Meal Prepping From The Expert
Featured above is my amazing friend, JJ. She has been meal prepping for the better half of 2018, and she is an absolute boss at it. Her planning, dedication, and organizational skills are all on point. JJ is simply the best, so I asked her to show me the ins + outs of meal prepping, and I tried it myself for a week. Before we begin, let me say I was extremely skeptical of meal prep. The same meal every day for an entire week, snooze-fest am I right, but I have got to say, after this experience, I am a complete fan of MP, and I’m no longer sipping on that haterade. First, I sat down with JJ and asked her some questions about her lifestyle and the importance of meal prepping.
Why meal prep?
“Meal prepping caters to the needs of the individual. They are custom made meals that can be beneficial to your health or aid you in convenience.”
Types of meal prepping?
Health- to change your lifestyle + break bad eating habits
Convenience- for the active person on the go
Vegan- obvi for vegans
Benefits of meal prep?
“Despite what some people might think, MP is extremely inexpensive. You could save tons of money preparing your meals at home and you are 100% in control of what you and/or your family consumes. Meal Prepping also saves gobs of time. If you schedule out a few hours during the beginning of the week, (for me it’s Meal Prep Monday) sit down, plan your meals out, and grocery shop accordingly, you don’t have to stop and think about what you’re going to eat throughout the week. It will already be perfectly planned out.”
Who is Meal Prepping for?
“Single adults and married couples benefit the most from meal prepping. When children are involved, meal prepping could become more complicated as children might not want to eat the same types of meals everyday for an entire week. Unless of course, you’re meal prepping chicken nuggets and french fries, they might be completely into that!”
Average cost of meal prepping?
“Depending on where you shop for groceries and your desired brands MP costs between $30.00-$40.00 for the week and $20.00 for your essentials or snacks.”
Routine:
Start day- Solidify a start day that will work for you and stick to that day! Make sure your schedule is clear, and you have no distractions while planning. Sit down and prepare well-balanced meals and/or snacks that will last you for the entire week. A basic start plan would be to include at least three food groups for each meal: proteins, carbs or starch, and fruit or veggies.
Shopping:
When MP shopping, take into the consideration the amount of food you’re purchasing. You will need to ration out your food accordingly for the time you want to eat these preplanned meals, so be sure to check the number of servings per package.
Now, that may seem like a lot so far, but are you ready for some exhilarating news? After grocery shopping with JJ for one week’s worth of food I spent, *drumroll* $12.93! I have the from receipt from Wal-Mart to prove it, and I actually might frame it because I was so shook at the final price. $12.93 is what I would usually spend at a restaurant for one meal not even including tip! So you're telling me I can eat multiple meals for the same price, uh yeah, sign me up!
What I bought: Ingredients for chicken fajita wraps + quinoa
Green bell pepper: $0.84
Orange bell pepper: $0.98
Red bell pepper: $0.98
White onion: $0.46
Fresh Leaf Farms lettuce: $2.48
Ancient Harvest southwestern quinoa: $2.98
Harvestland organic chicken breast tenderloins (pack of 6): $4.21
$12.93 for dinner for the week, my mind is still blown! Now to the prep-part.
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°
Wash + chop veggies
Spread veggies and chicken onto a baking sheet
Sprinkle on your fave seasonings
Bake for 30 minutes
The quinoa instructions are simple and printed on the package.
Voilà! Dinner for the whole week is served, and when I tell you it was amazing, It. Was. Amazing! Now it’s nothing but pure hesitation every time someone asks me to go out to eat. You never realize how much you spend until there’s more month and the end of your money. Would I try this again; absolutely yes! As a single adult it is no problem for me to prep breakfast, lunch and dinner now. Thank you, JJ for showing me the meal prepping light.
