Don’t Plan to Fail: How to Meal Prep Like a Pro

We get it. You work long hours and deserve a nice treat every now and then.

But, how often really is every now and then?

Let’s look at the numbers. Say you spend about $10 on each lunch break.

It seems like a decent amount, right?

But after five days a week, it starts to add up. Weeks start turning into months, and before you know it, you’ve spent over $2,500 in just one year.

We won’t even begin to add in all the times you grab a rushed breakfast, Starbucks coffee, or evening dinner.

Instead, we’ll just give you these tips on how to meal prep like a pro:

Get Prepped to Learn How to Meal Prep Like a Pro

Do you ever find yourself standing in your kitchen, staring blankly at the fridge? How about the pantry?

We’ve all been there. You stand there so long trying to decide what to cook, but instead of cooking, you just end up hangry and decide on pizza.

Meal prepping is a way to combat the hangry (hangriness?) and start saving money.

Let these tips leave your tummy – and your wallet – full.

Pick Your Prep-Method

Did you know meal prepping isn’t just packing a lunch for later?

You can meal prep raw lunches to be nuked in the microwave or you can prep whole meals for the family ot enjoy later.

You’ll want to pick your best prep method to help you be successful. Here are a few we recommend:

• Individually portioned meals: This is your grab-n-go meal.
• Batch cooking/freezing: Batch cooking is when you’ll make a big batch of your favorite dish and freeze individual portions for later.
• Ready-to-cook ingredients: This is where you’ll pre-chop onions, peppers, or any of your favorite ingredients to cut down on cooking time.

ProTip: If you find yourself in a time crunch, you don’t have to fall victim to the fast-food lunch club. There are tons of services out there that offer healthy, fitness meals delivered fast.

Go Shopping

It may sound obvious, but it’s super important to go shopping for ingredients. You’ll want to stock up on prepping supplies.

If grocery shopping is time-consuming for you, try organizing your grocery list by the department in your favorite store. This will keep you from backtracking all over the store because you forgot the potatoes and help you reduce your shopping time.

You can also organize lists of different grocery stores that carry special ingredients, so you never forget where the ginseng is!

Label Everything

We cannot stress this one enough. Label literally everything.

The last thing you want is to accidentally eat a three-week-old bag of rice. Ew!

Avoid this tragedy with labels.

If you’re using ziplock baggies, then you can just write straight on the bag with a marker.

If you chose to go the Tupperware route and don’t want to damage your containers, you can buy washable label stickers. These labels wash right off in the dishwasher, leaving a clean space for you to label your next creation.

You can also find waterproof stickers with erasable markers.

Whatever it is you need to stay organized, consider it an investment. And remember, rice should never be fuzzy!

Are You Prepped?

Now you’ve got the know-how on how to meal prep – it’s time to put it to work.

Get the Tupperware. Get the chicken. Get prepping.

Once you get the hang of prepping, you’ll be able to play with new recipes and learn fun ways to spice up your dishes!