The Best Tools for Meal Planning and Meal Prep for a Healthy Lifestyle
Meal Prep Ideas and Instructions
Let’s face it - we make poor decisions when we are hungry.
We can have the best intentions for making healthful food choices, but the moment hunger sets in… food cravings, convenience, and oh, the growling… it can be difficult to keep your head clear. (I know - I am a human, too!)
This is exactly why I am a big fan of Meal Planning & Meal Prep (AKA: Batch Cooking).
Sound daunting?
I promise it’s simpler than you think.
After years of experience with meal prep ideas and batch cooking for my own family, I am going to share with you the tools I recommend most, and tips for doing it successfully, especially for beginners.
You’ll be a pro in no time.
Why Meal Prep Ideas are Important to Your Health
First off, let’s define the difference between “meal planning” and “meal prepping.”
Meal Planning is the process of outlining your meals & snacks for the week, and shopping specifically for that outline, to help you stay on track. I typically do this one week at a time.
Meal Prepping (or Batch Cooking) - you’ll hear me use these interchangeably. This is the process of completing the more arduous, time-consuming tasks for meals ahead of time, and even portioning meals out, to facilitate Grab-and-Go healthful food choices. This could include preparing an entire meal, or certain components, like chopping vegetables or meats.
Benefits I have seen from Meal Planning & Prepping:
Saves money (less takeout!)
Saves time (more on this later)
Takes the decision-making out of daily meals
Allows you to better control what goes into your food and into your body
Reduces fixation on foods (e.g. feeling “bad” or “good” for food choices)
Helps achieve health goals that are easier to keep!
Easy Meal Prep Ideas: The Basics
It’s difficult to batch cook without first making a Meal Plan. If this is a new concept to you, it might take some getting used to.
Give yourself some space and time to establish what works well for you and your family.
Either way, there are many tools to help you sort it out. We’ll get to strategy in a bit.
I’ve listed the main components to Meal Planning, in addition to some ideas for each, below:
Recipe source/library
Pinterest
Favorite recipe book
Favorite recipe blogger/website
Calendar
Good old fashioned weekly or monthly wall calendar
Weekly desk/tear-off calendar (this one is my favorite)
Google, iCloud, or other digital calendar
Google Keep
Shopping list
Notepad or notebook
Apple Notes app (default in most Apple products)
Google Keep
Excel Sheet/Google Sheet (if you’re into that)
Trello boards
Since my spouse helps prepare our meals, it was important to our family to create resources that we both had access to, and we both understood.
We tried a variety of methods over time and ultimately landed on Google Keep to organize our Meal Plan and Shopping List. I use a combination of Pinterest and my favorite recipe books for my recipe sources.
Your system might look different, depending on what works for you and your family.
My weekly Meal Planning routine:
Same day every week (Fridays work best for my family)
Gather my latest favorite recipe book, and open my meal prep ideas on Pinterest & Google Keep on my computer
Pinterest: I have a board called “This Week’s Menu,” in addition to all my pinned recipe boards, categorized how I like them
Google Keep: I pin two lists to the top - “This Week’s Menu,” and “Grocery List.” Both are “shared” with my spouse so that he can also do this on any given week (and he does!).
Begin outlining my menu:
If using a recipe from a book/magazine, I note that with the meal (ex: “Monday - Farro Salad (Six Seasons p.374)”). The idea is to make it easier on yourself, right?
If the recipe is from Pinterest, I pin it to “This Week’s Menu”, and note it in my outline (ex: “Tuesday - Shredded beef taco bowls (Pinterest)”)
I often plan meals to last for two nights (less cooking!). When this is the intention, I note in my outline/calendar which day’s meal we are eating (ex: “Wednesday - (see Tuesday)”)
Create my Shopping List: One recipe at a time, I review the ingredients and create my list.
Easy Meal Prep Ideas: The Tools
NOW - the juicy details you came here for.
These are just the tools you need to help you begin making healthful choices EASIER for you and your family.
SIX ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR BRINGING YOUR MEAL PREP IDEAS TO LIFE
Meal Prep can be as complex or simple as you want it to be. I recommend these tools as a baseline for anyone wanting to begin a Meal Prep routine (I have provided links to products or brands I prefer, but am in no way affiliated with any of them):
Chef’s Knife - You do not have to have an array of fancy knives to be proficient in the kitchen. Chef’s knives typically range from 8-10inch blades. Use what feels comfortable to you. (this free knife skills course is a great resource to get you comfortable with a knife)
Knife Sharpener - You do not need to be generationally trained to sharpen your knife (although, I know some people who enjoy it!). Additionally, you do not need a fancy, expensive knife, as long as you keep it sharp. Dull knives are a safety hazard. This brand makes great quality sharpeners that are very affordable.
Cutting Board - you really only need one good cutting board, as long as it is properly taken care of. However, I prefer to have one solid, teak cutting board (less maintenance - here is my favorite), and one non-wood board for onions, garlic, and raw meats.
Bench Scraper - arguably, this is an essential tool for meal prep. This inexpensive, simple tool, has changed my world! It makes clean-up a breeze and helps me transfer prepared ingredients more efficiently, to a bowl, skillet, or pot.
Kitchen Scale - These are inexpensive, and help to portion out your ingredients more accurately. Also, the best baking recipes reference the weight, vs. volume, for the ingredients. Here is the one I use.
Glass Food Storage Containers - From a nutrition perspective, these glass meal prep containers are essential to ensure you are minimizing harmful toxins from plastic in your body. Most come with plastic lids, so it is important that if you are using these for food that is warm, allow the food to cool completely, before placing the lid. This is the brand I prefer.
Helpful Tips for Easy Meal Prep Ideas
We’ve got our tools, now it’s time to get cooking! (see what I did there?)
Whether you’re batch cooking, or preparing a one-time meal, below are some techniques I use to ease stress, and reduce waste when cooking:
Measure/chop all ingredients prior to cooking the meal. When executing my meal prep ideas for the week, I always chop and measure all my ingredients before I even begin to cook. I find this makes the process less stressful, especially when you’re not comfortable in the kitchen. Review the recipe to determine when and with what ingredient will be added, and combine them ahead of time. (ex: If the recipe step says “Add the onions, garlic, and salt to the skillet…,” combine the prepared onions, garlic, and pre-measured salt in one dish)
Save your scraps. Unless you’re composting, save the tops of carrots, onions, the woody parts or broccoli, etc., in the freezer. These are great to have on hand when making stocks or both broth (more on bone broths in another blog)
Freeze the Extras. Once in a blue moon, I don’t get around to using my produce, In those cases, I freeze the extras to use later. (ex: the broccoli pictured above was beginning to wilt, and I knew I would not be able to use it before it went bad. So I chopped it up, and froze. I later was able to grab a handful and steam it as part of another healthy meal prep idea down the road.)
Tip for Freezing Extras: To ensure the goods don’t clump/stick together, place them on a tray or cookie sheet, and freeze until solid. Then place it into your preferred storage container.
Have you tried any of these techniques?
Sharing your feedback will help others who are looking for meal prep ideas. Tell use about it in the comments below!
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