Why I Love Meal Prepping + What I Meal Prep (With Examples)



 



Back in 2013 I put up a meal prepping video and had no idea that it would gain the kind of attention and rack up the amount of views it has - you can watch it here. 4 years and 1.5 million views later, I still meal prep all the time and it is genuinely part of my lifestyle.

A little time and preparation spent on a Sunday cooking can save you so much time and money throughout the week and ensures you consistently eat healthy.

I'm going to explain the three main reasons that I meal prep and give you examples of the kind of food I make and how I go about meal prepping.

1. Keeps me on track for healthy eating
By specifically preparing the food you are going to eat you ensure that you take things into consideration like portion control, calorie control and a perfect balance of fats and proteins. Preparing your food in advance means you have the time to think and get it right so you can ensure what you are eating is serving your body well.

2. Cuts down on cooking time throughout the week
You can prepare a weeks worth of lunches in an hour which saves you leaving the office each day to buy something or spending time each morning figuring out what you are going to bring for lunch. So in this way it's a great way of saving you time in the long run.

3. Saves money
You will definitely save money because you are guaranteed to eat at work or home rather than buying takeaway. You can save up to $15 a day by doing this and the quality of food is generally much better because you know exactly what is going into it.

 

How / What I Meal Prep
So I usually meal prep for an average of four days out of the week because weekends I have more time to prepare my meals and I allow myself a cheat meal one day throughout the week. I like to keep a good balance on protein, carbs, vegetables and fats.

Protein
I will mix this up from week to week and also sometimes have half the meals with one protein and half the meals with another protein to keep things interesting. My go-to proteins are; chicken, tuna, chickpeas or eggs.

Carbs
This is another element that is constantly changing depending on my mood. Usually the carb will be something like brown rice, quinoa, cous cous or sweet potato.

Vegetables
I absolutely love broccoli and carrot so those tend to be a staple but beans, pumpkin, tomato, spinach and corn have all recently made appearances in my meal preps.

Fats
I definitely don't avoid fats because they are what keeps your hair, skin and nails super healthy. I just make sure I have the right kinds of fats like the ones from almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, avocado, virgin olive oil and coconut oil. All of those ingredients often are included in my meal preps.



Extra Tip
Adapt your meal prepping and make changes depending on your needs. Were you still hungry last week? Maybe your meals are too small and you need to add more protein.