A Beginner's Guide To Weekly Meal Prep

As a society we're getting busier and busier, rushing between work, family and relationship commitments, a social life, and everything else we try to squeeze in-between. The 5 P's is a concept that applies to many aspects of life and you should keep in mind when it comes to meal prepping, bodybuilding, weight loss, or fitness in general. When prepping, use the oven to cook several things at once. By taking a few hours out of your Sunday, you can be stress-free and fueled up for the week with plenty of delicious food options.

Include some no-cook recipes in your meal prep. No one wants to forgo their family Sunday dinner so they can chop a huge mountain of carrots for the week ahead, so be sure to do your prep on a day that suits you and aim for no more than five meals at first. There is a lot to sort through here, but we are going to give you the 'Å“How to Meal Prep for Beginners" crash course of the century- and we'll even make it easy.

Pick 3-4 different vegetables to have on hand and choose vegetables that you can eat both cooked and raw. Take a few chicken breasts (or, to save time, buy a rotisserie chicken from the store), and add in a good variety of vegetables. You could prep some yummy healthier treats to keep your sweet tooth at bay throughout the week - try making a tray of bliss balls and enjoy 1-2 as a snack.

If you find that you're getting hungry between meals, you may consider prepping healthy snacks or increasing portions. Another way to make sure your meal prep becomes a weekly habit is to make sure it works for you. Research a few recipes, find some easy meal prep food combinations to try and take it from there.

But if you choose to prepare three dinner meals for your family, and they are all the same recipe, you might have a bit of a fight on your hands. It can be three days of lunches, pre-cutting your fruits and vegetables or even a full week's worth of meals. Chicken breasts may be the leanest, but for meal-prep purposes, thighs may be a better bet; their slightly higher fat content means they won't become as dry in the fridge (and bonus, they're cheaper).

If you're looking for easy meal prep ideas look no further. By prepping four days in a row I can prep two times per week and be covered or prep once per week and reach into my stash of freezer leftovers for the remaining days (plus the option for eating out one day).

Instead of spending $15-20 food everyday, I spend $30 on food a week (and sometimes that food carries over into a new week… can you say Cha-Ching!) Although I hated cooking (and still do), I was instantly intrigued at the mere idea of being able to save money and eat healthier.

For me, meal prepping for the week is the only way to go. 90% of the food that I eat is cooked and prepared by me. This is important for many reasons which I am going to detail below. You can easily make fruit salads or smoothies to go along with you prepped meals.

For obvious reasons, planning is key when it comes to meal prepping. That's what makes Meal Prepping so great. Another idea for prepping ahead is to plan freezer meals. Coincidence?) and take the easy street to lunch time. Start looking for Meal Prep for Beginners recipes that you love (Pinterest has tons of great options), and save, print, or bookmark all of them.

When it comes time to sit down and plan out your meals, you'll have preselected recipes to choose from. I could go to the store every single day and love every second of it. But if you're new to meal prepping and you're trying to save yourself some time during the week, stick to just ONE trip to the grocery store per week.