What better time to share some meal prepping for clean eating tips than the day before everyone overdoses on Halloween candy, right? 😉 I started meal prepping for the first time a little over a year ago. It was part of the fit girls guide challenge I did in November of 2014 for twenty-eight days. Although it was a lot of work, it definitely helped save time throughout the week, as well as, have no excuse to grab unhealthy food. However, when I first started meal prepping it was more time-consuming than need be because I hadn’t figured out how to make it easiest just yet.

I have been consistently meal prepping for about 6+ months now and it takes me half the time to meal prep, three times as much food, from when I first started. I have had a lot of people ask me about good meal prepping food and resources which I shared in a blog post back in September. Click here to read it. I have most recently been asked about tips and tricks to make meal prepping a little easier for those who are just getting started or beginners. I’m no expert on meal prepping per se, here are three helpful tips for your next meal prepping session:

Prep in Steps:

Instead of doing EVERYTHING for your meal prep on the same day, break up what you can into different steps. For example, one of my favorite meal prepped combinations is the baked chicken, green yellow and red quinoa (rice) and a veggie of some sort. To do this prep I always cook my quinoa and/or rice the night before and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. While my quinoa and rice is cooking, I season my chicken and place it in the refrigerator overnight as well. The following day while my chicken bakes in the oven, I chop up my vegetables that go in the quinoa/rice combo as well as my vegetable that will serve as my side. Although it takes two days of prepping, it allows you less time in the kitchen overwhelming yourself all at once.

*Cold quinoa/rice is easier to mix in to your cooking vegetables in the pot for meal prep which is why .

Double the Recipe:

Most meal prep recipes are for about a weeks worth of food. However, when making certain foods, you can double or triple the recipe and freeze what you don’t need right away. Look up the guidelines regarding how long certain foods last in the refrigerator and freezer to be sure you’re making sanitary choices. I always prepare two weeks of lunch at a time to save time on doing it all over again in another week.

*If you have a favorite recipe that uses a certain measurement and mix of spices, using a smaller Tupperware container, triple or quadruple your mix of spices and it saves you time for your next 3-4 meal prep sessions by not having to measure each ingredient. 

Switch Up Choices:

Besides being time-consuming, another reason people lose interest in meal prepping is because they get tired of the same foods. So switch it up! There is no rule that says you have to meal prep the exact same food for two weeks straight. Who wouldnt’ get tired of that? Instead meal prep at least two different meals to alternate each day. Once you’ve gotten better at conserving your time and meal prepping quicker, make as many different meals as you choose. Believe it or not, being excited about eating your food helps motivate you to find the energy to get in the kitchen and meal prep in the first place.

*If you don’t know where to start for multiple meal prepping recipes and sites, Pinterest and Instagram are great resources. Or you can refer back to my link at the beginning of this post for more meal prep resources.

Hopefully these meal prep tips make meal prepping for you first timers, and beginners a little easier, and less frustrating. If you have any other questions regarding the tips or extra advice, please feel free to comment below or send me at email (info on my page). Happy meal prepping and clean eating! 🙂

Brie <3

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