When you think of healthy eating and meal prepping, does it give you that overwhelmed feeling? I’m sort of the opposite, instead feeling nervous if I don’t have an arsenal of options to choose from when dinnertime comes knocking, as it does daily.
Some clients express apprehension when we discuss meal prepping for the week or batch cooking to prevent stressful evenings (or days for that matter, lunches are fair game for prepped food as well). Sometimes I’m not sure if what they really feel is pressure to come up with an elaborate meal that is Instagram-worthy. If that’s their expectation, then I can see where the apprehension comes from. Personally, I avoid high expectations at mealtimes when possible. I’m interested in eating yummy food, but that can be accomplished without the rest of the hassle. Sometimes I’m just checking boxes, if you get my drift.
For me that means having some veggies (I personally like to have 2 different colored veggies) sautéed, roasted or chopped in the fridge waiting to be used. Having a bit of meat, poultry, hard-boiled eggs or beans cooked and either frozen or stored in the fridge for use in tacos or to simply reheat and serve when a protein food is otherwise needed. Rice, quinoa, polenta, risotto, potatoes or whole wheat tortillas on deck to reheat or make quickly for easy meals on the fly is a lifesaver. Delicious meals can be easily cobbled together if these staples are rotated to prevent complete boredom. And there can also be elaborate, fancier meals peppered in as well. My point is that you don’t have to start from scratch for each meal. Nor should you. Too much time is spent prepping, cooking, and cleaning for that to be a daily occurrence.
And for those counting carb or protein grams, this can apply. Same goes for times you look at your plate and realize you need a vegetable or serving of fruit to round out a meal. Plate and reheat the amount of the food to reach your goal and –BAM- dinner is served. If you are right-sizing portions, this practice could be helpful to reduce temptation for seconds if you know you will not require extra. Making a large piece of chicken, portioning 3-4 oz and packing the rest up for the fridge or freezer will maintain calorie levels a bit more easily than talking yourself out of the rest of the chicken breast after helping #1.
Hope this helps as you try to plan your meal intake for the week! Making it difficult doesn’t necessarily mean making it healthier!