Whether you want to lose weight, learn portion control, or save time in the kitchen on busy weekdays, meal prep can help you achieve your goals. But if planning your meals becomes more of a headache than a help, you may need to hit the pause button and re-evaluate your preparation process.
Meal planning should make your life less stressful, not more, so if you find it overwhelming, it's a sign that you haven't found the best method for the way you want to cook and eat.
How to avoid the most common mistakes in meal preparation?
You prepare too many things at once
Some people like to set aside hours on Sundays to prepare food, but this strategy can quickly fall apart if it leaves you feeling overwhelmed and resentful about having to spend so much time in the kitchen. This type of large-scale preparation can also backfire if your plans change.
You can work with a more flexible time-saving system in which you have some components of the meal running at the same time on a given day. For example, you can fry vegetables in the skillet while you cook quinoa in a pot and bake chicken in the oven.
In this case, the foods require very little preparation or practice time, and you can add other ingredients and seasonings during the week to add variety.
You can also identify the parts of a meal that are most challenging or cumbersome for you and how to solve problems to make preparation easier.
Don't prepare perishable food first
People buy fresh food with the best of intentions, but if perishable goods are not used first, this can lead to a huge waste of food and money. To prevent produce and meat from spoiling, design your weekly meal prep around these fresh ingredients.
If you're having trouble with this part of planning, you can create a shopping list and identify perishable ingredients for you to use first.
Preparing foods that don't keep well
Not all foods are great leftovers. Breaded and fried fish , for example, can be great the first night, but soggy the second. Since making use of leftovers (either as a complete or repurposed plate) is the crux of meal planning, it's important to incorporate foods that keep and reheat well.
Whole grains work very well this way and can form the basis of your weeknight meals. For example, you can make a simple grain-based salad with cooked quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes, and chopped herbs like basil or parsley, and then vary your protein options, serving your salad with drained and rinsed chicken, salmon, and legumes (such as canned chickpeas or navy beans) on different nights of the week.
Your meals that lack balance
Although you may be getting a lot of calories, if your meals don't contain an adequate mix of nutrients, you may be left hungry, low on energy, and in a bad mood. In contrast, balanced meals provide energy and keep your stomach full, which can also help minimize snacking and help you lose or maintain weight, if that's your goal.
So how can you ensure that you are preparing balanced meals? For the sake of planning, the key is to think of elements of the meal as puzzle pieces. To complete the puzzle, you need non-starchy vegetables, lean proteins, fats (ideally plant-based, such as extra virgin olive oil, nuts, or avocado), and carbohydrates (preferably a whole or starchy vegetable).
When planning a meal, you should be wondering if it contains most of these puzzle pieces. If you are missing one (or more), think of some tasty ways to incorporate them. For example, if you've made a stir fry with vegetables, tofu, and brown rice, you can add some chopped cashews to add healthy fats.
Not preparing enough quantity
New to meal planning? It may take some time to understand how much food to prepare for you and your family. If you've done very little, add some frozen veggies to your plate. Frozen vegetables require no preparation other than heating them to your liking, and they will increase the volume and nutrient profile of your meal.
A meal planning app can come in handy here too, helping you plan the number of people you're cooking for. Many apps simplify the process by generating recipes and grocery shopping lists based on the number of servings you prepare.
Alternatively, if you've overcooked, you can incorporate the leftovers into tomorrow's lunch or dinner so you don't waste food.
You forget to prepare small snacks
Although it's called meal planning, snacks are also an essential part of the preparation equation. Skipping snacking from meal planning can lead to binge eating or fuel-poor afternoons. A well-designed snack can help control hunger between meals while providing the nutrition your body and brain need to stay focused.
When planning snacks, it's best to make them with a fruit or vegetable base and add a healthy fat (like avocado) or a protein option (like a cooked egg). This winning combination of macros will keep your blood sugar steady and help you avoid stomach noises.
