Learn the art of meal planning
Ok, so who here feel like they could use some more meal planning in their life? It’s been one heck of a summer, society opening back up after 1,5 years in lock down. Now I don't know if I can speak for anyone else but at least on my end there has been more restaurant meals and 3 am post bar fast-food stops in these past 3 months alone that there has in the past 2 years, not to mention the endless parties and camping. I am ready to recover and get my life back on track. And the easiest way to do that - MEAL PLANNING!
For those of you who know me, knows that I looove meal prepping and cooking, I can stand for hour in the kitchen whipping up delicious meals and snacks. But not everyone are like that, and the less time they need to spend on cooking every day the better. When doing meal preps the right way, you only need to worry about cooking one day of the week, more or less. This requires, as the name suggests, a bit of planning, and the better your plan the more successful your week and goals are going to be. Meal prepping not only saves you precious time in your busy day, but it also saves you dolla bills yo! And this is a really effective way of tracking your food if you are on a wellness journey or trying to reach a specific weight goal. When you have your mind set on something and prepare yourself for the week to come, you are much less likely to cave in to cravings, unhealthy snacks, binging, skip the dishes, and hitting the drive-through on your way home from work.
Meal prep essentials:
One full day dedicated to planning, shopping, and cooking.
Easy recipes that don’t require chef Ramsey in the house.
Bulking up on pantry staples - this saves you so much money in the long run!
Good quality, leakproof tupperware for leftovers and meal portioning.
A freezer - I highly recommend investing in a small deepfreeze, this saves so much space. I didn’t know how much I had missed out until I got one.
A sodastream - a fantastic and cost-effective way to reduce your sugar, money, and bottle consumption.
When preparing meals for a whole week it’s important to take into account how many people will be sharing those meal preps. For me who is alone for most of the time when my partner is away at work, i’m perfectly happy with eating the same thing 5-6 days in a row. But I know not all people are like that and need some variation in their life. Below I have included a small list of different staples that I always have on hand in case the craving hits or I want to switch things up. When you have all of the basics already in your pantry, all you need to focus on for your weekly shopping are your perishables, like fruits, veggies, meats, dairy (or non-dairy), bread and maybe the odd ingredient you need for a specific recipe. You obviously don’t need all of the items in the lists, these are just my personal favourites that I use the most and like having on hand.
Spices:
garam masala spice mix
curry spice mix
cajun spice mix
italian herbs
5 Chinese herbs
coriander
sweet paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
Himalayan pink salt
pepper corn blend
Condiments:
olive oil
toasted sesame oil
coconut oil
apple cider vinegar
rice wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar
soy sauce
agave syrup
vegan mayonaise (or regular)
fish sauce
chili paste
Canned:
black beans
chickpeas
tomato sauce
tomato paste
coconut milk
Legumes + nuts:
mung beans
puy lentils
red lentils
almonds
cashews
pine nuts
peeled pistachios
pumpkin seeds
sesame seeds
hemp seeds
almond butter
peanut butter
tahini
Grains:
jasmine rice
wild rice
quinoa
pearl barley
millet
oats
pasta
soba noodles
granola
Healthy snacks:
trail mixes
granola bars
raw bars / energy balls
dried fruit
dried seaweed
glutenfree crackers
Now you just need decide on a yummy recipe, figure out how much to buy and make based on the recipe size and how many people are going to be eating and for how many days. So if a recipe yields 4 servings and you’re 2 people eating for 5 days, use this formula to figure out how much to increase the recipe by: 5 days / 4 servings X 2 people = 2.5. So in my case I would need to increase my recipe by 2.5 to make it last 5 days for 2 people. I have been doing this for a long time and I have my go-to recipes that I love and rotate between over and over, many of which I have shared here on my blog in the past. I personally love making soups and casseroles for the share simplicity of it. But I will link my public recipe page from pinterest below with healthy delicious recipes that I have gathered over the years and still keep going back to regularly. When you are new to meal planning I strongly advice you to measure up your meals into tupperware containers for easy access and so you don’t over/under eat, and this way you can also grab one with you to work if you know you will be working late and run the risk of ordering takeout. If you love making assembly type meals (salads, sushi, burritos, flat breads…) I highly recommend chopping and organizing all your ingredients and storing them in separate containers in the fridge for easy access and assembly come dinner time.
Access all my personal favourite PINTEREST recipes here.
PS. there are over 600 of them!