What is meal prep, you may ask? Meal prep is simply preparing some or all of your meals in advance.
Why is meal prep important? Preparation is key on your road to a healthier lifestyle! One common mistake is not having healthier alternatives readily available. When we don’t have food prepared or healthy snack options, we tend to reach for items that may not support fitness goals.
If you’re a bodybuilder, fitness model or athlete, you may want to consider meal prepping since your body is your lifeline for your business and understanding what you’re putting in to it is very important. Beginners should start with prepping 2 meals and 1 snack and they should make sure this covers their meals.
Another reason to meal is prep is to save money. When I’m discussing meal prep with others I often hear people complaining about how expensive meal prep must be. It may seem like a lot at first because you are spending all your money for food at once. However if you combined how much money is spent on food when you going out to eat and food for at home meals, I promise it will cost a lot more. Buying ahead of time and when there are deals to buy in bulk will save you a ton of cash.
Not only is meal prep affordable but there are ways to make it even cheaper. The best way is to start browsing your local grocery stores’ sales flyers. Start planning your grocery list around items that are on sale and you’ll see how much food you can get for your weekly budget. Once you start reading them, you’ll see that there are tons of items each week that are on sale for as much as 50% off without even using coupons! Shopping the bulk bins, even at pricey stores like Whole Foods, can also help you save money. Bulk oats are often a huge savings when compared to name brand oats, where you’re typically just paying for the packaging.
Cook Your Meals In Advance & Keep It Simple.
Preparing your meals in advance ensures that you won’t be tempted to make a pit stop into getting fast food. If you are short on time and want a gourmet meal then you may be setting yourself up for disappointment since gourmet cooking may take more prep time than you have. Maybe save the gourmet meal for a weekend treat when you have more time and it will give you something to look forward too.
Plan ahead by cooking your meals every other day, providing you with enough food for the next two days. If you are really busy, keep Sundays and Wednesdays as your ‘chef’ days. I normally eat breakfast at home unless I am doing morning cardio and am not returning home right away. I like to prep all my food on Sundays for the whole week. This way not only am I saving money but I am also save time during the week when I am most busy. Whether I am taking the kids to an event or having to do work around the house my meals are only 3 minutes in the microwave away from being ready.
