How to Crush Meal Prep for Weekly Lunches
Meal prep: You see and hear about it everywhere. Between the abundance of videos hogging our Facebook feeds and the plethora of Instagrammers photographing their packed-lunch victories, sometimes it feels like everyone’s got it together but you. Well don’t fret — we got you, fam! And we’re about to blow your mind with how easy meal prep can really be. These four simple tips and tricks will have you brown baggin’ it to work with perfectly portioned lunches that are delicious and nutritious.
stock up on the right containers
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First and foremost, let’s get the obvious out of the way: You want containers that come with lids; the rest of your options are personal. Whether you’re considering glass, plastic, or collapsible silicone to maximize on storage space, all containers will get the job done. In fact, you could even save up reusable takeout containers and use those for a stint.
When it comes to compartmentalization or not, that’s completely up to you. A lot of meal prep recipes out there are intended to be mixed together, but if you’re eating things you’d rather keep separate, a Bento-style box is right up your alley. Whatever you choose, grab four or five of them — and don’t forget minis for your salad dressings and sauces!
Buy and cook in big batches
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Planning ahead is crucial when meal prepping. The best and most efficient way to do it is to buy a large batch of your protein and grain of choice, snag your fresh veggies, and choose an exciting sauce or flavor profile. Then, pick a day and set some time aside to cook everything. Sheet-pan recipes cook your proteins and veggies all at once and, best of all, they leave you with options. Toss some of your protein and veggies into containers with leafy greens and pair the rest with grains to keep you from growing bored of the same ol’ lunch from Monday to Friday.
Prepare and Store uncooked food
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For any fruits or veggies you want to stay raw and crisp, simply wash them, cut them, and store them in tightly sealed containers or food storage bags. This keeps them fresh and creates an easy grab ‘n’ go option for not only lunch prep, but for healthy snacks too.
do not dress things in advance
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We ALL get excited about our fave sauces and salad dressings, but to prevent your nosh from getting soggy AF, do *not* dress your salads and sandwiches in advance. Some things just shouldn’t be done in advance, and drizzling wet stuff onto your greens or breads is one of them. Instead, get yourself some teeny containers and portion out your condiments so that you can add them right before you eat them.
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