One of the best ways that I have ever found to be successful when either trying to lose weight or to maintain my weight is by meal planning. It definitely takes some trial and error to find your exact rhythm and what is necessary for your family, but once you get it down it is so worth it!
Not only will meal prepping help with your waistline it can also help you save so much time and money. Spending an hour or two every Sunday (or your shopping day) will end up saving you dividends during the week as you won’t be constantly thinking what you need to make for supper, and it will save you money as you won’t be wandering the grocery aisles aimlessly or making unnecessary stops in the fast food drive through.
Here are my seven quick tips to make meal prepping quick and easy:
1. Create a list of “go to” meals that you can pick from each week. I have about 20 or so on my list that I typically choose from.
2. Always have a few “convenience meals” on hand that can be a “go to” in case some nights get tight on time, or you just don’t feel like cooking. Some of my favorites are from Trader Joe’s or a yummy frozen pizza will also do the trick!I choose three meals for dinners (we usually have leftovers one night and one “convenience meal” - typically on Fridays).
3. When choosing my meals I try to make sure that at least one of them is a crockpot recipe. I also choose one meal that I can split up into four servings to bring for lunch.
4. Purchase as much food “prepped” as possible. For example, if something needs shredded chicken, I will buy a rotisserie chicken. If it needs cauliflower crumbles I’ll buy them frozen.
5. Prep as much as you can on Sunday to make the rest of the week run smoothly! I always make my lunches on Sundays and have them ready to “grab and go” for the week. I also prep the first meal for Mondays (at the very least) and put all the ingredients in the crockpot (with a crockpot liner for easy cleanup) so it’s ready to go the morning I need to switch it on.
6. Keep a calendar on the fridge so your partner is also aware of the meal plan, so you don’t have to do it alone. By making it available they can also help prep the night before.
7. Enjoy and relax knowing that you got another week taken care of.
Check out some of my favorite meals :)
Happy prepping friends! I hope you find these tips helpful. If you have some "go-to" recipes I'd love to hear about them. Please comment below or send me an email at jenna@jennaallerson.com.
Cheers! Jenna