No. You don’t need to sacrifice an entire day to meal prep for the week.
Learning how to meal prep can save you a significant amount of time and energy from having to cook healthy meals every day. But you may be wondering where to even begin: How do I keep my meal-prepped dishes fresh throughout the week? Will they taste good? Are the macros going to be sufficient for my goals? Our nutrition experts at MACROS have prepped all the answers for you.
Read on for our beginners guide on meal prepping.
What is Meal Prep?
Meal prep is the practice of preparing healthy meals or meal components like cooked proteins, grains, and veggies, in advance.
Once you’re done, you portion it to make grab-and-go meals for later, typically the coming week. It can also be applied to all parts of the day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks.
This method involves meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking, and portioning meals ahead of time. While all of this might seem a bit intimidating at the moment, MACROS can help remove about 75% of the meal prep process for you, but more on that later.
Benefits of Meal Prep
More Time
Instead of cooking every day, meal prep can save you hours of time by preparing a batch of meals in one speedy session. This can especially come in handy on busy weekdays (or nights) as your pre-prepared meals will be ready to just heat and eat.
Controlled Portions
Because you’ll be measuring and portioning your meals, you’ll be able to better control the calories you consume, making it easier for you to manage your weight and health goals.
Macros Management
Aside from just calories, meal prepping also means that you’ll be managing your macros (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) more precisely to better fit your fitness targets.
Money Savings
Buying ingredients in bulk can help you save money in the long run. But there’s a psychological element too: By planning your meals in advance, you can avoid impulsive food purchases, making it easier on your wallet too.
Less Stress
Knowing that you have healthy meals ready to go means that you no longer have to worry about what to eat, how healthy the rushed food choices will be, or stand in a long line. It’s good for your mental health too.
How to Meal Prep
1. Plan Meals
Start by deciding what meals you’d like to have in advance. Consider the kind of dishes you normally like to eat, what your nutritional goals are, and how many meals you’ll be needing for a week.
At our MACROS page, you can explore the different food components we have for each macronutrient. For example, we offer 9 different components for Proteins, including Strip Steak and Cajun Chicken Breast.
2. Start Shopping
Based on the plan you’ve just created, you can make a shopping list for your meal prep and hit the store to make sure you have all the necessary ingredients.
MACROS can help you skip this step, since we deliver all the components you need straight to your doorstep.
3. Cook in Bulk
Dedicate a specific time each week to cook in bulk. Prepare large quantities of proteins, grains, and vegetables, and store them in separate containers.
Again, by ordering from MACROS, you won’t have to worry about this since all the components we deliver come freshly-cooked, and ready to heat and eat in minutes.
4. Divide Portions
Divide your meals into serving sizes you desire. This is important to make sure you have enough food for each time and control your calorie intake.
5. Store and Label
Store the prepped meals in airtight containers in the fridge, and label them with the date.
Tips for Meal Prep Beginners
Start Small
Begin with prepping a few meals to get the hang of it. Then, you can gradually increase the quantity once you become more comfortable with the process.
Invest in Containers
Because storage is such an essential part of meal prep, you’ll probably want to ensure you have high-quality and airtight containers.
Keep It Fun
Meal prepping doesn’t mean having the same meals every day of the week, three times a day. To help you want to do this long-term, you have to mix up what you eat so you don’t get bored. This is why, at MACROS, we take variety very seriously.
Meal Prep vs Meal Plan
Meal prep and meal plan might seem the same to a lot of people, but they serve different purposes.
Meal prepping focuses on preparing your meals in advance, while meal planning involves creating a schedule of what meals you’ll eat each day. If you’d like help with planning healthy meals, we got just the thing for you too.
