words Al Woods
If you are the type of person that finds it hard to cook a meal at home because of the many food preparation processes involved, then you are in the right place.
You’ll bear witness that the reason most people frequent takeout joints is that there’s little to no time to make a healthy meal at home. Now, this is not the route you’ll want to take as it leads to one place and one place only; an unhealthy heart, clogged arteries, and obesity. These are the results of poor eating habits.
Over the recent past, there have been discovered effective ways to prep meals that will last you for the days ahead. This could be the days you are up and down hustling like everyone else. But at the end of the day, you’ll come home to prepped meals that will not take much of your time to cook. This is a great way to jumpstart your desire to lead a healthier life. So, how can this be achieved? Below are four tricks for easy home meal prep you need to know about.
1. Invest In The Right Cooking Pots
To motivate yourself to cook healthier meals, you need just the right cooking pots for it. Some foods, including grains, are kind of tough to cook, most especially if you have little time on your hands. Desperate times call for desperate measures and this statement couldn’t be any truer because deep down, you want to eat healthily but things are not going your way. There are quality online reviews on the best small rice cooker that can give you inspiration on where to start. Cooking pots come in different shapes and sizes and your choices will make a huge impact on the foods you prepare.
To make it easier for you, cook your grains in batches. On a weekend, choose your best whole grains and cook them in batches. It could be rice, whole grain pasta, quinoa, beans, soya, or buckwheat. Whatever your inclinations, you can have these grains prepped and stored in different containers.
2. Choose The Right Storage Containers
Now, not every storage container you see out there will be beneficial to meal prepping. Depending on the meals prepared, you have to choose your meal storage containers appropriately. The right storage containers will help to preserve your meals for a longer time while ensuring that the nutrients and vitamins are intact. Among the factors you’ll need to consider when picking your food storage containers include:
- The material of construction – Most food storage containers are made of plastic but then again, not all plastic is good for your health. Polypropylene food containers happen to be the best as they are flexible and non-toxic.
- Choose airtight containers – The last thing you want are your dressings and sauces to leak in your fridge.
- Size and shape – You’ll of course want your storage containers to fit in their designated spaces in your fridge. This means choosing food containers that are of the right size and shape.
- Go transparent – Choosing transparent food containers will make it easier to easily identify the meals and cut the time it might take when checking the contents therein.
3. Chose Recipes That Are Easy To Prepare
If you are an ardent fan of cook shows, then you have a clear picture of various recipes that are tough to crack. There are easy recipes out there that are not only healthy but are also easy to prepare. Ensure to have such recipes in mind when meal prepping. Include your personal preferences and if you have someone else living with you, keep them in mind as well. Hey, you could go a step further to include everyone in the meal prepping session. This way, no one’s favorite meal will be left out.
4. Organization Is Key In Meal Prepping
Having a ton of prepped food in the fridge can make it hard to decide on where to start. Remember, you’ll have your proteins, produce, and veggies to mention but a few, and all stacked up in your fridge. You’ll also need to consider sensitive foods that can go bad quickly. Foods to be eaten later in the week should always go first followed by foods you intend to eat soon. Your organization system will also be dictated by the recipes planned out for the week.
There you have it! The above are easy tips on how to prep your meals at home. Leading a healthier lifestyle starts with a healthy diet. You’ll be surprised by how much time you can save from planning and prepping your meals. Never again will you have to queue in busy take out joints.
