Last Updated on May 7, 2021 by Lori Geurin
An overwhelming majority of Americans say they prefer to prepare meals at home, but that might seem surprising when you see the long lines in fast food drive-thru lanes. More often than not, the issue isn’t that Americans would rather eat a mass-produced hamburger than a meal they made themselves using fresh ingredients.
The issue is time and the fact that Americans seemingly have less of it than ever before makes cooking at home a real challenge. Our jobs are demanding, our kids’ schedules are packed with activities, and we spend a lot of time simply trying to fight traffic to get anywhere. It’s no wonder many of us are too tired to prepare a meal from scratch when we get home from work.
What’s more, the convenience of eating out is a siren song that’s difficult to ignore most of the time. The problem is, eating out all the time can be extremely costly to our wallets as well as our waistlines.
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The Healthy Meal Prep Guide For Beginners
Although the idea of cooking a fresh, well-balanced meal from scratch using healthy ingredients might seem like a pipe dream in today’s world, it isn’t. It just requires a fresh perspective on the traditional meal preparation process. Rather than start from square one the moment you come home in the evening, a meal-prep routine can involve preparing batches of ingredients all at once over the weekend or in one night. Then these ingredients can be used to assemble meals quickly throughout the week.
By doing much of the preparation and even some of the cooking ahead of time, you can save yourself the temptation of stopping for a drive-thru meal on the way home from work or school. Once you get into the habit of making meal prep a weekly routine, it’s easy to feed yourself and your family healthy meals that will save you time and money in the long run.
Just because our lives have become increasingly hectic and over-scheduled doesn’t mean we have to abandon the idea of a freshly prepared, well-balanced meal made at home. The following guide details how you can master the art of meal prep at home for you and your family. That way, you can save the drive-thru for the nights you want it, not because you feel like you have no other choice.
Summary – Healthy Meal Prep
Prepping healthy ingredients ahead of time can help you to always have nutritious, easy meals on hand. Meal prepping can also help you stay on track with your healthy eating goals because you’re not as tempted to grab something unhealthy when you’re hungry. And if something important comes up around dinner time there is no need to stress because you already have the healthy foods ready to eat.
Guest Author bio: Molly Clancy is a Key Account Representative at Tail Activewear and has worked with clients to outfit them in the best fit, fabric, and fashion in the activewear world.
Do you meal prep? What tips can you share?
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I’m sorry to hear about your health troubles, but so happy you were able to turn it around. Reading this inspired me! Thank you, Tammy!
I would love to be able to meal plan during the week. I think it would make my week go by so much more smoothly.
Yes, it definitely helps me – thanks!
Yummy and tasty healthy meal prep..
Yes, indeed. Thanks, Lisa!
As a busy working mom, I definitely know how important it is to plan our meals ahead of time! Prepping ahead of time is my downfall, though. I could definitely use some help in that area! Thanks for sharing this informative article!
I hear you Gillian…It can be a challenge with a family. But the weeks I meal prep it sure helps things run smoother and reduces my stress level. Thanks!
Now this I can get behind! I am trying to make meal prep a priority in the new year. This will help!
That’s awesome, Krystal!
I went through a health scare a couple of years ago and I know it was because of all the unhealthy items I was eating. Started making better choices and 40 pounds later, I feel so much better and learned my lesson. Processed food is not the answer all the time.