Meal prepping has taken the world by storm, and if you find yourself lacking the time to cook healthy food every day and grabbing fast food alternatives to satisfy your hunger, then perhaps it’s time you hop on the trend as well. The concept is simple: choose one day of the week when you prepare your meals for the rest of the week, so you have as little work as possible during your busy days. Here are five delicious meal ideas you can prepare in advance to stay on a healthy eating plan:
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Smoothies
This is one of the easiest things to prepare and one that will give you an amazing boost in the morning. The best part is: you can make as many different varieties as you want, for each day of the week. Cut up different fruits you would like to incorporate into small chunks. Place them on a tray on a piece of non-stick paper and leave them in the freezer to solidify. When frozen, transfer them into labeled bags and leave in the freezer. In the morning, add a cup of yogurt to your blender, the frozen fruit and any fresh greens or herbs you want to add. You can also add some more liquids to even out the consistency or protein powder to boost the nutritional value.
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Trail mix
Another reason why meal prepping is great is because buying and cooking in bulk is a great way to save some money, and if you are someone who loves a mid-day snack, then you might often run to a store and buy trail mix. But the bags are usually too big for one portion, and aren’t the cheapest thing. Buy your own nuts and dried fruit in bulk, mix them all up in a big bowl and then pre-portion them all in small containers. One portion should be the amount that you can fit in your hand.
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Bean salsa
One of the easiest meals to make is a simple bean salsa: mix together cooked kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, diced red onion, sweet corn and any spices you love. This mix is so versatile and can be enjoyed on its own, rolled up into a burrito or served on top of some full grain tortilla chips.
Cashew chicken
A great option for protein is a cashew chicken.And If you are lacking inspiration, you can have fitness meals delivered to your home address, and they can contain precisely this dish. Along with some other variations that contain chicken and the same important nutritional value needed to maintain your body healthy and lean. For example both mexican chicken fiesta and naked chicken parmy plus vegetables are a great option.
Something sweet
Finally, you want to have something that will satisfy your sweet tooth, that isn’t a store-bought chocolate bar. You can bake a batch of oatmeal cookies and keep them in an air-tight container throughout the week, or prepare some granola bites held together by honey and some brown sugar. If you want something really simple, you can make easy parfaits, by putting some yogurt in a jar, adding your favorite fruit (berries work great here) and nuts on top and spreading honey over it. Make sure you keep them in the fridge and only make for four days in advance.
Make sure you have plenty of pre-cut fruit and veggies to snack on when you feel peckish between meals and stay hydrated by carrying a water bottle with you at all times.