Meal Prep
I meal prep just about every week. This involves actually making a list before I go to the store, making my lunches ahead of time, etc. I’m in grad school - getting up even earlier to make my lunch does not sound appealing, at all. Going out to grab lunch every day is also not an option (#gradstudentbudget). If I have all the food I need before I start the week, I find I am less stressed and have more time to rest (mentally and physically) later. So what does meal prepping include?
Plan your meals. I have a bookmark folder on my phone of all the recipes I’ve found that I’ve liked. Since I don’t have a family right now, I usually only have to pick out 2-3 a week and then live off of leftovers. Sitting down for just 10 minutes to figure out what you want to make that week decreases your stress and work for the rest of the week.
Make a grocery list and do it before you go to the store. I can’t be the only one who despises going to the grocery store. Sometimes I even make it a game to see how quickly I can get in and out of the store. Making a list before you go helps you stay on task and only buy the things you actually need. You also then know all the meals you plan on making for the week ahead of time. There isn't any “What am I going to make tonight?” if you already have everything you need. Bonus tip: Don’t go to the store hungry, it doesn’t go over well.
Make some food ahead of time. It doesn’t have to be everything or a lot. But what can you do Sunday afternoon/evening to help yourself out for the rest of the week? Maybe you do have a meal plan and can make whole lunches ahead of time. Or maybe you can just pack the sides now. Maybe it’s just figuring out what needs to thaw ahead of time and freezing things you won’t use for a while.
Meal prepping doesn’t take as much work as it sounds. It might be a couple hours at the forefront of your week, but it saves you so much more time later. Sometimes we have to just push ourselves to get it done now. It can be rewarding to place those containers of food in your fridge or pantry all ready to go. It is much less stressful than throwing things in your lunch bag on your way out the door.
Small things like meal prepping give our minds the space to fill with other things. Why should we have to worry about what we’re eating for lunch when we have 10 million other things going on? Give yourself the mental rest by choosing to do something as simple as meal prepping. See if it helps your week go by just a little more smoothly.
Challenges/Points:
Meal prepping is one thing we can do at the beginning of our week to give ourselves rest later on.
Meal prepping involves planning your meals, making a list, and making the food ahead of time.
Look at your upcoming week. See where you could prep here and now.
Questions:
Have you ever meal prepped before?
What could you prep this week to make life a little bit easier?
What are some other simple things you could do ahead of time to give yourself rest later?
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