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We all know that someone who smugly walks into work full of beans, with their lunch prepped, and their dinner prepped… and their breakfast, lunch and dinner prepped for tomorrow too! Well now it’s time to make that someone you! It will save you time, it will save you money (and it will save you from being jealous of that someone… and jealousy doesn’t look good on anyone!) With Hip and Healthy’s 6 tips to meal prepping like a pro you’ll be doing just that in no time, so read on and follow closely for maximum meal prep happiness J

 

Write down your meals for the week. If you write it down you’re much more likely to stick to it. You can make this a fun activity too, like searching new recipes online or going through all your cookbooks you just haven’t found the time to browse! With so many recipes available to you, you’ll plan a week full of exciting and delicious meals, so there will be no risk of getting bored of your food.

 

Shop according to your meal plan. Keep your cupboards stocked with a variety of ingredients that can be the base for many different meals, then top up your fresh produce twice a week. Legumes, dried beans, bulgur wheat, quinoa, brown rice, rolled oats, frozen veg and nuts are all examples of ingredients with a long shelf life that can be incorporated into so many different recipes. If you constantly have these on hand, then you can buy your fresh ingredients when you have time throughout the week without breaking the bank! Plus, there’ll be way less waste!

 

Use Sunday as your food prep day. It doesn’t have to take all day to meal prep, but it would be handy to get all the long stuff out of the way! So, put aside a couple of hours on a Sunday to roast your veg, cook your quinoa, and marinate your fish. What’s more you can do all this in front of your favourite TV show, or listening to your favourite podcast… what’s not to love about that?!

 

Make double batches when you can. As Madeleine Shaw encourages, “cook once, eat twice”. If you’re cooking in the evening, why not make double the amount so you can save a portion for your lunch the next day! Or even if you don’t want to eat the same thing two days in a row, you can freeze the extra portion for a lunch or dinner next week! Simples!

 

“Embrace the #TUPPLIFE”. Dr Hazel Wallace (aka. The Food Medic) advises her followers to do all the meal prepping in one day and to keep it all in Tupperware. Put Monday-Wednesday’s meals in the fridge, and the rest of the week in the freezer. Glass Tupperware is great for storing stews in the freezer and fridge, and Mason jars are perfect for your jar salads, healthy pot noodles and your overnight oats! If you’re using plastic Tupperware make sure its BPA free!

 

Don’t be afraid to start small. Just like if you’re starting a new class or starting at the gym, don’t be too ambitious! Even just prepping your snacks for the week, or your overnight oats for breakfast the next day is enough! Once you’re comfortable with these then you can start prepping more meals for the week. And be realistic – you’re bound to want to treat yourself to lunch or dinner out one week so don’t over-prep because you don’t want to end up with more waste!

 

If that doesn’t sound easy, we don’t know what does. Follow these tips to help you stay on top of eating healthy and delicious throughout week, even if you have a busy schedule! After no time you will be prepping like a pro… and everyone in the office will be asking YOU how you do it… if they do, don’t forget to pass on Hip and Healthy’s 6 steps!!!!

words by Kate Harrison

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