There are a lot of steps to achieving good nutrition and weight loss. One of the best ways is to create a meal plan and do meal prep ahead of time. That allows you to have ready made meals you can heat and serve, which take far less time than going through a fast food line and far less brain power at the end of a long day than trying to figure out what’s for supper. Planning meals and preparing them ahead can be a bit of a task if you don’t have help. Luckily, our nutritionists can help you with the meal plans, then all you do is shop and prepare. What’s the best day to meal prep? It’s the day or days that suit your schedule.
If you don’t have the benefit of a certified nutritionist, start by planning all your meals.
That can be quite a task and doesn’t always provide the nutrition your body needs. Spend one night creating a menu that you can use for the week and then list all the items you need to buy at the grocery to create that menu. If you’re working with a certified nutritionist, that part of the task is already complete, making you more apt to opt for planning and cooking your meals ahead.
Spend one night grocery shopping, but do it after supper.
Don’t go directly from work to the store if you’re hungry. Your cart will look like the candy counter at a gas station, with bags of cookies and junk food filled to the brim. Schedule a time after a meal or on a weekend morning (if that’s your time off work) to do your grocery shopping. One thing people often find when they adopt meal planning and preparing it ahead is that their grocery bill often drops. Not only will meal prep save you calories and boost your nutrition, it often saves you money. You don’t buy all the junk food on impulse and can compare your list to the sales or have coupons to find the best buy.
Cook on your days off work.
Not everyone has the same days off or the country would shut down. If you have the weekend off, pick one day to do the week’s meals or if you prefer, use them both. People who make meals ahead often create double recipes and pack not only a meal for the next week, but ones for future use, too. It’s especially important to do that if you know you’ll have plans or a busy season at work. That way, you can skip a week and either enjoy a vacation from meal prep or not have to worry if work gets in the way.
- If you prefer not to spend your whole weekend preparing meals for the next week, just use the example above and cook extra every week to freeze. On those nights you simply don’t want to cook, there’s a meal ready for you in the freezer.
- You’ll be amazed at how little waste there is when you opt for meal prepping and planning. Food doesn’t often go to waste, since it was meant for a specific meal or meals.
- Don’t forget to include snacks when you plan meals ahead. Creating a healthy trail mix is easy and can either be stored in a mason jar, plastic bag or put into individual serving size bags, ready to eat. Fruit and vegetables can be cut up and ready for those snackable moments.
- You can cook two different dinners in the oven at once, which also saves money. Review your recipes the night before to plan which ones can cook together and which to make first.
For more information, contact us today at 180 Fitness
