The ULTIMATE meal prep guide for women who don’t know where to start

 

If you’re a busy woman (check) with a to-do list as long as your arm (check) who wants to eat well but hasn’t got hours to spend in the kitchen (check check) this guide is for you.

We do talk an awful lot about meal prep here at the Unique Diva Project and on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge, but we understand that some of you have never attempted it before. So you may be feeling a little overwhelmed with how it all works.

Read on for a huge variety of tips, advice and recipe suggestions that will work well for you when you jump on board the meal prep train. 🚂

All aboard!🚂

So….what is meal prep?

If you think of the time you spend in the kitchen each day or night preparing meals, it quickly adds up by the end of the week. And if there’s one thing that us busy divas don’t have enough of – it’s TIME.

This is where meal prep comes in. By spending some time once or twice per week (or whatever works for you and your family) chopping, cooking and packaging up your meals and snacks you can slice a TON of hours off your weekly cooking schedule.

But you don’t have to feel overwhelmed. Meal prep can be made up of simple tasks like chopping ingredients and storing them in airtight containers, making a batch of healthy snacks from the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge or cooking a double batch of your favourite healthy meal, so you can freeze some for another day.

What are the benefits of meal prep?

Oh so many…

No more cooking in the kitchen every single day. By cooking in batches (for instance you might make a double batch of Bolognese, one to use this week and one to freeze for another family meal next week).Save money by buying your ingredients in bulk – it’s often much cheaper if you buy 3kg of chicken breast instead of 500g. Same goes with ingredients like 2kg bags of potatoes, 1kg bags of rice etc. Every little bit of money saved is money in your pocket. You’ll have spare time to hang with the kids or furbabies in the witching hour (when they just want to snuggle up and read a book or play a game), instead of having emotional kids pulling at your legs while you try to cook dinner. Avoid the temptation to grab a takeaway when you’re tired and hungry, knowing there is a healthy meal already made at home. You use less electricity and water as you don’t need to cook as often. You’ll have less washing up as you’ll make one BIG mess instead of a mess EVERY DAY! 

What will I need to get started?

You don’t need a lot of kitchen equipment, but these are the basics to make it a little easier.

Food processor, blender, kettle, sharp knives, chopping boards, pots and pans, slow cooker (optional, but I love it) and storage containers for the finished product.

And of course, don’t forget the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge recipe guide and meal plan!

What should I make for my first attempt?

Don’t go too hard too soon! To start with, why not just prepare two 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge dinners (doubling the recipe to make 4 family meals) and two double batches of snacks?

For instance you could make a double batch of Slow Cooker Asian Chicken, and then a double batch of Mexican Lasagne.

Then once they’re cooking you could make a double batch of the Raspberry Muffins, and a double batch of the Weetbix Slice. That would make FOUR whole family meals and THIRTY SIX serves of some healthy snacks!

How do I begin?

Step 1.

Decide what you would like to cook during your session. You can choose to meal prep just dinners (a great start!), or add in lunches too (why not just use dinner leftovers for lunch?), you might want to meal prep some snacks too.

Step 2.

Make a shopping list (or use the one on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge) and go shopping. Check the cupboards to see if you have basics like oil, flour, pepper etc.

Many women find it useful to use online shopping so that they can see what their total spend will be and make changes if needed to fit within their budget.

Step 3.

Carve out some time (depending on what you’re cooking and how many recipes you have) to spend in the kitchen cooking.

Lots of our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge members swear by the Sunday afternoon cook up, but do whatever works for you. Many women do meal prep twice a week.

Step 4.

Start chopping and getting the ingredients ready. The food processor can be helpful here to chop onions, carrots, cabbage, etc. Why not try using the oven, stovetop and a slow cooker all at once so that you can prepare multiple meals?

Step 5.

Start cooking! Get your apron on, throw on some tunes, and get into your meal prep session.

It’s normally best to get anything cooking first that will take a little longer, then work back from there.

Think ahead of time about what you can make while another meal is baking in the oven for instance.

Step 6.

Once the food has cooled it’s time to package it up. You might choose to package your meals into single serve portions, or into family sized portions depending on your needs.

Allow the food to cool completely in the fridge overnight, then place in the freezer the next day. This avoids freezer burn. Label everything so that you can see at a glance what you have in the freezer.

What if I don’t have enough room to store loads of containers?

That’s OK! Not everyone has a big freezer. 

Here’s what you can do:

Make your lunch for the week – place some cooked chicken, rice and greens, or some pre-chopped salad into 5 containers (no dressing) that you can just pull out each day.

Sort breakfast out to make mornings a breeze. For instance you might make these Chia Puddings (or there are loads of recipes in the 28 Day WeightLossChallenge) or a batch of the Gluten Free Granola to keep on hand for the week.

Meal prep your snacks for the week and store them in the fridge. 

Think Zucchini Carrot Cake, or Lemon and Coconut Bliss Balls. These don’t take up much room.Just cook and freeze the main component of the meal which you can then add to easily with a side of rice or veggies. You could make a triple batch of Chilli con Carne or Bolognese to use with pasta one night, then tacos another night, wraps, or on top of a jacket potato. Just freeze it in family sized portions and defrost it in the fridge overnight before you plan to use it.

Which containers should I use?

This is very much a personal choice.

But the main options for freezing meals are the cheap and cheerful take-away style containers from the supermarket (around $3 for 10) which are often single use;

Or the more expensive but better quality plastic tubs such as Décor, Tupperware, Ikea or Sistema.

You can also use ziplock bags for things like bliss balls or muffins, as they take up less room.

Which dinner recipes work well for meal prep?

Here are some of the favourites of the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge members that love to meal prep. All of these recipes are available to members of the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.

Meat

Hoisin Pork with Greens & RiceBeef & Sweet Potato Lasagne

Coconut Lamb with Cauliflower Rice

Peanut Butter Chicken Curry

Spanish Rice with ChorizoSlow

Cooker Ragu 

Seafood

Fish & Vegetable Curry

Coconut Fish Hot Pot

Tuna Pasta Bake 

Salmon & Zucchini Patties

Chilli Tuna Patties with Asian Coleslaw

Vegetarian

Baked Cheese & Tomato Risotto

Spinach & Pumpkin Curry

Easy Fried Rice 

Pesto, Spinach & Ricotta Rolls

Zucchini & Corn Fritters

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Family Friendly

Easy Satay Chicken & Rice

One Pot Bolognese

Sausage & Veggie Pasta Bake

Coconut Chicken Nuggets

Mexican Style Chilli Con Carne

Devilled Sausages (pictured above)

Snacks

Chocolate Mint Bark

Raspberry Muffins 

Choc-Nut Quinoa Balls

Choc Cherry Slice