If you’re like most people, you probably don’t have much time to cook during the week. And even if you do have time, it can be hard to make healthy meals that don’t break the bank. That’s where meal prepping comes in! Meal prepping can seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth it in the end. It is one of the best foundational habits to truly make progress with your health and fitness. When you meal prep, you can control what goes into your food and how much time you spend cooking each day. This means that you can make healthy, nutritious meals without having to worry about what you’re going to eat. Not sure where to start? Check out our guide to meal prepping for beginners and on a budget!
- Start by planning your meals. Make a list of the items you’ll need from the grocery store and decide which recipes you’ll make for lunch and dinner. This will help you stay within your budget and avoid buying unnecessary items at the store.
- Look for affordable ingredients that can be used in multiple dishes. For example, rice, beans, and pasta are all relatively cheap and can be used in lots of different recipes. This will give you flexibility to create several different dishes for the week.
- Prepare large batches of food that can be eaten throughout the week. This will save time and money compared to cooking individual meals every day. This might include cooking rice or quinoa, roasting vegetables, or making a batch of protein-packed muffins.
- Get creative with leftovers – turn them into new dishes. For example, if you have some cooked chicken or fish leftover from a previous meal, why not turn it into a new dish? You could chop the chicken or fish up and add it to a salad or use it as the filling for tacos or burritos.
Enjoy knowing you have a week’s worth of healthy, budget-friendly meals prepared ahead of time. With a bit of imagination, you can make meal prep on a budget both delicious and exciting. And by taking some time on the weekends to cook and package meals for the week ahead, you can save yourself both money and time during the busy workweek. If you need inspiration on health meals check out our recipes page. We have hundreds of options that are simple and delicious!