- Julianna Sweeney
Meal Prepping Starter Kit
Allow me to be blunt - meal prepping is a life hack and I firmly believe that if everyone could do it, everyone's life would be just a little bit easier and the world would be a better place.
I've been in and out of a meal prepping flow since college, but it's only been since we moved to Cali that Tyler and I really took the leap and went all in. It's had such a positive impact on our lives. For one, it helps us to maintain a solid food budget. It also provides bonding time on the weekend when we prep together. We've been able to cook so many new things so far and always get excited for lunchtime.
Tips, Tricks & Must-Haves to get you started the right way!
Figure out your budget - as with most things, you want to figure out what your budget is for the week/month. Meal prepping is supposed to help with budgeting, not hurt it! You want to start on the right foot in order to stay on it.
Make a meal plan/schedule - Next, you'll want to plan out your meals for the week. What are you prepping for your lunches? What do you want to have for dinners? Do you want to try some new recipes? Have fun with it!
Find some fun, easy and prep-friendly recipes that fit your lifestyle - This plays hand in hand with creating your meal plan. You're just going to want to make sure that whatever you plan out is prep-friendly. For example, you probably don't want to prep certain seafoods, as they won't keep as nicely as other foods might.
Get good quality Tupperware (and lots of it) - How ever much Tupperware you think you need, you'll actually need more haha! And you're going to want to make sure that you don't skimp out either. If you're able, invest in the glass Tupperware (you will only thank yourself later). It's versatile, durable, you can put it in the microwave or the oven, it won't leach toxins into your food yadayadayada. The list goes on. You're also going to want to make sure you get more than anticipated because you'll still need some Tupperware to store various misc. leftovers throughout the week.
Get tools that get you excited - two of the things that go me really excited (besides investing in quality Tupperware) was getting a really good lunchbox and little squeeze bottles for my salad dressing. Now every day I go to eat my lunch I get super excited to the point where if I forget or don't pack a lunch for any particular reason, I get bummed out (lol)! When you make it fun, there's a level of joy that helps propel you forward into the healthy habit!
Don't prep too many things - when you're first starting out, it will be difficult to estimate exactly how many supplies you will need to get you though the week. Don't be discouraged! It will come with time. You want to make sure that you buy and prep as much in advance as possible but you also want to make sure that you don't prep so much that you can't eat it all and it goes bad
10 Easy, Prep-Friendly Recipes to get you started:
Salads (link to various recipes) (don't add dressing until you're ready to eat, otherwise it will get soggy)
Carnitas with rice, beans, salsa and vegetables
Tyler and I have almost gotten to the point where we only need to go to the grocery store once a week for all of our needs - still fine tuning our process! Above are some of our favorite recipes. We always look for things that will be easy, yummy, and healthy in keeping with our goals.
I hope that this helps you find some peace, whether it be lifestyle, health or financially motived! Wishing you all the best on your meal prepping journey.
Sending love always,
J.S.