Cooking at home is associated with numerous health benefits. People who cook at home eat higher quality food, consume less calories, save money and time, and have less weight gain over time compared to those who dine out and eat prepared foods regularly.

 

You’ve probably heard the term meal prep as it relates to cooking at home. So, what’s it all about? How can it be an easy and affordable option for healthy eating? I’ll tell you how with the RENEW Guide to Meal Prepping.

 

Weekly Prep: Choose 1 day a week to meal prep all of your meals for the week. Store meals in containers or in the freezer and thaw when ready.

Breakfast Ideas: Whole Grain Pancakes, Baked Oatmeal, Muesli/Granola

Lunch/Dinner Ideas: Soups, Stews, Casseroles, Burgers, Meatballs

Snack Ideas: Energy Balls, Hummus, Wheat Berry Salad

 

Twice Weekly Prep: Choose 2 days a week to meal prep. Store food in containers to last 3-4 days at a time.

 

Breakfast Ideas: Overnight Oats, Chia Pudding, Tofu Scramble

Lunch/Dinner Ideas: Stir Fries, Curries, Warm or Cold Salads, Sheet Pan Meals

Snack Ideas: Tuna, Egg or Chickpea Salads with Whole Grain Crackers, Muffins, Hard-Boiled Eggs

Daily Prep: Pick what nights you will make dinner. Cook a larger portion for your dinners. Embrace ready-to-cook ingredients to save time. Save leftovers for lunch the next day.

 

Breakfast Ideas: Protein Shakes, Smoothies, Oatmeal

Lunch/Dinner Ideas: Sandwiches/Wraps, Warm or Cold Salads, Power Bowls

Snack Ideas: Bags of Chopped Veggies, Fruit with Dips

Batch cooking: Making large batches of foods that you can use as components in future meals. For example, cooking dried beans, brown rice, or other items that freeze well.

 

Ready-to-cook ingredients: Buying prepared ingredients to cut down on time. These could include items like pre-cooked grains and proteins, and pre-chopped fruits and vegetables.

 

Consider what your average week looks like. Is there a day you have more time? This could be a good prep or grocery day.

 

Know your nutrition goals. For example, if you want to include a vegetable with each meal, be sure to buy enough vegetables for the week and have an idea of how you will be preparing them.

Plan your meals for the week and portion them to create a balanced plate: ¼ plate whole grains/starchy veggies, ¼ plate lean unprocessed protein, ½ non-starchy veggies and fruits.