Everyone is now food preparing.
It’s as if you’re not permitted to breathe if you don’t meal plan. Let alone eat if you’re attempting to maintain your health or reduce weight.
As much as everyone else is looking forward to having their meals ready for the whole week on Sunday, all I can say is I despise it.
I despise everything about it.
My main concern is that I already have to consume outdated stuff on Wednesday.
That’s why anytime I attempt to create anything to eat ahead of time (more than 2–3 days), it ends up in the garbage. Every time, my heart hurts.
HOW MEAL PREP CAUSED ME TO OVEREAT
Before I began meal prepping, I was really better at maintaining a healthy diet and losing weight. I gained 10 pounds after I began doing it (which was not my aim).
What’s the reason?
When I had something “homemade” waiting for me, I began to want something altogether different (even if it was only a different salad). But since I didn’t have the time or the supplies to prepare it at the time, I’d go out and purchase junk food. It didn’t help that I had that supper waiting for me. If I want something different, I’ll either acquire it or cook it.
I’ve never been a fan of fast food. It still irritates me. But it simply seems appropriate at the time. And believe me, after a few bites of junk food, it ceases to be revolting. It begins to become pretty fantastic.
On top of that, since I despise wasting food, I’d consume everything I’d cooked as well. So, yes, two dinners. Calories are doubled.
Fortunately, I found it out at some time and was able to get out of this rut. I now eat healthily, but I don’t meal plan in the same manner that everyone else does.
If you dislike eating old food and meal preparation but want to eat better, the suggestions below may be useful to you.
Not to be misunderstood, I’m not claiming meal planning is horrible or ineffective — it simply isn’t for me. If it works for you, that’s fantastic! If not, have a look at the list below.
Eat healthy even if you dislike meal preparation! These clean eating recommendations may make a significant difference in your life by assisting you in losing weight and making it simpler to maintain a healthy lifestyle. | Recipes for Clean Eating | Recipes for Meal Prep
HOW TO EAT CLEAN IF YOU DON’T HAVE TIME FOR MEAL PREP?
GROCERY BUYING
In my perspective, the most difficult aspect of planning HEALTHY meals ahead of time is eating enough fresh fruit. A lot of the meal prep ideas I’ve seen include chicken and roasted veggies.
To be honest, although it may save you time and is certainly better than junk food, it isn’t the healthiest (or most interesting) approach to maintaining your weight and remaining healthy.
You should eat more unprocessed veggies (and fruit)! They include nutrients that may make you healthy. Yes, they are called antioxidants, and you definitely need them to look good, feel good, and age properly. There aren’t many in roasted veggies. Roasted veggies that are four days old have even less. And vitamin C is crucial for weight reduction — fresh fruits and vegetables are the best sources!
So, what are you going to do about it?
So here’s what I do and recommend: Make a list of all the fruits and veggies you enjoy, purchase them, and then just add them to your meals when it’s time to consume them.
Prewash the veggies, thoroughly dry them (I use a paper towel), and put them in zipper bags to make life simpler. To be clear, when you precut your veggies, some of the antioxidants are lost, but if precutting would help you consume more fresh food, don’t overthink it!
You’ll notice that certain veggies degrade quicker than others if you only purchase food once a week. Greens, especially spinach, are very nutritious.
So, here’s what I do:
When I purchase spinach, I buy half fresh and the other half frozen.
I use fresh spinach for salads, smoothies, and anything else for the first 2–3 days, then frozen spinach for the remaining 2–3 days.
In recent days, I’ve relied on fruits and veggies that don’t deteriorate quickly to acquire my vitamin C. Lemons, oranges, broccoli, cabbage, pineapple, and watermelon may all be stored for a long period.
HALF-MEAL PREPARATION
I don’t mind eating a 5-day-old salad, but it doesn’t mean I can’t prepare some of the components. It doesn’t take long and keeps me from making excuses.
So, I would pre-cook quinoa, rice, lentils, and chickpeas or purchase them already cooked in jars. Pre-cook chicken, shrimp, certain fish, eggs… in the same manner. Almost everything you’d need to construct the dish you want to eat is already prepared.
When you have those “primary painful components” on hand, it’s simple to whip together a nutritious and tasty meal on the spur of the moment in 5–10 minutes.
You may also prepare hummus, tzatziki, and other dips ahead of time and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What’s important to me is to store everything you’ve prepared in separate containers. This way, the food keeps fresher for longer and I have more alternatives. I mean, on the off chance that I don’t like quinoa with hummus, I could like quinoa with tomatoes and zucchini.
When I have quinoa on hand, I can cook this in 10 minutes or less and have a fresh and warm supper. I have some leftovers for work when I double the recipe.
Or I’ll create a cold salad with quinoa, chickpeas, and veggies. It may be a wrap or a bowl — when you’ve half-meal ready, life is very simple.
ORDER HEALTHY MEALS TO BE DELIVERED
If you don’t have time to go food shopping and don’t feel like coming up with or searching for new recipes, another alternative is to try a meal kit delivery service like Sun Basket.
You essentially receive nutritious recipes as well as all of the stuff you need to cook the meals delivered to your door. Everything is organic, the dishes are nutritious, and they only take 30 minutes to prepare. This just makes it simpler to stick to a healthy diet. If you want to give them a go, you can get a $35 discount on your first purchase.
EASILY MAKE BREAKFAST
I don’t have time to prepare pancakes every day, as much as I’d want to.
Overnight oats are a better option. Or, if you have a nice recipe, chia pudding. To be honest, I’ve never tasted chia pudding. Overnight oats, on the other hand, are perhaps my favorite breakfast.
Reason? They taste great and are ready in the morning. But. If someone tells you that you can preserve overnight oats in your fridge for 5 days, tell them to come over on the fourth day and eat those overnight oats yourself.
TRUST ME, they spoil in 2 to 3 days!
If you don’t have even 2 minutes in the evening:
If you want to take it a step further, create a mix using the dry ingredients on Sunday and divide it into little jars for each day. Simply add some water/plant-based milk/yogurt and frozen berries the night before (optional).
On the very first day — some nut/butter and nuts.
That’s all. There was no cooking or baking involved, just a little mix and a fridge. (I’m proud of myself for simply saying that.)
Aside from that, you may bake some healthy muffins ahead of time, eat leftovers from lunch/dinner, or just spend 5 minutes preparing this avocado toast.
ALLOW 10–20 MINUTES EVERY OTHER DAY TO “COOK” SOMETHING YOU REALLY LIKE.
Once you’ve prepared all of the heavier things (such as grains and protein), you may prepare a nice supper every other day. Simply set aside 10–20 minutes whenever feasible. And don’t forget to show up for this appointment. You’ll be eating fresh every day this way.
WARNING: If you want to create salads ahead of time, don’t place the dressing or tomatoes (if used) inside the night before.
A salad would get soggy as a result of this. Basically, any item that has an excessive amount of fluid will not fare well after a day in a salad. Instead, combine those items only before you eat.
CONSUME MORE RAW FOODS
I’ve lately been experimenting with rawer “cooking.” No raw meat, fish, or eggs — I’m talking about nuts, seeds, spices, fruits, and vegetables.
And, just to be clear, I am not a raw vegan. I just like trying new things.
And I confess that in the past, when someone told me they were raw vegan, I said to myself, “You’re mad.” But I’m starting to grasp it.
The cuisine tastes incredible — unlike anything I could have imagined — and I feel fantastic as a result. It’s delectable. And the cooking time is quite short. Simply throw everything in your food processor and wait 5 minutes for the magic to happen. The supper is then ready for the following two days.
KEEP HEALTHY SNACKS ON HAND
Snacks are essential for good weight reduction. They keep you going throughout the day, preventing famine, and allowing you to make better choices for your big meals.
Healthy snacks, on the other hand, do not have to be complex. You don’t need a plethora of recipes.
I used to make a lot of nutritious snacks because I thought I needed to be prepared when I got hungry, but I soon learned that they were really making me gain weight.
The explanation was that I was consuming much too many of them. I’d eat the whole batch in one day just because they were nutritious. Stupid choice.
When preparing nutritious snacks, create one dish for the whole week and consume one serving every day. The good news is that you can store those nutritious snacks in the freezer, making it simple.
FREEZE THE INGREDIENTS FOR THE SMOOTHIE IN ZIPPER BAGS.
Now, I don’t do this one, but I believe it’s a wonderful idea if you don’t have ANY time.
Here’s what you should do:
fruit and veggies already chopped up for smoothies separate them into sections.
Fill freezer bags with them.
Every day, take out one bag and just toss the contents into a blender with some water or plant-based milk.
Then you combine, and tada
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO ORDER AT A RESTAURANT.
Knowing how to make the appropriate decision in a restaurant or while you’re out and about can save you a lot of time and fat on your tummy.
Make an informed choice and stick to it. When you’re on the run, go for soups or salads, or a whole-grain wrap.
Don’t overthink it. This is not a choice on which your life relies.
And if you do indulge in something like pizza on occasion, don’t feel bad about it; consume it and then eat lighter afterward. You’ll be OK as long as you don’t eat pizza every day.
FORGET EXPECTING EVERYTHING TO BE PERFECT.
That’s just a small tidbit. Stop expecting your diet to be flawless or that you must be prepared in order to remain on track. That if things don’t go as planned or as envisaged, they won’t work at all.
Planning is important, but it can also be used as an excuse to avoid doing what we need to accomplish.
Yes, you can make your life a lot simpler by getting rid of all the junk stuff in your kitchen and purchasing and cooking meals for the whole week. But, in the end, the only thing that counts is the decision you make right now.
All you need to be healthy and reduce weight is to learn to constantly say no to junk food and yes to full natural meals. Even if you have to repeat it many times at first, once you’ve made it a habit, that’s all you need.