How To Meal Prep Without Hating It!

The nature of my personality is that of a rebel. Tell me to go up, rest assured I’ll go down. Not because I don’t like you or trust your opinion, but because something deep inside me rebels against doing the things I know I should do. A perfect example of this is meal planning. It screams rigidity, routine, boredom and lack of spontaneity. Yawn. But, in my experience, it’s undeniable that those people who manage to consistently eat well, are those who consistently plan their meals. Keep reading rebels.

Our health results from what we do 80% of the time. Health takes consistency. But that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to spontaneity, fun and fabulousness. Oh no. Our focus is to help you create food rituals, so you start making subconscious healthy decisions 80% of the time. Leaving heaps of space for guilt-free enjoyment at your favourite Italian restaurant.

But before you line up your tupperware for that Instagram #mealprep shot, planning what you eat is easier than you think. Humans are creatures of habit. Most us eat five main evening meals on a revolving basis - our quick, easy weeknight go-to’s. Which means we’re already buying roughly the same things from the supermarket each week. Take a moment to think about what those meals actually are. Are they super tasty, nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory and a breeze to prepare? Sound too good to be true?

Well people, this is my definition of meal planning. Simple swaps and minimal effort recipes that set you up to succeed. And I’m here to make it as pain-free as possible.

• Be conscious of how often you want to be eating meat, fish or vegetarian. With this in mind, choose five of your favourite dinner recipes from this program.

• List out the ingredients in these recipes. Which items can you buy in bulk, so they are always in the pantry?  

• Store extra meat and fish in the freezer, if that works for you.

• Once your kitchen is stocked, your weekly shop will predominantly be fresh ingredients.

• Trust your intuition when cooking. Choose vegetables that are in season. Make alterations that work for you.

• Then make these same recipes every week for about a month. In this time, you’ll become so familiar with them that it will no longer require any brain power for you to whip them up at a moment’s notice.

• Make double portions so that you have a healthy lunch. Two healthy meals sorted without much thought at all!

• Then aim to have two to three seasonally appropriate breakfast options to choose from. Eggs are easy all year round, smoothies or chia puddings are great for summer and porridge is a no-brainer for winter.

By removing the rigidity and taking the fuss out of cooking, you’ll be nourishing your body at every meal. With no extra thought, time or cost. It’s meal planning made easy. Good luck!