Healthy Meal Prep for Beginners: 120 Easy Recipes and Time-saving Weekly Plans for Healthy, Ready-to-go Meals.

By Juanita Brooks

Learn How to meal prep like a pro with easy recipes and time-saving weekly plan even if it’s your first time
When you’re short on time, like on your lunch break, you’re more likely to make poor choices based on your mood or what’s available. Having a balanced, nutritious meal ready to go is always preferable to grabbing an unhealthy alternative
Healthy Meal Prep does the work for you, and will help you achieve your health goals, maximize your time, and save you money. Fresh and flavorful recipes that are tried, tested and seriously tasty.
This meal prep cookbook goes beyond general meal prep guidance, and provides a 21-week plan to make a habit of meal prep and keep your fridge full
This cookbook includes:

• 21-Weekly meal prep plans
• The Secret Shortcut method to meal prepping like a pro even if it’s your first time
• Easy Meal prep ideas strategies to make healthy eating easier.
• Storage and useful tips about how to meal prep
• 120 recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, salads, appetizers and smoothies.
• Nutritional information for every recipe to help manage macros and achieve diet goals

Healthy Meal Prep for Beginners is the ultimate plan to meal prep like a pro.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel
• Release date: May 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9788835836322

Book preview

Smoothie

Introduction

Back in 2011, I was 18 stone and 3 lbs. With a diet mainly consisting of alcohol and takeaways I hit a point in my life where clothing was becoming an issue, where I became embarrassed and realized my weight was something I had to change. The first solution I turned to was my Doctor with the only advice being a box of antidepressants and a confirmation that I was obese. I walked out of his office with a single piece of paper listing good and bad foods with tears in my eyes wondering where else I could turn to. After trying multiple different diets, mostly unsuited to me, I decided to join the gym and begin meal prepping. In around 10 months I had lost 8 stone.

In 2015 I met Linda who at the time was around a size 16 weighing over 13 stone. Linda was in a place which I was very familiar with and had tried the same diets that I had previously tried and hadn’t worked. It was at this point I decided to take my passion for cooking and meal prepping further. Every Sunday I would create tasty yet absolutely healthy meals for them both to consume throughout the week, prepped in a way that was completely tailored to their individual needs. The calorie counting, and following of macros turned out to be the key tool to both of our weight loss journey.

I reached that stage in my life where I was happy, more comfortable and enjoyed eating healthy meals despite my very busy schedule. Aside from the fact that meal prepping is healthy, it’s also much cheaper and gives you more free time throughout the week

In this cookbook, you will find my shortcut method of how you can meal prep like a pro despite your busy schedule. You probably know that prepping involves storing food before you eat it, so I also provide the proper guidelines on freezing, thawing and reheating recipes to keep the food tasty and safe to eat.

The recipes in this book were carefully selected so they are easy to prepare, contain easy-to-find ingredients, keep nutrition in mind and are delicious. Each recipe provides exact measurements for a serving size to help keep calories in check.

Cheers to healthy cooking

Meal prepping 101

Who hasn’t left work late with a growling stomach but little energy to shop and cook? A busy schedule is one of the top reasons why people choose quick takeout meals, which are often calorie-laden and a contributor to expanding waistlines.

Now, imagine a different scenario where within a few minutes of walking through the door you have a delicious home-cooked dinner, and perhaps even lunch packed-up for the next day. Amidst hectic weekday schedules, meal prep or meal planning is a great tool to help keep us on a healthy eating track.

Meal prepping is the concept of preparing whole meals or dishes ahead of schedule. It’s particularly popular amongst busy people because it can save a lot of time.

Having pre-prepared meals on hand can also reduce portion size and help you reach your nutrition goals. This way, you’ll avoid unhealthy options like TV dinners or takeout, especially when you’re overwhelmed or exhausted.

And since it requires you to determine what to eat ahead of time, meal prepping can lead to more nutritious meal choices over the long term.

Despite what people may think, there are various ways to meal prep — not all of which involve spending a whole Sunday afternoon cooking dishes for the week to come. You can choose methods that work best for you.

What are the benefits

Dieticians everywhere rave about the benefits of meal prep for multiple reasons. Yes, you're aware that meal prepping will save you money, and that’s a bonus. But the main reason experts love it is apparently because it takes the emotion out of eating. Here are some of the benefits of meal prepping.

It saves money

It ultimately saves time

It helps with weight control, as you decide the ingredients and portions served

It contributes to an overall more nutritionally balanced diet

It helps you stay on track for dietary needs, avoiding issues with missing or insufficient ingredients

It reduces stress as you avoid last minute decisions about what to eat, or rushed preparation

How to Meal Prep

If you are new to how to eat healthy look no further. Most individuals prefer to create a system that can be repeated every week. Having a system in place helps the process to become a habit. Once you get used to the process, it will become easier as you go.

There are a lot of shortcuts you will also learn along the way. Just stick with it, try it and apply all your ideas, and you will learn how to prep your meals like a pro.

What are the shortcuts

One of the preferred methods involves selecting one or two days of the week and designate those days for prepping your meals in advance.

Here are some short cuts to ease the process.

Day 1

Preppers make a list of the meals that they want to eat for the week.

This day is also used to purchase all the ingredients needed for the meals and in the right portions.

It is difficult to prep without a shopping list and meal plan.

Part of the reason is that, without a clear idea of what will be eaten, it is hard to decide the portions that will be needed for prepping.

This shopping trip will also include containers, reusable cutlery, containers for seasoning, or travel-sized seasonings for healthy lunch boxes.

It is important to also plan ahead for beverages, especially if you are a prepper who follows a specific diet.

Not having the right drink readily available will result in having to depend on a vending machine, or resorting to whatever is available.

Along with containers, cutlery, and beverages, preppers should also consider other items that keep the food warm or cold.

Insulated bags, ice packs, and thermal bags are also a part of the preparation process.

Day 2

Now that all ingredients and tools are ready to go, the next step is to revise the portions and seasonings that go with your dietary needs that follow specific guidelines.

Aside from that, this is where the fun comes in. The day is all about baking, stewing, roasting, and just cooking away.