Meal prep is a trendy concept and brings a lot of advantages. Whether looking to improve financial wellness by cutting down on costs of “convenience” foods (think prepackaged meals and cut fruit from the grocery store, or expensive takeout and ridiculously expensive delivery) or saving time in the long run, meal prep is great for both. Then there’s, perhaps, the biggest benefit of all: meal prepping can help you eat healthier.
Now, let’s be real: Full, complete meal prep is also hard. It takes thought and creativity to plan meals. It takes time to cook said meals. And there’s a degree of commitment to eating those same meals multiple days in a week – even in a row.
Me: You can never do too much healthy food prep!
My overstuffed freezer: I’d like to weigh in on that…
I’d like to offer an easy way to eat healthier; an option that brings the benefits of meal prep but is more realistic, flexible, and simple: food prep.
The simpler idea of food prep is, rather than making full meals, in bulk, ahead of time, making more standalone foods, still in bulk, still ahead of time. Think things like hard-boiled eggs, sweet potatoes, or a pot of soup. Other ideas are chicken, browned hamburger meat, and a batch of quinoa. Even just grating your own shredded cheese or washing and cutting up veggies and fruit – great ideas for simple food prep that can bring big impact.
Food prep is a win when it comes to budgeting. Choosing versatile foods to prep ahead of time also means less work when it comes to making a healthy, filling meal or snack. It’s an easy way to eat healthier and delivers all the overall wellness advantages of meal prep without as much time and commitment.
I originally wrote this post for a Fargo Mom article, where I shared 10 of my favorite, easy food prep ideas. Read that full article for all 10 healthy foods to prep every week.
Or, simply take what you just read and get going now on prepping some of your own favorite, healthy foods!
That’s enough for now. Until next time,
Lindsay