How to meal prep like a boss + LOSE WEIGHT

LEARN THE SECRETS BEHIND THE POPULAR FOOD TREND

Food trends may come and go but meal prep – buying and preparing your meals a few days or a week in advance and labelling them in separate containers in your fridge

– looks here to stay. It might seem like glorified leftovers, but there’s an art to it – under #mealprep on Instagram there are more than 10 million posts to give you inspiration. Research from Health Behavior News Service found that people who prep their food eat less fast food and save cash. It’s also linked to better eating habits and a healthier body weight.

STEP 1: UPDATE YOUR MINDSET

Don’t think of meal prepping as something you have to do for the rest of your life, or that you have to pre-pack three meals a day for a whole week. “Instead of attempting to cook entire meals, break them down into common parts that you can cook separately and ahead of time. This means you can mix and match buffet-style. The goal of meal prep is to cook food in advance so that you can assemble meals with little to no effort during your busiest times of the week,” says Sally O’neil, author of The Fit Foodie Meal Prep Plan.

STEP 2: GET STARTED

If the idea sounds overwhelming, build up slowly or just prep for a few days. Sunday is the most popular meal-prep day. “Start with one cooking method such as oven roasting. It’s easy to make a healthy lasagne in 15 minutes, while you let the oven do the work. Meanwhile, roast some marinated chicken thighs and vegetables in the oven to serve with a microwave brown rice to add a serve of whole grains,” says dietitian Lyndi Cohen, Sunrice Health and Wellness Ambassador. While the oven is on, portion out some breakfast oats or granola with yoghurt, and map out cheese, crackers and nuts for healthy snacks.

THE WEIGHT LOSS KEY

The key to losing unwanted weight is consistency (boring, but true). When you meal prep, you’ll be less likely to find yourself hungry and reaching for biscuits. Make up your containers of food with weight loss ingredients such as fruits, vegies, healthy fats and fibre. When filling a container for a meal go by the 50/25/25 rule. Fifty per cent should be vegies and fruits, 25 per cent grains and starchy veg such as potatoes and 25 per cent protein. Plus add a dash or drizzle of healthy fats such as avocado or olive oil.

NO-COOK STAPLES

“The supermarket has some super-handy and healthy goodies to buy on the fly,” says Sally. These are her go-to staples to include in your meal prep:

PROTEIN BARS OR BALLS

Look for low-sugar, natural options with only a handful of ingredients. Most are date-based, so can be on the sugary side. HARD-BOILED EGGS

Most supermarkets sell hard-boiled eggs now, so jump on them for a dose of healthy fats and protein. PLAIN GREEK YOGHURT

Add berries or a sachet of stevia for sweetness, if needed.

ROAST CHICKEN

A roast chicken without the stuffing can be a good call.

QUICK OATS SACHETS

Mix them up in a mug with a bit of boiling water if you don’t have access to a microwave. Buy the plain ones and throw in some berries for sweetness if you like.