Making Midweek Meal Prep Meals Less of a Hassle

After a long day at work on a Wednesday evening, you’re hungry and tired. All you crave is a good meal and a hot bath. You open your refrigerator and find it staring back at you empty because you’ve been eating out all week. You then remember you plan to shop over the weekend; disappointed, you shower and go to bed. You must realize that the key to success is preparation when it comes to healthy eating. That's where meal prep meals come in.

Planning and preparing your meals would save you a lot of stress. Rather than sleeping on an empty stomach or running to the store to get junk, you’d have a nutritious meal to come home to. Of course, there are times when you’d have to order, but doing that consistently can place a strain on your pocket and body.

MEAL PREP FOR BEGINNERS

Taking time to prepare and cook meals at home is linked to better dietary habits. You’re sure you’re eating fresh food where you have more control over the ingredients. This way, you’re more conscious of what you put in your body, your mood improves, and you save money.

You realize that once you beat the laziness and cook at home, it gives you joy, reduces calorie consumption, and is healthier. 

Ultimately, you’d save more time in the long run when you cook at home. However, if you’re usually intimidated by the stress of cooking, here’s how to make midweek meal prep meals less of a hassle.

Map Out Your Weekly Meal Prep Meals

The first point of duty to make midweek cooking less stressful is taking a few minutes to plan your week. Over the weekend, evaluate your schedule and plan what your week will look like. This process helps you envisage when you’ll be busy or out late and is crucial to successful meal planning. You would be sure of the amount of preparation needed and the free days in the week you can take advantage of to get a headstart. 

Planning would help you determine how many meal prep meals you need. A carefully thought-out plan would help you figure out where you’d be and what works best in each situation. Ensure to write down the selected meals or use an app to keep track. 

Get a Shopping List Ready

Once you’ve created a meal plan, the next thing you want to do is create a shopping list. Take your time to write out all the ingredients you’d need, including staples.

Don’t be afraid to get too detailed, as it will make your shopping and cooking easier. It will help make your trips faster and more productive. 

Bag up Ingredients

To make cooking easier, you can chop vegetables ahead of time and store them in bags in your freezer. Pre-assembling your ingredients prevents you from using too many ingredients when the hunger pangs kick in.

After coming in late at night, you easily pick up the ingredients, and voila, your meal prep meals are ready. Measuring and refrigerating ingredients help you use just the right amount while retaining the nutrients. 

Pre-Assemble and Jar Your Salads

Have you always been postponing having salads till weekends? Not to worry, using a glass jar will help keep your salad appealing and colorful till your lunch break. All you need is some tidy knife skills to layer the different veggies. Put your dressing at the jar’s bottom and add more studier components. 

Glass jars are a great storage method. It regulates the temperature of your food and eliminates any risk of contamination. You can use it either in your microwave or your refrigerator. 

Use a Meal Prep Plans Service

As a working mom, planning and preparing healthy meals for the week can be a daunting task. Even if you’ve mastered the meal plan, there are points you might experience cooking burnout.

Other times, you might be torn between work, travels, and family engagements and need someone to take that burden off you. In such scenarios, a meal service will give you variety and help you achieve your healthy eating goals. 

Depending on your preference, you can choose ready-to-eat meals or pre-measured ingredients to fasten your home-cooked meals. Some meal prep meals help you avoid wastage as the portions are tailored to meet your needs — a two, four, or six-person plan.

For instance, Home Chef offers highly customizable diets such as vegetarian, gluten-free, and high carbohydrate options to suit your health needs. It offers a 10 percent discount to first responders and teachers.

Practice Makes Perfect

Importantly, it is not enough to create this meal plan. You must be diligent enough to stick with it. The more you find yourself doing it, the better you become and the less stressful it will be. In no time, you’d be leading a healthier lifestyle. 

Tell us about some of your favorite meal prep meals!