How To Meal Prep (When You Hate It)

Meal prep is a drag–I get it. Especially when you’re cooking for one. As a busy human with lots going on, I can’t tell you the amount of food I prepped on Sunday only to not eat it throughout the week because I was working late, I had plans with friends, or honestly? I just didn’t want to eat the same thing one more night in a row.

Can you relate?

In my early twenties, I was the meal prep queen. I prepped all my protein, veg and starches at the beginning of the week, and ate the same thing day in, day out. Even more impressive (or frightening?) I’d prep the same meals every week! I went years eating the same breakfast, same lunch, same dinner. Why? Well for one, I was struggling with an eating disorder, so I liked my routine. And secondly, I didn’t know how to cook. I didn’t know what else to make.

That changed after I went to culinary school, and after I got a full-time job working as a food stylist. I cooked nonstop, learned a lot of recipes, and suddenly, eating the same thing each day sounded dreadful. And while I loved cooking for my partner of the time, once I was single, it suddenly seemed much more expensive (and pricey) to cook for one.

So UberEats became my go-to. I was ordering my favourite salads and healthy foods (which I knew I could make at home) because it was more convenient, and I never knew which days I’d actually be home for dinner.

But I needed something more sustainable–and I’m guessing, so do you. Which is why I’m sharing the best way to meal prep when you hate it, when you don’t have time, and when the thought of eating the same meal three days in a row (cold, if like me, you don’t own a microwave and can’t be bothered to reheat your chicken) makes you cringe.

So let’s get to it!

1. Don’t Cook Everything In The Same Day

The worst feeling is opening the fridge on Thursday and seeing all the food you prepped on Sunday that is still untouched. Ugh, I hate that feeling. What I’ve learned is that, to successfully meal prep, only cook the staples one day a week. Things like:

Vegetables. Roast your veggies (think Brussel’s sprouts, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) with some olive oil and salt.
Grains. Cook off enough quinoa, rice (or any other grain you like to eat) for 3-4 days–not 7!
Dressing. Make one dressing that you would like to throw on everything (a good blended herb dressing, or maybe a delicious spicy sauce)

The nice thing about this is you can do it in under an hour. Boil your quinoa, and whisk your dressing together, while your veggies roast.

Make Your Proteins The Day Of

I like my protein (whether it’s fish, chicken or tempeh) to be hot. So make it day of. You can pan-fry it, or just toss it in the oven. Pick whatever’s easiest for you and your schedule: maybe you need to buy your protein on your way home from work because you know you’ll actually eat it tonight. Or maybe you stock your freezer and whip it out the night before so you can cook it.

If you buy your meat in bulk, divide it and freeze it so you have enough for 1-2 portions (dinner and lunch the next day). I find this works best for me, because then I don’t have meat (cooked or raw) going off in the fridge.

Save time shopping for groceries by getting an online grocery delivery service. And if you want the highest quality source for your protein, consider getting a monthly subscription service like TruLocal or ButcherBox. TruLocal is a Canadian box subscription, and it has a lot of fish options if you love seafood! Whereas ButcherBox is American-based (but available in Canada) and is a little bit cheaper (but they don’t have fish). So if you’re interested, definitely check em out! Both are great, but ButcherBox currently has a promotion: Sign up for ButcherBox and get wings for life! New members receive 3 lbs of chicken wings FOR FREE in EVERY order for the life of their subscription.

Have Canned Lentils + Chickpeas On Hand

They’re great sources of fibre, and sometimes when you forget to have pull your salmon out the freezer, it’s great to have a backup plan.

Day of: Heat up your roasted veggies in a pan with spices.

This is the best part. Take your roasted vegetables and add whatever spices you like (I like to make a shawarma spice blend that I made on hand in my pantry). Want a quick meal? Throw in a can of (rinsed) chickpeas, heat up and voila! Dinner in 5 minutes.

You can switch up the spices and flavours:

Use the dressing or sauce you made Sunday
Try tamari and sesame oil
Lemon pepper seasoning
Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Spice

It means even if you’re eating the same vegetables a few nights that week, the flavours can be switched up and your meal will still be warm!

10 Kitchen Tips I Learned From Culinary School

Portion + Freeze your stews

I love soups and stews (and meatballs!). But again, I’ll make it, eat it for 2 days, and then I’m not home and it goes to waste. Instead leave enough for 2 days and portion and freeze the rest. Take it out the night before or that morning before work, and throw into a pot at dinner time. Quick + easy is the name of the game.

TRY IT:

Beet, Apple + Fennel Soup

Aubergine Chickpea Stew With Apricots + Mint

Paleo Chicken Vindaloo

Lamb, Squash + Chickpea Chili

keep frozen meatballs and broccoli in the freezer for when you don’t want to cook

And when all else fails, have frozen food already in the freezer for the nights you dropped the ball and really don’t want to spend $30 on a salad. Think frozen vegetables, frozen meatballs, sweet potato fries, cauliflower-crust pizza. You get the idea. These are plan B.

Have Healthy Snacks On Hand (and Frozen)

The only other groceries I buy are healthy snacks to have on hand (like apples and almond butter). I love chocolate and usually after dinner I want something a little sweet. So I like to have homemade energy balls, chocolate muffins or even just chocolate covered almonds on hand. I’ll freeze the muffins and energy balls, so I’ve got a treat when the craving strikes!

What About Breakfast + Lunch?

I’m fortunate because I recipe develop for a living, and I work for a healthy restaurant and usually eat breakfast and lunch there. And prior to that I worked for an agency as a food stylist, and was on set with food all day.

But I like to keep things simple: mostly for breakfast (if I eat before I go to work) I’ll make oatmeal with frozen blueberries and almond butter. Or a smoothie (My fav is with banana, spinach, cacao powder, frozen bluebs, almond butter, collagen and almond milk).

As for lunch, I like to eat leftovers! So I’ll eat the roasted veggies and leftover chicken that I’ve made. Or I’ll make a big salad with everything in the fridge thrown in. Find what works for you! I love the idea of meal prepping breakfast and lunch, but for me, I never get that far. I just want basic fuel so I can go back to work! But if you work in an office (or somewhere you don’t have access to healthy food), try making a chia pudding on Sunday for breakfast. Or a big vegetable salad with leftover protein or chickpeas/lentils!

MEAL PREP ESSENTIALS

I hope these tips helped you + inspire you to try meal prepping in a way that actually works! Also if you want a free whole foods pantry + grocery list and a meal prep template to make meal prep that much easier, subscribe to the link below!

Ps. If you’re looking for healthy meals that come together quickly, be sure to check out my Healthy At Home 4-Week Meal Plan, filled with healthy recipe “formulas” so you can mix and match with whatever ingredients you have on hand (or you can use the recipes I’ve provided!). It’s currently on sale for more than 50% off, so make sure you grab your copy!

With love,