keep your fridge stocked with the items you use the most. Meal planning is easy when you always have those handy staples at hand to put together a complete meal. 

4. Batch Cook Foods to Use for Different Meals

When your kitchen is always stocked with staples, it’s a good idea to start batch-cooking ingredients for multiple meals. For example, you can use a large batch of cauliflower rice for both lunches and dinners. Keep the seasoning relatively simple so that it can pair with different dishes.

When it comes to meal planning, spices are your best friend. You can use similar ingredients for two separate meals, but other spices will give you two completely different dishes. This will save you so much time in the kitchen!  

Download The Meal Prep Guide For Women With Zero Time

5. Make the Meals Work for Everyone

Whether someone has a special dietary requirement, has allergies or intolerances, or is just a picky eater, consider everyone when planning the family meals.

It’s much more work to prepare separate meals for everyone. You can piece different elements of the meal together for each person. For example, if someone is a vegetarian, they can choose a plant-based main dish while everyone shares the same side items.  

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