Imagine you just finished a grueling day of work. You’re exhausted. You just want to go home, pour a glass of wine, and have food handed to you on a silver platter that you didn’t have to make yourself. Except, most times, you come home just to do more work; cooking!
Cooking might as well be another job in and of itself, especially if you’re cooking for more than one person. And the last thing you want to do after that long workday is spend the evening slaving over a hot stove and then washing the dishes thereafter. What’s the resolution here? Meal prepping and cook once, eat twice is the recipe for success. This can help you stick to a healthy eating plan instead of reaching for processed food because it’s convenient.
1. Plan Ahead
It’s called meal planning for a reason! But also consider planning your meals in your head by the ingredients you’ll use, how you’ll set up your cooking station, etc. Planning all this ahead of time ensures that when you’re ready to cook, there’s no time wasted! CookSmarts actually suggests having four to six pantry recipes in your back pocket that you can cook up anytime, and this goes for just about any recipe. It never hurts to jump into a cookbook for some recipes to keep on the back burner! Even try some new recipes that are more whole foods, plant based! Here is one, Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes
2. Batch Cook
Meal planning doesn’t just mean planning for the week. You could plan for the next 2-3 weeks or even for the month! It’s what suits your life style and time available. This means setting yourself up for success and ensuring the cooking session goes as efficiently as possible. Be sure to line up the best cooking tools – large pans, cutting boards, and your best, sharpest knives. Also make sure you have your lunch and dinner containers ready. (I also prefer BPA-free or glass storage containers.) Label the containers if you need to, so you remember whats in them if your freezing!
3. Make Meals That Will Make For Good Leftovers
When cooking, make extra and store it away for another meal. With this being said, it’s recommended to cook meals that are good for storing in a container overnight or in the freezer. Lot’s of vegetable based dishes are great reheated. I make chili, lentil stew, curry, veggie pasta, to name a few. As a side note, salad often wilts sitting in all the dressing overnight, so make the salad, but find a small container for the dressing.
These three easy tips will ensure that you can get your meal planning done efficiently enough to just enjoy your evenings after work and make sure healthy meals are within reach.
Enjoy the night off, chef!
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