Meal prepping is a trendy term for merely planning your weekly meals. Most people believe that meal prepping needs to be boring – just Tupperware filled with the same food to eat for days on end. But there is no need for healthy food to be bland. Here are a couple of dos and don’ts that can help keep your meal prep fresh, exciting and perhaps even something to look forward to!
Okay, so yes, it is perhaps a tedious task, but preparing all your meals on one day of the week frees up your time to do other things and will honestly stop some of your bad habits in their tracks. People who have taken on the habit of meal prepping report less snacking, weight loss and more time to work/exercise/live life during the week.
Variety
You don’t have to make the same meal for each day. You can prepare two types of food and separate them for the days / meals of the week by alternating. For example, chicken breast is a popular choice for meal preppers and so is pasta. Prepare both on Sunday and then separate them into Tupperware with clearly marked days on them. So, Monday, Wednesday and Friday you can use the chicken and pair it with different veggies and sides for variety, and on Tuesday and Thursday you can have the pasta, and just add the toppings of your choice.
Remember, you aren’t preparing the whole dish, just the base part that takes the longest to cook. If you pack veggies and perishables into the containers, they will wilt and could spoil the whole meal.
Accessible add-ons
As mentioned above, don’t mix in the veggies and toppings beforehand. It will help if you prep these and put them in separate containers, so you can just grab whatever you’re in the mood for and top up your food as you grab it. Making sure that toppings such as cheese, nuts and so forth are prepped beforehand, makes things simple. With cheese, grate it and put it in a container, then you do‘ot need to spend time grating it for the rest of the week. If you like crushed nuts on your salads, crush the nuts and put them into a container, so that you have them ready, and you can just grab some and sprinkle them on!
Popular prep food
The best foods for meal prepping are frozen vegetables like peas, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green beans, veggie pastas, cauliflower pizza crust, riced veggies, and veggie-based tater tots says Good Housekeeping.
Also, starchy vegetables like parsnip, cassava, potato and also stiff fresh vegetables: celery, carrots, bell peppers, cabbage and radish.
Sturdy greens: romaine, green leaf (dress just before serving)
Whole grains are a popular choice because they last long. These include oats, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, sorghum.
Other options
Pulses: chickpeas, lentils, beans and peas.
Lean protein: frozen or canned seafood, eggs, unsweetened Greek yoghurt, reduced-sodium cottage cheese, tofu, lean cuts of chicken, turkey, beef and pork.
Whole fruits: clementine, plums, peaches, apples, bananas, oranges and pears
Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, chia and flax
Choose the proper container
Not all containers are created equally. For meal prepping, you want a container that is airtight and chemical free. Meal Prep Haven says you don’t want to simply throw everything into Tupperware bowls, which defeats the whole point of preparing things. Meal prep must look appealing to keep you motivated to stick to your dietary plan every day.
Choose a container that can divide each part of the meal. You don’t want foods cross contaminating each other, or certain flavours crossing over into the blander parts of the food. You need containers that are BPA free.
What does BPA mean?
BPA stands for bisphenol A, The Mayo Clinic explains. It is an industrial chemical and it has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are often used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles.
Why is it dangerous?
Some research has shown that BPA can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made from BPA. Exposure to BPA is a concern because of the possible health effects of BPA on the brain and prostate glands of foetuses, infants and children. It can also affect children’s behaviour. Further research has indicated that there could be a possible link between BPA and increased blood pressure.
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