5 Ways to Simplify Meal Preparation

Monday, March 30, 2015

Emily Johnson, GoLocal Guest Contributor

 

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Ever wonder what it would be like to open your fridge to find a full week of healthy, delicious food that’s prepped and ready to be eaten? Sure would make sticking with your diet and achieving fat loss a lot easier…  

Meal prep is a fantastic way to keep on track with your eating throughout the entire week.  

The idea is to plan out all of your meals on the weekend, most often on Sunday, then do the shopping and the prep at one time for the entire week. This day is labor intensive, but then your food is ready-to-eat for the next 6 full days.

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Here’s my 5 Step Meal Prep Guide to make your next food prep week really simple:

Step One: Planning  

Get out your notebook and pen or pull up a blank note page on your iPad, it’s time to start planning for the week. Here are the questions that you’ll need to answer:  

1) How many meals do I need each day?

  • Check your calendar for special events
  • Consider your appetite throughout the day
  • Look at each day separately

 

2) How many servings do I need for each meal?

  • Consider who in the family needs which meals
  • Check the calendar for guests or visitors
  • Look at each day separately

 

Step Two: Recipes  

Now it’s time to translate those meals and servings into actual recipes. Take a moment to consider the produce that is in season and any special requests or food allergies.  

1) Find your recipes

  • Browse around on your favorite recipe site
  • Pull out your favorite cookbooks
  • Find your family favorite recipes

 

2) Focus on a core group of ingredients

  • Plan recipes that use similar ingredients

 

3) Calculate leftover meals

  • Making enough of some recipes for leftover meals saves time

 

4) Make your list

  • Narrow down to the exact list of recipes

 

Step Three: Grocery List  

Take your list of recipes and create a grocery list. A few things to keep in mind…  

1) Pay attention to recipes that you’ll double or triple

  • Make sure to include all ingredients in your list

 

2) Organize your list into these convenient sections:

  • Meat/Seafood/Egg
  • Organic Produce
  • Herbs/Flavors
  • Pantry Items

 

3) Check your pantry for items that you already have

  • Save money by avoiding double purchases

 

Step Four: Shopping  

It’s time to head to the grocery store! Take your list and, if you’re lucky, a helper down to your local market and go through each section item by item.  
 

Step Five: Food Prep  

You have options when it comes to the actual prep of each of your meals. Many you’ll be able to fully make right away and pack in the fridge. Other recipes you’ll want to simply do the chopping, measuring and organizing in order to make the meal hot and quick before you plan to eat it.  

Which recipes should you fully cook in advance? The truth is that this is really up to you and your schedule. Here’s a good game plan if you don’t want to fully cook everything on Sunday: 

Fully make the baked goods for the week.

  • Chop all vegetables.
  • Gather all seasonings.
  • Fully cook Monday’s dinner.

 

Getting into the habit of prepping your meals for the week is a surefire way to accelerate your fat loss results. It’s my goal to help people, just like you, conquer their fear of exercise and clear up their confusion with healthy eating. I know that a healthy life is within your reach – I’ve seen hundreds of my clients before you do it, and I’ll see hundreds after you do it. Today it’s your turn.  
 

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Emily Johnson is a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. She was among the first MovNat Certified Trainers in the country and has also obtained her Level 1 Training for Warriors Certification. She’s trained with several industry experts and believes in continually growing her knowledge base so that she can better serve her clients. Emily's goal is to help her clients reclaim the natural health that is their birthright by teaching them to eat, move, and live in a way that will inspire them to be their best.

 

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