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Eating outside could be time-saving, but it’s not always the best choice for your health. Keeping up with the hectic routine of the modern day takes up a major portion of your day. Cooking an elaborate meal under such circumstances can be an arduous task, but a necessary one for sure. And if you’re new in the kitchen, the struggles doubles. So what needs to be done in that case? Learn meal prepping for beginners. This way, you can cook easy meals in no time and enjoy healthy and savory food at home.
Let’s see in detail how you can start preparing your meals at home with minimum effort and skills.
What is Meal Prepping?
Meal Prepping is where you plan out your entire week’s meal in one go. The point is to have enough to eat for an extended period without the food getting spoilt. So here, you plan, prepare, portion, and store your meals to match your intended schedule. Preparing, portioning, and storing your meals or half-prepared ingredients can save you time and ensure you eat healthy at the same time.
There are various types of meal-prepping approaches:
- Batch Cooking: Cooking in large batches and dividing portions of it to assign to each day in a week. These portions are stored in refrigerators to extend life and to consume over several days.
- Individually Portioned Meals: While batch cooking can be repetitive and mundane to eat, individually cooked meals are the best alternative. These are full-course meals prepared and stored. This ensures you can grab a meal on the go, heat it, and enjoy different meals each day for a week.
- Ingredient Prepping: This one’s for those who like to eat fresh. Here, you prepare and schedule ingredients for your meals. These half-prepared ingredients save up crucial time while cooking. All you have to do is assemble your time-taking ingredients and start tossing them on a pan.
Benefits of Meal Prepping
Prepping your meals in advance can significantly impact your daily life and health. Here, you control your diet and get the satisfaction of eating home-cooked meals. Let’s see what other benefits are there:
- Time-saving benefits: Planning and preparing meals in advance saves you crucial time spent cooking individual meals daily. Here, you store your meals for later consumption, allowing you to focus on other important aspects of your life.
- Cost efficiency: When planning meals, you buy groceries in bulk, saving you money and the trouble of frequent grocery store visits.
- Health benefits (portion control, balanced diet): Since you’re already planning, you can plan and portion a balanced diet to get all the nutrients.
- Reduced food waste: Since you already know what you will eat and how much, you reduce the amount of food waste from unplanned cooking.
Getting Started with Meal Prepping for Beginners
So, meal prepping requires you to equip yourself with the essential tools you will need. Moreover, you need to know about the best recipes out there and ingredients that are well-favored. Let’s look at these areas where you can be well-prepared for meal prepping as a beginner:
Essential Tools and Equipment
You need various tools and kitchen equipment to make your meal-prepping a smoother experience.
- You need containers of various sizes and materials (glass or plastic) to ensure you can store different types of meals in their appropriate boxes. Make sure to check if container materials are suitable for refrigeration or microwaves.
- Get labels to label your meal containers and avoid confusion. You can make them at home by name-tagging or color coding.
- Measuring cups are a must for any kitchen. You need to know how much to make to avoid food wastage. Measuring cups ensure that you are using your ingredients in the right quantities.
- Another tool to have is a good knife. You must cut vegetables, meat, and other ingredients before cooking. A sharp and safe knife, along with a decent wooden cutting board, ensures you do your chopping faster and better.
- A blender is another piece of equipment you can do without. Meal prepping has various recipes requiring blending sauces, shakes, and more.
Choosing The Right Recipes for Beginners
The next area to focus on is having a good repository of recipes with you so that you can plan better and avoid repeating meals every week. Spend more time researching time-friendly recipes that do not require chef-level skills. There are ample steak, stew, and salad recipes out there that you can leverage to plan your meals.
Steps to Effective Meal Prepping
Plan Your Meals
Choose a day to plan and a day to prep:
You can’t be caught in the loop of planning your meals for days because confusion leads to loss of time. That’s why you must set aside a day for meal planning and then another day for prepping. If it serves you right, you can divide this process into three parts. One day, plan out your meals. Do your nutrition and recipe research. Log the details and plans. Then, the next day, go out grocery shopping. On day three, you cook. This way, you don’t have to spend your whole day doing this and get bored. Divide the work into days and see them to the end.
Picking recipes that share ingredients that are not hard to find is one of the most crucial factors. As a beginner, you might not only get confused with niched ingredients but also stand a chance to spend a lot of time and money in looking for them. That’s why, look for the recipes that suggest ingredients available in your nearest grocery store.
Grocery Shopping
How to create a shopping list:
Creating a comprehensive shopping list doesn’t require a rocket science degree. You can just list out all the essential items suggested for the recipe and go shopping for them.
Tips for buying in bulk and selecting fresh ingredients:
To save costs and make sure you always have enough on hand:
- Buy staples like grains, beans, and proteins in large quantities.
- Select seasonal produce for optimal quality and value when purchasing fresh produce.
- Select items with a longer shelf life, and avoid overly ripe fruits and vegetables if you plan to store them for several days.
Prepping Ingredients
Washing, chopping, and portioning:
Start by washing all your produce thoroughly. Next, chop and portion ingredients according to your recipes. Having prepped ingredients ready makes the cooking process quicker and more efficient.
Make sure to wash every produce item, like fruits and vegetables, to remove the dirt and bacteria from their surfaces. Then, chop them to the desired shape and size for the recipe. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to start portioning your ingredients.
Cooking in batches:
Cooking grains, proteins, and vegetables in large batches saves a lot of time. This way, you can always match and mix different ingredients to create unique combinations.
Storing and Labeling
Best practices for storing different types of food:
Store cooked meals and ingredients in airtight containers to maintain freshness. Use glass containers for items that will be reheated, and opt for plastic containers or zip-top bags for other ingredients. Ensure your refrigerator is set to the appropriate temperature to keep food fresh.
Importance of labeling with dates and meal names:
Label each container with the preparation date and the meal’s name. This helps you keep track of freshness and makes it easy to grab the right meal when needed. Proper labeling also prevents food waste by ensuring you consume items before they spoil.
Conclusion
Meal prepping for beginners simplifies maintaining a healthy, cost-effective diet amidst a busy lifestyle. Planning, preparing, and storing meals in advance saves time, reduces food waste, and ensures balanced nutrition. With the right tools, easy recipes, and a structured approach, meal prepping becomes a manageable and rewarding habit. Start small, stay organized, and enjoy the benefits of home-cooked meals without the daily hassle. Embrace meal prepping and take control of your diet and time, making healthy eating an effortless part of your routine.
