Natalie Kowalewski
7 Ways to Meal Prep Like a Pro
Natalie Kowalewski
Spring 2016
When it comes to eating healthy while balancing a fully-packed schedule, preparation is the key to success!
Interning in DC during the day and taking classes at night doesn’t leave a lot of free time throughout the week. As we work against the clocks trying to fit everything in, we use what wiggle room we have, between activities, for meals. As a result, we tend to opt for the quickest and easiest options for food, which may not always be in the best interest of our health nor our bank accounts. Working in Dupont, I’ve been fortunate to have an easy commute from work to class and many great food options along the way; Sweetgreen and Beefsteak are definitely favorites!
Nevertheless, there is no need to fear about figuring out meals. With a little preparation and a sprinkle of motivation, you’ll be well on your way to eating smart. Meal prep is the antidote to all your potential food ills (well, maybe not that chocolate addiction). Planning meals ahead of time will help you make smart choices, save you money, and quite possibly help your day run a little more smoothly. If you’re reading this and thinking “absolutely not” or “ain’t nobody got time for that,” then you should just keep reading. I promise you that you don’t have to be Paula Deen or spend hours in the kitchen to meal prep like a pro. There are tons of easy ways to make quick and delicious meals that you can enjoy throughout the week. So as you prepare for your semester in DC, stock up on tupperware and engage your creativity with these six meal prep tips:
1. Prep for your meal prep
Meal prep works best when you do it in pieces. This way, you can work it around your schedule and avoid spending hours in the kitchen on a sunny Saturday afternoon. When you get home from the grocery store, wash your vegetables, cut them up and put them in containers, so that they’re ready to be used when you start prepping your meals. Chopped veggies usually stay fresh in the fridge for 3-5 days, so you don’t have to worry about then going bad quickly. Also, whatever veggies you don’t use for your meals, you can put aside as a snack for work.
Homemade chicken, rice and veggies
2. Pre-portioned food is your friend
When food shopping, look for poultry and fish that are already pre-portioned. This way, freezing and defrosting is a breeze. One of my go-tos is the pre-portioned salmon that Whole Foods sells. Yes, it is a bit of a splurge, but it is significantly cheaper than the additional cost that racks up from always adding it to my salad at Sweetgreen. This also makes an easy meal for days that you don’t have class and can come back to the Deb for dinner. You simply take out your salmon (or chicken) from the freezer before you leave for work and by the time you want to eat it for dinner, it will already be defrosted and ready to heat up.
Typical dinner on a night with no class
3. Mini food is pretty great too
Along these same lines, cupcake tins are an excellent tool to use for mini, on-the-go food. If you don’t have time to make breakfast in the morning, consider making mini frittatas in cupcake wrappers and heating them up at the office or before you leave for work. Another option is to make some healthy muffins that you can eat for breakfast or as a mid-day snack.
Jaime’s meal prep. Photo Credit: Jaime Bennis
4. Make food that you enjoy, but mix it up each week so that you don’t get bored
One way to dive into the world of meal prep is by exploring your food preferences. Make a list of foods that you enjoy eating, then look for recipes that use your favorite ingredients. But, BE CREATIVE! You’ll get really tired of your meal prep if you constantly eat the same thing. Try putting a little twist to your favorite dishes. Just swapping a few ingredients and adding a different sauce can make a whole lot of difference on your taste palate. My typical go-to meal is rice with chicken and veggies. But, by playing around with this and adding 3 eggs and some soy sauce, I transformed my classic dish into chicken fried-rice.
The first time I made mini frittatas (And they were amazing!)
5. Make lists
Lists are gold in the world of meal prepping. It takes a little bit of practice to get into the habit, but once you get the hang of it, it will become second-nature to you. Before you go to the grocery store, browse through meal prep ideas and decide on what you want to make for the week. Next, brainstorm a list of ingredients that you will need. Be sure to check the fridge to make sure that you don’t already have some of the ingredients that you need. Having a plan of action will make your trip to the grocery store run smoothly.
6. Get inspiration from your favorite food places
The surefire way to make food that you know you’ll enjoy is to work off of what you know. Look to your favorite food places for inspiration. Since I work in Dupont, Sweetgreen and Beefsteak are two of my top choices for places to eat. Have you ever thought about how simple their concept is? It’s really just a salad or cooked vegetables. You can go online, look at their menu items and recreate them for yourself. Also, reminiscing about Boston, BOLOCO is hands down my favorite place to get burritos. Although, I can’t seem to find tortillas as tasty and as stretchy as theirs, I often recreate many of their signature burritos.
7. Make it a floor activity
The absolute best way to meal prep is with your friends. On floor one, meal prep is like a team bonding activity. Many of us go food shopping together and plan what we will make for the week, bouncing ideas off one another. We then help one another out in the kitchen and share our tips and recipes. Once again, surely the best way to meal prep (:
Natalie is an international relations major, spending her semester interning at a non-profit in the District.
