We all have those days when you just can’t even. Some days, I am superwoman, I train, wash clothes, meal prep for me, meal prep for my husband, sweep the floor, re-organise the bookshelf, wash the cat. Other days, getting off the couch after work is a struggle, I just want to lie there covered in peanut butter and ice-cream. I used to love cooking, sometimes I still do. But meal prep is another story. Maths is required for meal prep (ew). Working out how many serves, how many veggies to throw in, do I have enough containers, dammit I forgot to get eggs! So much planning is required for meal prep.
But those days, when the thought of grocery shopping and picking up a spatula are too much, here are some tips to get you sorted for the week.
Boil Eggs – the perfect snack. great with a sprinkle of cheese
Nuts – a small handful of nuts makes an awesome, good fat-filled snack. I prefer brazil nuts (5 or 6 keeps the hunger at bay) but pick your fave, throw it in a small container and take along to work.
One-Pan it – chuck everything in a pan. My fave combos: Chicken, Chickpeas, brocollini and season with moroccan spices. Turkey mince, veges, taco seasoning (mexican anything is yum!). Beef mince, kidney beans, veges, chilli con carne seasoning.
Double your Dinners – Upsize your dinners every night of the week and wallah! Lunch for tomorrow. Easy.
Quiche it – grated zucchini, spinach, cherry tomatoes, eggs, basil. Chuck it all in a wallah, 20 minutes of baking and heaps of quiche!!
Smoothie freezer bags – Freeze all your smoothie ingredients then chuck it in a blender with some milk/coconut water and you are good to go.
Cook 2 x per week – Cook up on a Sunday then again on Wednesday so you aren’t doing as much prep on your weekend.
Frozen Veggies – Frozen Diced onion changed my life and I no longer ball my eyes out every time I cook. My fave frozen go to veggies are spinach, peas, corn, kale and blueberries.
Slow Cooker – chuck it all in in the morning and come home to a feast!
Sunday Markets – yeah yeah…. only early morning risers and super organised people do Sunday markets. But market veggies last twice as long in the fridge as normal veggies from Woolies, buying from the markets also supports local farmers! Plus markets are usually open until 12pm, so get out of bed and give it a go.
TIP: Protein in every meal (I mean, eggs, meat, tofu, legumes, or protein powder), will help you feel fuller for longer.
I would love to know your go-tos when you simply cannot deal with Meal Prep 🙂
Sonijay
