Meal planning vs prepping
Whether you have little ones, a busy work and/or social life or you have a particular goal you’re working towards, meal planning and a bit of prep goes a long way.
When I first mention meal prep to my clients I tend to get a sigh or a roll of the eyes. I think this is because to most people ‘meal prep’ is synonymous to body builders and guys eating their chicken, broccoli and rice ALL. THE. TIME. Whilst that is (sadly) still a thing, it certainly isn’t what I’m talking about or trying to encourage.
First, let me explain what I am talking about. Then I’ll tell you why I think you should be doing it, at least to some extent…
Meal planning = asking and answering the question about what’s for dinner (and maybe breakfast and lunch too) and writing your shopping list to make sure you have everything you need in.
Meal prepping = cooking your ingredients and/or meals in advance. Meal prep means different things to different people. It could mean setting aside a couple of hours to make entire meals in advance, or it could just be prepping some of the ingredients ahead of when you need them
Both meal planning and meal prepping are steps that make getting a healthy, well-balanced meal on the table easier. They also help save money and prevent food waste (as you know what and how much you need to buy from the supermarket and you use it up).
Personally, I don’t meal prep to the extent of cooking entire meals but I do find it super helpful to roast a big tray of veggies or some sweet potatoes, or to batch cook rice so that I have the things that take a long time to cook to hand during a busy day or when I know I’ll be late home from work.
Many of the mums I work with say that a lack of time, energy and/or interest is what keeps them from making healthy food choices. Often times mealtimes equate to grabbing a granola bar or cheese sandwich, throwing a ready meal into the microwave or going without a main meal and snacking your way through the day.
This doesn’t just apply to mums however; the food choices you make day in, day out are linked to the results you see in your health and fitness goals as well as your general energy levels and mood.
You don’t need me to tell you that eating well is important for body composition. Nor do you need me to tell you that snacking on or consuming lots of processed foods isn’t going to leave you (or your gut) feeling great.
A little forward planning to make sure you have healthy ingredients in the house makes it easier to make healthy choices and takes away the stress of having to think of what to eat when time is limited and you’re #hangry.
Once you have a loose plan, dedicating a bit of free time to prep a few elements of a meal in advance means you can more easily knock up a satisfying and nutritious meal in moments.
It’s like with anything, having a plan and taking steps to execute said plan will always work in your favour.
Stay tuned for some top tips, ideas and recipes to help you become queen of meal planning and boss of the prep kitchen!