Skip to contentYou’ve been there. You’re probably there right now. Life is busy and there’s barely any time to breathe let alone prepare food for the week in order to stick to your diet.
So what happens? You end up eating out which costs more money than it should for food that isn’t going to bring you that lean, strong body that you want.
Consistency in your diet and training is crucial to getting the physique you want. Notice how I said consistency, not perfection? You don’t have to deprive yourself of the foods you love but you do have to make sure that 80-90% of the time you’re on track. This is where meal prep comes in.
Meal prep is important to avoid cheating on your diet guidelines and to make sure you have fuel to train. Here are some ways to make meal prep a breeze.
Use the oven
This is such a huge time saver because you can cook proteins and veggies for the week in bulk. Not only that, but you just set the timer and leave it, freeing up precious time to do other stuff.
NOTE: It is recommended that you cook for an entire week if possible to avoid running into the old “I didn’t have time to cook last night” excuse. You can freeze the food you plan to eat later in the week so it doesn’t go bad in the fridge.
Use a rice or slow cooker
Another set it and forget it tool to free up your time. A rice cooker is great for conjuring up some carbs for the week and slow cooker is great for chilis, stews, roasts, and everything apparently.
Boil eggs in bulk
Trouble getting your protein in? Keep some boiled eggs in the fridge to just peel and eat. Protein at the ready. For many busy people who tend to skip breakfast because of a lack of time to cook in the mornings this is a great option to grab and go.
What’s great is that it takes the exact same amount of time to boil 1 dozen eggs as it does to boil one egg. In my experience the perfect boiled egg for me (I like the yolk a little runny) takes 7.5 minutes. Throw some salt, pepper, olive oil, and oregano on that and it is delicious!
NOTE: Keep the eggs in the shell when keeping them in the fridge to avoid it smelling like a fart bomb.
Pre-package meals so its grab and go
You know what’s bad? Having a bunch of cooked food only to be too busy in the morning to package them for work.
After cooking your food prepackage your meals in tupperware so when it’s time to leave you can just grab them and go.
Keep food at your workplace
You know what’s even worse than the previously mentioned not having time to package your meals? Having them packed and forgetting them at home!
THE WORST.
A great way to get avoid that is to bring a few days worth of meals and keep them in the fridge at work if you have one. Just remember to replenish them when you’re running low.
Package supplements and mixed nuts for snacking
So you’ve finished all of your meals for the day and you’re still hungry. What usually happens is you give in and ending up buying a chocolate bar or something from the value menu at McDonalds (trust me I’ve been there….many…many times). Not this time though, this time will be different.
Pack some mixed nuts and dried fruit in a ziploc bag and keep it at work or in the car. This will give you something healthy to snack on throughout the day and prevent you from waking up from a food induced coma, buried under burger wrappings.
Along with food, if you are taking any supplements make sure to pack them as well. Throw a scoop of protein in your shaker cup and any vitamins in a small bag or container for workout time.
Get Prepping
It’s not as hard as you think. You can prepare a week’s worth of meals in a couple hours along with freeing up plenty of time to do things that you actually love to do. Not to mention save money and your waistline. Apply these strategies and let me know how it goes.
