If easy meal prep seems like an oxymoron to you, read on to find a few simple ideas to make your life easier.
Feeding yourself and your family shouldn’t be something you dread. So why does it often feel that way? If we all only had unlimited amounts of time to research and test recipes, hit multiple markets for groceries, and focus on getting each dish perfect. That’s what I do as a personal chef in Los Angeles, but understand that the rest of the world doesn’t. Still, I have some ideas for you. Here are six ides to make your weekly meal prep a breeze.
Plan your Menu
This is the first and most important step in making meal prep easier. Meal planning helps you avoid the hassle of last minute decisions on what to cook for the week. All you need to do is sit down and plan your meals for the entire week. Decide what you want to eat, taking into consideration your schedule and any dietary restrictions. You can write down all the ingredients you need and make a grocery list. Additionally, you can use a meal planning app or website like Paprika, Mealtime, or Modern Meal. These tools also provide grocery lists and recipes to make meal planning easier.
Batch Cooking
Batch cooking is a time-saving technique that involves cooking a large batch of food and storing it in the refrigerator or freezer for later use. This saves you time and effort, as you don’t have to cook a separate meal every day.
Use your Slow Cooker
Slow cookers are a great tool for meal prep, as they allow you to cook your meals while you are busy doing other things. You can simply throw all the ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a hot, cooked meal at night.
Prep your Ingredients
Food prepping is another effective technique to make meal prep easier. This involves cutting, slicing, and dicing all the ingredients in advance, so that you can quickly throw them together for a meal. This saves you a lot of time and effort, and also helps you stay organized.
Make Leftovers New Again`
Leftovers are a great way to make meal prep easier. Instead of cooking a separate meal every day, you can simply heat up the leftovers from the previous night. This saves you time and also reduces waste. Bon Appetit just posted a fun podcast about that.
Hire a Personal Chef
Hiring a personal chef is another avenue to easy meal prep. A personal chef will take care of all the meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking. This frees up your time and energy. This is especially useful for people who are busy and don’t have time to prepare meals themselves. A personal chef will work with you to create a meal plan that meets your dietary needs and preferences, and will also provide you with healthy, delicious meals every day. Hiring a personal chef is also a great option for people with food allergies or specific dietary requirements, as the chef can accommodate these restrictions and provide you with meals that are safe and healthy for you.
Finally, meal prep doesn’t have to be a difficult and time-consuming task. By implementing any of these these techniques, you can make meal prep easier and enjoy delicious, healthy meals every day.