Seven Ways to Meal Prep Like a Champ

Hands up who’s sticking to their healthier, New Year’s diet? For many of us, long and busy working days means eating well can be difficult. After all, the lure of the office biscuit cupboard can be all too strong. But what it really comes down to is forward planning – and if you spend a little time preparing your lunches in advance, you’ll easily remain on the healthy bandwagon well into spring.

To help you on your way to a healthier you, here’s our top tips to meal prep like an absolute pro:

Select Simple Meals

The whole point of planning your meals in advance is that it’s supposed to make your life easier. So make it so by selecting a handful of really simple meals you can throw together in minutes. Then, simply add them to plastic containers and pop in your work bag ready to either reheat in the office kitchen or eat as they are.

Plan Your Attack of the Supermarket

So you’ve come up with four or five quick and easy meals? Now write a thorough shopping list which keeps in mind everything from the main ingredients to seasonings and condiments. Map out your assault on the supermarket and look for offers where possible. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be costly, too.

Don’t Get Stuck in a Rut

Try to keep your healthy meals varied enough that you won’t get bored come the middle of the week. Again, your chosen meals or ingredients don’t have to be too elaborate; just mix things up a bit by having something different each day if you can. Snacks can be pretty similar – a handful of dried fruit or nuts, maybe – and make sure you stock up on essential vitamins too.

Don’t Forget Water

While you’re busy prepping your meals it can be easy to forget about what you’ll want to drink. Buy a few big bottles of water and decant them into smaller bottles, ready to pop in the fridge and take to work the next day.

Season, Season, Season!

We’ve briefly touched on seasoning here on the My Appliances blog – but it really is important. Season your pre-prepared meals well and you can turn even the most bland of salads into something super tasty.

Meal Prep with Friends

Are you finding planning your meals is becoming a chore? Why not team up with a pal and agree that you’ll each take alternative weeks to prepare meals for the both of you? That way you each get a week off every fortnight, too.

Allow Yourself a Treat Every Once in a While

Meal prepping can be tough, so allow yourself the odd treat – maybe at weekends – to reward yourself for all your effort. Make a pizza healthier by adding the ingredients to a tortilla instead of a standard dough base, and cut down on the amount of cheese you add to it too.

How do you ensure you stay on top of meal planning? Do you have any top tips? If so, make sure you share them on our Facebook page. Oh, and don’t forget to check out our January sale over on the site.