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Nine Amazing Ways Meal Prep for Beginners can Change Your Life

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 Meal Prep for Beginners

 

Whether you are a work at home mom, a single parent or a student, meal prep is a concept everyone should try at least once. If you ask me for the most important reason, I would say that the effects on your savings will be great in the long run.

I have heard many people say that it’s too hard to meal prep or it might not be an effective solution for their family. But I’m here to tell you meal prep does not have to be difficult.

In fact, there are so many ways meal prep can change your life that I implore you to try it if you haven’t done so.

The meal prep process does not need to be overwhelming if you take the right approach and keep things simple.

You can do as much or as little of it as you want. It’s about choosing a method that’s suited to your needs. For example, you can meal prep for one week’s worth of dinners or you can do just breakfast for a few days.

And if you become pro at meal prepping, you can plan and prep for various meals to last you a whole month! It can be done. You can even make takeaway style meals which are good for your waist and pocket!

So today, I’m going to show you the benefits of meal prepping and how it can seriously improve your lifestyle for the better.

If you want to reduce overwhelm and stress (who doesn’t?) while eating healthy and saving money, meal prepping is really for you.

MEal planning Meal prep for beginners. Spend less and save more. Cooking in one day. Freeze the dishes for later meals.

Save more money

Yes, meal prepping is one of the best ways to support frugality if you are looking to save money. Here is how meal prepping will save you money.

Firstly, meal prep requires planning ahead of time for your meals. You will make a plan, write the list of ingredients you need for those meals, and then shop for it all together.

Once you have set up a system that works for you, it should help cut back on how frequently you grocery shop. I’m a firm believer in grocery shopping less frequently to save money.

The more visits to the supermarket, the more unnecessary food items, and snacks will be purchased leading to overspending (and even waste).

Having your meals organized ahead of time will also mean less temptation to eat takeout. It’s no secret, the less takeout you buy, the more money you will save. 

Eat clean and healthy

In the same way, this concept of planning and preparing homemade food presents itself as an opportunity to use fresh, healthy food. Of course, eating healthier through meal prep will still be dependent on the types of food you decide to prepare.

But you will want to take advantage of this opportunity to make it worth your time (and to benefit your health). Meal prep with the aim to eat healthier and you will feel great.

It’s a good way to get into including lean proteins such as grilled chicken and pairing those with roasted veggies and various pulses.

There is a multitude of recipe ideas for healthy meal prep. Do the planning now and you can easily start eating healthy, whole foods.

Another great thing about this concept is that it forces you to dish out healthy serving size portions into those awesome meal prep containers. This will hopefully translate to consuming food in healthy portions.

 

Food variety

Okay, I’ve heard a few people say that meal prep means having to eat repetitive meals. But I beg to differ. It’s really what you make it. And frankly, this is quite the opposite of true for me.

In fact, I have started eating a wide range of healthy food just because I intentionally plan to do so. With a little creativity and proper planning, you can create enjoyable, nourishing meals with plenty of variety.

When meal planning, consider the types of protein, carbs and healthy fats you will include, then prepare or pre-cook 2 or 3 different dishes. You will then be able to alternate between those meals.

If you are new to meal planning and prepping this is just for you. Learn how to shop for ingredients and avoid wasting ingredients. Buy only what you need.

Save more time

This is a big one for me and it’s the main reason I started meal prepping. I would rather spend less time in the kitchen, and more time doing something else with my time.

That may or may not be true for you depending on how much you enjoy cooking and how much time you have in your hands.

But if you’re looking to cut back on the number of trips to the supermarket, or even on cooking daily or a few times a week, meal prepping is going to benefit you. You will be able to spend more time on hobbies that you enjoy.

Flexibility

Meal prepping is a great way to have flexibility. Depending on preference, it can be done for any meal of the day and/or snacks. You can meal prep for a whole family or just for you.

Because you’re planning ahead of time, you can plan your meals to cater for your children and everyone in the family. There will be no last-minute fuss about what everyone is going to have for dinner or lunch.

Convenience

Apart from grabbing takeout, there is no better option than meal prep when it comes to convenience at meal times. It’s easy once you get used to it and have a system. You can keep it super simple.

There are so many recipes you can use that are specifically for meal prep. Pinterest is full of these recipes. Most of these meals can also be done in a slow cooker or instant pot, which makes it even easier.

Cuts back on decision fatigue

Yes, decision fatigue is a thing. Let’s face it, we have all been there. Last minute cooking is just not fun. It’s that moment when you need to think up of what to cook and how long it will take you to do it.

It’s having too many choices to make through the day, one of them being how to eat healthier, better, or what to cook. I don’t know about you but I love being able to cut back on the last-minute rush.

Simplify and succeed

And finally, I find preparation helps me do better in other aspects of life. It might seem far-fetched, but meal prepping to eat a variety of healthy foods and portions, you feel better for it.

You also simplify your life and do more of what you enjoy. You will hopefully also have more time to focus on other goals you want to achieve.

So there you have it. That’s my take on how meal prep can change your life and improve your lifestyle. If you’re a beginner and want to meal prep, I would love to share the following practical tips to get started.

Practical tips for meal prep:

 

  • Never freeze a large amount of cooked food in one big container. You will want to store appropriately sized portions in separate containers for easy defrosting.
  • Use up an array of interesting herbs and spices to add variety to your meals.
  • Buy appropriate meal prep containers, preferably BPA-free since you will do a lot of re-heating. Or if you can, glass containers are a great option.
  • Start small with one or two simple recipes you can try. You can always do more as you get better at it.
  • Choose ingredients that are fresh and healthy. It makes meal prepping worth your while.
  • Avoid buying ingredients you don’t frequently use just for the sake of one recipe. Usually, omitting one or two items (like spices) won’t make a huge difference to the meal.
  • You can opt for frozen vegetables and fruit to save time on preparation.
  • Try to choose one day of each week, fortnight or month to meal plan and prep, depending on how often you want to meal prep.

And that’s a wrap.

This lovely guest post was contributed by Fana of Happy Nifty Life. Fana is the founder of Happy Nifty Life, a lifestyle blog dedicated to exploring simple life hacks and ideas to create a happy life. She is passionate about discovering savvy ways to save time, manage finances, organize the home and simplify life.

Shop Related Products for Meal Planning

 

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Comments

  1. Marina Curilov says

    January 4, 2018 at 7:16 pm

    I just love the fact how you listed so wonderfully all the advantages of meal prepping! I’m a great fan of meal prepping. It definitely saves tons of time and is a great way to always eat healthy home-cooked meals!

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      January 4, 2018 at 8:45 pm

      For me, meal planning dinners is my favourite. Not only does it save me time in the evenings but I am amazed a how much money I save by not making dinner on the spot every day! Glad you found it useful.

      Reply
    • Joleisa says

      January 30, 2018 at 8:02 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Theresa Marie Daily says

    January 5, 2018 at 3:05 pm

    I love meal prepping! It really has changed my life. It helps me focus on healthy foods and making sure I am eating throughout the day. It’s so essential! Great post(:

    Reply
  3. Karen says

    January 5, 2018 at 3:51 pm

    Great post! I’m a health coach, and meal planning is one of the main strategies I urge my clients to adopt. Your reasons to meal plan are compelling and TRUE! Good health to you in 2018.

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      January 6, 2018 at 6:02 pm

      Thank you Karen and all the best with your job this year too!

      Reply
  4. Erika Ravnsborg says

    January 5, 2018 at 5:18 pm

    These are great tips. eating clean and watching your money is a very good thing to do.

    Reply
  5. Sloane says

    January 5, 2018 at 6:43 pm

    Love this! I have been Freezer Cooking forever but the only time I’ve tried meal prepping was when I was doing hard core workouts 7 days a week for 3 weeks at a time.

    Great post and tips. I’m going to have to give meal prepping another go.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      January 6, 2018 at 6:03 pm

      You can do it! Thanks for stopping by

      Reply
  6. Lynn Siemer says

    January 5, 2018 at 9:25 pm

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! As a busy single mom, desginer, life coach and blogger, your article gave me some great ideas to do meal prep and stick with it! LOVE your site. Happy New Year!

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      January 6, 2018 at 5:59 pm

      Thanks so much Lynn. Together we can do this. Happy New Year to you too

      Reply
  7. Natasha says

    January 6, 2018 at 10:21 am

    Too true, just getting into the habit is the difficult part!

    Reply
  8. Toyin says

    January 7, 2018 at 3:04 pm

    I have always seen meal prepping as a time saver and a way of avoiding impulse eating. Your post has shed more light for me and I will take meal prepping more serious as soon as I am able to. We all need to save on the spending 😉 Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  9. Naomi says

    January 8, 2018 at 8:18 pm

    Decision fatigue! I totally get that (I just didn’t know what it was called before.) I mostly meal plan for the variety and to save stress. I can totally agree with your other reasons too. Thank you so much for linking up with The Meal Planning Linky.

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      January 9, 2018 at 12:41 pm

      Thanks so much Naomi. Thanks for having me and I hope we can coordinate some more in the future.

      Reply
  10. Rae says

    January 9, 2018 at 10:56 pm

    Back in the 90s when I was on a really tight budget, I used to really enjoy a good long prepping and batch cooking evening with my son once a month or so. IT was a great time to really spend time together chatting and filling the freezer with things like spag bol, cottage pie etc. He is all grown up and left home now, so prepping and batch cooking brings back happy memories for me these days

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      January 16, 2018 at 10:55 pm

      That sounds like such a good memory to hold dear. Both for you and your son.

      Reply
  11. Lisa says

    February 2, 2018 at 5:00 pm

    My annual meal plan is the backbone of my meal prepping. Since I know what we will be eating, I can easily make batches for the freezer and have confidence they aren’t going to stay there forever!

    You listed so many great benefits. The one I love the most is decision fatigue. It’s so much simpler to have meals figured out!

    Reply
    • Joleisa says

      February 3, 2018 at 6:55 am

      If only more people would meal plan! They would be better off. Thanks for stopping by.xx

      Reply
  12. Cait says

    February 16, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    love meal prepping and being flexible is so key!

    Reply
  13. Daima Hussain says

    February 18, 2018 at 5:20 am

    I have always been very intrigued by meal prepping!

    Reply
  14. Meditation Mastery Secrets Review says

    March 3, 2018 at 12:25 am

    The one constant thing in our life is change. We cannot avoid it and the more we resist change the tougher our life becomes. Trust me, I know this because I was very skilled at deflecting change in my life. We are surrounded by change and it is the one thing that has the most dramatic impact on our lives. Change has the ability to catch up with you at some point in your life. There is no avoiding it because it will find you, challenge you, and force you to reconsider how you live your life.

    Reply
  15. Nina says

    May 1, 2018 at 3:27 pm

    Great post ? I love that meal prepping saves time, money and effort. Best part is eating healthy. You just inspired me to do my own meal planning soon.

    Reply
  16. Nancy says

    July 21, 2019 at 2:55 am

    Great information & so clearly explained. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  17. Lorrie Roa says

    November 15, 2019 at 5:36 am

    Love these ideas! What a wealth of yummy, healthy lunch-box ideas! Now I have no excuse to say what’s for lunch? All I need to do is revisit this helpful post for a spark of inspiration. Those are absolutely wonderful ideas for school lunches and for all others as well! Such healthy, appetizing and fun ideas in a beautiful and creative presentation! Thank you for your inspiration!

    Reply
  18. Elena Peter says

    May 28, 2020 at 4:29 am

    Hey, great ideas. I am going to stick with this plan always. Being a busy mom, I am always confused about what should I prepare for my kids which is healthy and get prepared quickly. These ideas are life savior for all the busy moms. Keep sharing more posts like this.

    Reply

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Hi, we're Jo and Leisa, twin sisters and authors of Joleisa.com. Originally from the sandy beaches of Jamaica we now reside in England where we followed our calling to teach. But sometimes that call changes and our new passion is writing. We're here to give the ups and downs of it all with our lifestyle tips and tricks to help you avoid the sour lemons that can get in our way of frugal budgeting, intentional living and happiness. Join us and learn more about how we found the simplest ways to achieve easy living. Read More…

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