Our Registered Dietician, Jackie, is a big fan of meal prepping large batches of meals and snacks in advance to save time. Meal prep is helpful any time of the year, but especially during quarantine when you want to have healthy food on hand and prevent grazing all day. It’s also a huge time saver for people with disabilities because cooking can take up more time and energy than for most people.
Here are her top tips to get started with meal prepping:
(1) Make a menu at the start of each week and write your shopping list – only buy what you need from the store to prevent food waste. Making a menu helps you stay organized.
(2) Start small and build up – if you’re new to meal prep, it can be overwhelming. Start with prepping one snack or one meal and then slowly build up each week until you can get to 2-3 meals and 1-2 snacks each week (or whatever suits you).
(3) Choose simple recipes – no need to complicate things, especially during the stress of quarantine. Choose recipes that have simple ingredients that you typically have on hand.
(4) Plan at least one plant-based meal per week – Legumes (beans, lentils, dried peas) and tofu are affordable options.
(5) Make large portions and freeze – dishes that you can freeze include, lasagna, chili, soup, casseroles, protein balls, and burritos.
(6) Sneak in fruit and veggies whenever you can – Add spinach or kale to smoothies, soups, chilis, etc.
(7) Have fun and get creative – Try new recipes, discover youtube cooking channels, blogs, cookbooks, ask your friends and family for their favourite recipes.
If you are interested in learning more or booking an appointment with Jackie, call us today!
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