Diana Wilson - Meal Prep: The Complete Meal Prep Cookbook

The Complete Meal Prep Cookbook

Delicious, Simple and Easy Meal Prep Recipes for Smart People

Yes, you read the title correctly. This is the complete Meal Prep Cookbook thats filled with delicious, simple and easy recipes for smart people. And by smart people, I mean anyone who is ready to enjoy healthier meals every day without spending tons of money and time in the kitchen.

With some help from my Meal Prep cookbook, youll be able to enjoy a variety of grab-and-go recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the week. But before we get into all those recipes, Ill be sharing with you how Meal Prepping will benefit you, how to prep properly and Ill also provide you with my favorite tips and tricks!

What exactly is meal prep? Well, meal prepping is when you schedule, plan, prepare and cook several meals at one time, then pack them away so theyre ready for you when you need them. It also means planning super easy meals in advance for the week, so you have everything you need beforehand. Prepping your meals this way will make your life so much easier, while you enjoy meals that are delicious, balanced, healthy, quick and ready-to-go.

So, there will be no more grabbing carb-filled muffins, or going to the drive thru after a busy day at work. You can just come home and enjoy a delicious meal that was already prepared! And like they say, nothing beats a home cooked meal in this case a meal prepped dish that was perfectly prepared in advance.

Now meal prepping your meals isnt just convenient, it offers plenty of benefits as well which well get into next!

Knowing your fridge has meals you can easily heat up and enjoy will not only give you peace of mind, it will do so much more. Below Ill get into the top 8 benefits of Meal Prepping!

1. Its Healthier

If youre choosing your meals based on how convenient they are to make when youre busy, then youre probably reaching for unhealthy processed foods or heading to the drive through. The only way to fix this problem is to give yourself healthier options that are just as fast to make. Thats where meal prepping comes in. Youll be able to plan out meals that are created with fresh and healthy ingredients!

2. Gives You Better Portion Control

If youre using a large dinner plate to determine how much food you should eat, you could be eating well over your recommended daily calories .With meal prepping you can use the reusable to better portion out your meals. Plus, seeing that youve finished a complete meal will help curb the habit of over-eating and adding too much to your plate.

3. Saves Time

By designating one day out of the week to prep several meals for at least 2 hours or so, youll save tons of time! For starters you wont have to go to the grocery store as often, you wont have to cook dinner from scratch every night, and you wont have to prepare your lunch at night for the next day. On top of all that, you wont have to clean up a messy kitchen and a sink load of dirty dishes each night. Now, if this doesnt sound good to you, I dont know what does!

4. Prepping Helps You Make Smarter Decisions

Yes, this is actually true. Researchers in behavioral psychology have learned that willpower acts like a muscle. Like any muscle, when you use it a lot youll get tired. At the end of a busy day, youre decision making abilities are all worn out which means youre more inclined to reach for fast junk food than a smarter choice.

When you prep your meals, you avoid making less than smart food decisions since everything has been planned out ahead of time.

5. Prepping Saves Money

Youll definitely notice a difference in your food expenses at the end of the month. All that extra cash saved will be due to the fact that youre not eating out. Youll also be spending less time and cash at the grocery store since youre going there with a specific purpose and shopping list.

6. Variety of Food Options

No need to settle on the same bland meals over and over again because you think theyre the easiest thing to cook. There are so many meal-prep recipes that are just as quick and easy, but so much more flavorful and well balanced.

7. It's Great for Cooking for Just One or a Large Aamily

Whether you live alone or with family, meal prepping is great for everyone! You can use one or two pots and a few ingredients to feed the whole family or just yourself. Its also a great way to limit the waste in your household and get everyone to the table for dinner.

8. It Can Be Really Fun Too

Prep day is Gameday, so have some fun! Just turn on some tunes, get your spouse/bff/roommate/kids involved and time yourself to see how fast you can get everything done.

If youre new to meal prepping, it can be a little confusing to how you can get everything together for the whole week in about 2 hours or so. Well, Ill show you just what you have to do step-by-step to meal prep like a pro.

Step 1. Set aside time

When you prep for the week, it can take a few hours or an entire afternoon depending on how much youre planning to cook. So set a few hours aside to prep.

Step 2. Have the right set of containers ready

Trust me. Theres nothing worse than spending time cooking to then realize later that you only have two containers to put everything in or the ones you have are too small.

Purchase a set of containers that are all the same size to make it easy for you to divide food up for the week.

Youll also need to make sure that the prep containers are made of glass or plastic thats BPA-Free. Mason jars can be used for prepping salad since they will keep lettuce separate from the dressing.

Step 3. Plan out everything beforehand

Pick out what recipes youre going to make and how much you will need for the week (or for how long youre prepping for) before you start. This will make everything easier and save you so much time and energy.

Tip! Make sure you pick recipes you actually like since you will have the dish in your fridge/or freezer for a while.

Step 4. Create a grocery list & stick to it

Okay, youve selected the recipes for the week, now you have to buy everything. Once you hit the grocery store, only buy what you need, especially if youre purchasing produce since you dont want it to go bad quickly.

Sticking to your shopping list will keep foods from rotting away in your fridge and keep money in your pocket.

Here are a few ingredients that are very meal prep friendly;

Proteins

• Eggs
• Seafood shrimp, or salmon
• Ground Beef
• Chicken

Dry Beans (or Canned) & Pulses

• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Kidney beans
• Pinto beans
• Garden peas
• Black-eyed peas
• Runner beans
• Lima beans

Grains

• Brown Rice
• Quinoa
• Oatmeal
• Pasta
• Bulgur

Fruits

• Apples
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Berries - strawberries and blueberries

Vegetables

• Carrots
• Sweet Potatoes
• Cauliflower
• Beets
• Kale
• Butternut Squash
• Zucchini
• Green beans
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli

Now, to have a successful meal prep day that isnt too overwhelming just remember these important tips below!

Don't overdo it

Seriously, if you're new to meal prepping dont try to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the whole week. Make this mistake, and you will go crazy. Instead, figure out when you are the busiest and base your meals around that.