minimalist meal prep
hello! For me getting meal prep under control has been life changing. I was first introduced to the ritual of meal prep back in 2014-2015 when I was very committed to the tone it up fitness community. Anyone remember tone it up? While I no longer adhere to their nutrition guidelines or workouts, I still value meal prep.
The first thing I do that has helped reduce food waste and keep me organized on a weekly basis is a simple inventory process. In my home, if I don’t do this I honestly don’t know how or what we would eat each week. Love you Jess, but meal organizer you are not.
What we have
First thing I do is make a list of ‘what we have’. I look in the fridge, the pantry, and our garage fridge to assess everything we have for the week ahead. This way we reduce food waste, and spend less at the grocery by building meals around what we already have. Typically most of what we have is animal proteins, some grains and beans.
What we need
Next list is what we need to get from the grocery for the week. I brainstorm ideas off the top of my head given what we have - one of my favorite games. I will also check my saved folder on instagram where I keep recipes that I find interesting. Largely these come from a few sources- Jenn eats goood (she has a fantastic substack), the modern proper and molly baz. Funny enough I have MP and MB’s cookbooks as well, but theres something enticing about the cooking reels. I guess I’m a sucker for them. Once I have this list, I also streamline it onto a prefilled post it grocery list so I’m ready to go shopping Saturday or Sunday.
what we’ll make
At the same time I’m building what we need, I’ll write down what we’re making on a prefilled out post it. I also keep the links for any recipes in a meal prep note in the notes app, native to iPhone.
I do this every week, typically on Fridays or Saturdays. Once I have my list, we go to the grocery. I get ALOT of joy from grocery shopping. I don’t know what it is, but I get excited to see new produce, or some new kombucha to try every single time. My favorite grocery in Vancouver is Chuck’s, its like New Seasons but kinda better because the prices are a bit friendlier, and their produce is the best. We primarily go to Fred Meyer because their prices are better. And Costco for most of our animal proteins, typically twice a month or so.
Also want to note that staying on a budget is infinitely easier when you go to the grocery with a list in hand. I can’t remember the stats, but I know people overspend without lists. Emotional eating decisions are my nemesis, so building in this structure is crucial. And never go to the grocery hungry! Made that mistake way too many times to count.
Sundays have become my meal prep day. What has really changed the game for me is prepping breakfast and lunch for the entire week. I cannot tell you how many years I have struggled to consistently eat healthy breakfast + lunch, at a consistent time each day. Definitely the entire time I’ve been an entrepreneur, so at least 5 years. Setting aside 2-3 hours each week to meal prep makes the rest of the week less stressful, and more enjoyable without any blood sugar crashes, or making rash food choices when nothing is prepped.
Right now, I do a breakfast bake from Jenn eats good’s recipe in a 13x9 pan that lasts the entire week. I used to do egg muffins, but always hated what a mess cleanup was. Having it be in a casserole style pan makes it way easier to prep, and easier to clean too. This prep takes about an hour, but each morning I don’t have to think about anything, and that saves me tons of time. I tend to be a seasonal eater, so I might change this up in the summer, opting for smoothies, but we’ll see.
For lunch I’ve been trying out a few different salad options, also recipes from Jenn eats good. Her recipes are gluten free, and largely dairy free. I really resonate with her recipes, and the brands she endorses. And everything is super simple. I can’t say enough good things about her. She has a series where she spends $50 to make dinners for the entire week, I haven’t attempted this yet as we’re still going through what we have right now, but I’m curious to try this.
I also recommend having a meal prep note in the notes app. I keep an extensive list of our go to meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and healthy desserts in here for when I get stuck. I also have some specific notes on sources of fiber (I always forget), brain health nutrients, sugar guidelines and some ADHD specific food recommendations (for Jess). I like having something digital for on the go, and a place to keep recipe links I find.
Do you have any meal prep tips that make things easier for you and your family? Share them in comments.