Meal Prep for Beginners
Advanced Back and Neck Care • May 23, 2024
There is SO much information out there about meal prep that it can be daunting for beginners.
No matter your reasons for wanting to meal prep – whether it’s to save money, lose/maintain your weight, save time or just feel more organized going into the work week – you’ll feel better after reading this easy, no BS guide for beginners.
Keep reading below to find out my exact meal prep routine along with some easy meal prep strategies to help you save time when you’re first getting started. I’ve also included my most popular meal prep recipes as an added bonus!
How to meal prep for the week (basic outline)
This is a bare-bones basic outline of how to meal prep when you’re just starting out. Following this action plan will get you up and running when you’re looking to get your meals planned for the week.
Make a meal plan
The very first step to meal prep is the planning, of course!
I typically eat the same thing everyday for breakfast and then have dinner leftovers for lunches each day. Some people prefer to make a set of lunches for the week that are all the same, however, and eat out of their freezer or make meals fresh for dinner.
It all depends on what you have energy to do each week and how much time you’re willing to commit but having a meal plan is the first step to figuring that out.
Fill out your grocery list
If you know the layout of the grocery store you typically go to, you can also make up your list on a Word doc and then rearrange the ingredients you need so that you are working from the back of the store forward to the front. It makes your trip so much quicker, trust me!
Get cooking!
Now that you have your meal plan and you’ve done your groceries, it’s time to cook!
I like to choose easy recipes with 10 ingredients or less so that cooking day isn’t overwhelming, and I’ll choose different types of recipes that are easy to cook and are ready within less than an hour.
I’ve outlined these strategies in greater detail below.
Store it all for later
Get the right meal prep containers to store everything easily once you’re done cooking. I’ve got all my meal prep containers linked here.
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Now that you have a basic idea of how meal prep works, it’s time to apply some strategies to get you meal prepping quick! These handy tips and tricks for meal prep for beginners will help even the most novice cook.
1.
Plan around your social life
I find the biggest roadblock in meal prepping is factoring in your social life. I find most people take this all or nothing strategy with meal prep that hinders your ability to stick with it for the long term. If you’re realistic about when you’re going to be eating out you can dedicate yourself more fully to meal prepping.
For instance, if you know you go out to dinner on the weekends, don’t force yourself to meal prep for nights when you’re likely to be out with friends.
2.
Use recipes that have an overlap in ingredients
This is much easier than you think! Try and find recipes that use the same protein, carbs and veggies but use different sauces so that you’re not running out and buying five different types of vegetables or a ton of different cuts of meat.
3.
Cook/chop staple ingredients ahead of time for mix-and-match bowls
When you first get back from the store, you can cut up veggies and assemble greens in containers for easy access later.
You can also buy pre-chopped or pre-spiralized veggies from the store so it’s easy to throw these veggies in different meal prep bowls or stir fries later on.
You can also use your Instant Pot or Slow Cooker to cook up a bunch of chicken in bulk to use for other recipes later – rotisserie chicken also works in a pinch (find out some super easy ways to use Leftover Chicken)
4.
Use your freezer to your full advantage
I will cook up a big batch of lasagna or a chicken pasta bake and then freeze in individual-sized portions in foil containers so all I have to do is take one out of the freezer and bake in the oven after work.
You can also assemble ingredients into plastic freezer bags, then defrost when you’re ready to cook and throw in the slow cooker (like with these Crockpot Freezer Meals)
5.
Stock your fridge, freezer and pantry with healthy basics
6. Plan to use dinner as leftovers for lunch
This is the most common meal prep strategy I use because it’s easy! Even if I don’t feel like cooking ALL the time after work, it’s the time I have available most to do any cooking and there’s something so nice about a hot, fresh dinner.
If you make a huge batch of food, odds are you’ll have leftovers for lunches AND other dinners during the rest of the week so this is a great meal prep strategy I use over and over.
7.
Make sheet pan/one pot meals
Sheet pan and one pot meals are the best way to cook in bulk so that you have a ton of food leftover for lunches and dinners, and since it all comes together on or in one dish, you don’t have much clean up either.
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Photo : William Kangas
Article : Taylor Stinson
Originally posted on January 30,2023, this article has been updated on August 24, 2024 to reflect the latest research and statistics. Our editorial team has ensured you’re viewing the most current data on this topic. Need help or have a question? Email us.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. For years, dietary cholesterol was implicated in increasing blood cholesterol levels leading to the elevated risk of CVD. To date, extensive research did not show evidence to support a role of dietary cholesterol in the development of CVD. As a result, the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans removed the recommendations of restricting dietary cholesterol to 300 mg/day. This review summarizes the current literature regarding dietary cholesterol intake ...
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https://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/2012.cfm ** Feel free to use this article on your website. Compliments from Functional Medicine University. ** Read my past articles: http://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/department88.cfm View Rick Bramos Fitness YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_x4I27Z0DfYkfcroXxAhcA/videos Here is Rick's New Video of the Week: https://youtu.be/Pk9FeTKlufU Rick is now offering phone consultations for those wanting to lose weight or simply to improve their fitness. Rick can be reached at 2days2fitness@gmail.com for more details. ATTENTION DOCTORS AND ALL HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS Tell your friends and colleagues about Clinical Rounds . This is a great introduction to the field of functional medicine. Here is the webpage to subscribe: http://www.clinicalrounds.com Take care, R on P.S. Please visit our facebook page and " Like It " Of course if you really like it. :) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Functional-Medicine-University/161486170671332
https://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/2006.cfm ** Feel free to use this article on your website. All I ask is to add at the bottom of the article: Compliments from Functional Medicine University and have it linked back to www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com ** Read my past articles: http://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/department88.cfm ===================== View Rick Bramos Fitness YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_x4I27Z0DfYkfcroXxAhcA/videos Here is Rick's New Video of the Week: https://youtu.be/Pk9FeTKlufU Rick is now offering phone consultations for those wanting to lose weight or simply to improve their fitness. Rick can be reached at 2days2fitness@gmail.com for more details. ===================== ATTENTION DOCTORS AND ALL HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS Tell your friends and colleagues about Clinical Rounds. This is a great introduction to the field of functional medicine. Here is the webpage to subscribe: http://www.clinicalrounds.com Take care, Ron P.S. Please visit our facebook page and "Like It" Of course if you really like it. :) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Functional-Medicine-University/161486170671332
https://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/2000.cfm ** Feel free to use this article on your website. Compliments from Functional Medicine University. ** Read my past articles: http://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/department88.cfm ===================== View Rick Bramos Fitness YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_x4I27Z0DfYkfcroXxAhcA/videos Here is Rick's New Video of the Week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W__EwtXJkyY Rick is now offering phone consultations for those wanting to lose weight or simply to improve their fitness. Rick can be reached at 2days2fitness@gmail.com for more details. ===================== ATTENTION DOCTORS AND ALL HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS Tell your friends and colleagues about Clinical Rounds. This is a great introduction to the field of functional medicine. Here is the webpage to subscribe: http://www.clinicalrounds.com Take care, Ron P.S. Please visit our facebook page and "Like It" Of course if you really like it. :) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Functional-Medicine-University/161486170671332
At the very least, you'll want to keep this to a minimum. Inflammation is often visible—think red skin or a swollen knee. However, inflammation can also occur on the inside, and it's not always so easy to detect. "Inflammation is a physiological process involved in the defense of our body and the repair of tissues," says Jenna Stangland, RD , a Momentous advisor. Stangland explains that inflammation can be triggered by infections, trauma, toxins or allergic reactions. Sometimes, it becomes chronic in the muscles and tissues. Unfortunately, Stangland says chronic inflammation carries risks. "Chronic inflammation can end up stimulating the development of cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disease, neurological disease or cancer," Stangland says. "This type of inflammation can last several months as a result of inability to combat and reduce it." Diet isn't a cure-all for chronic inflammation or the diseases it can trigger. However, it's an important tool. "Diet plays a significant role in inflammation, as certain foods can either promote or reduce inflammation in the body," says Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN , a preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.com . One food in particular is worth avoiding. RDs shared the food to limit if you have chronic inflammation. Related: The One Diet That Will Actually Lower Your Heart Attack Risk, According to Cardiologists
What does the medical peer reviewed literature say may be at the root of the following diseases: Metabolic Syndrome/Insulin Resistance/Diabetes Cardiovascular Disease Cancer Obesity Depression Autoimmune Disease Neurodegenerative disease (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease) Osteoporosis Immunosenescence (the progressive decline in immune function with increasing age) The Answer is: INFLAMMATION
18 or 80 most anyone can do these. Remember create a habit first. Perform these exercises just twice a week.
