Learning how to meal prep is necessary if you want to achieve your fitness goals. Your macronutrients must always be aligned with your body needs to keep you on the right track. Not having the right meal plan allows room for food that may contain high amounts of calories such as dried fruit and fruit juices, pork chop with fat, and soft pretzels. Consuming these foods may or may not fit your consumption needs. To avoid unhealthy snacking and eating, we will show you how you can do the right meal prep. So, read on!
Meal Prep Guide For Beginners
Step 1: Create a Meal Schedule
Start with a one-week meal schedule for your first meal plan. This way, you’ll have recipes ready 7 days ahead. Your leafy and fresh ingredients won’t sit in your fridge for more than a week either. You need to cook your vegetables as early as you can to preserve their freshness.
Your everyday meal must include light snacks, like apples and oranges or healthy fats such as almonds and chia seeds in the morning and afternoon. Having light snacks will keep you from getting hungry and will allow you to eat more during lunch or dinner.
Step 2: Plan Your Diet Food
What you need to do next is determine the types of food you will eat. Prepare meals that are nutritionally balanced. Include foods rich in protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Advanced meal preppers will know how many grams of each macronutrient they need, for beginners, just focus on your portions and aim for: 1/2 greens, 1/4 protein, 1/4 fats. Lean options like eggs, beans, fish, and lean beef should comprise your protein intake. Nuts, avocado, and olive oil are good sources of fat. For your main source of energy, it is ideal to consume complex carbohydrates like brown rice, oats, and sweet potatoes.
Step 3: List Down All the Ingredients You Need
Before you go shopping, list the ingredients you need for your recipes. This prevents you from buying unhealthy stuff. If you know a store or a place near you where you can find fresher and healthier options than the ones in the groceries, get your ingredients there.
Step 4: Prepare Your Food
Prepare your recipes and meals ahead of time. You can arrange the ingredients for each day in your fridge or food storage. This way, it’s easier for you to grab them for cooking. Be sure to store your meal preps in clear containers like glass or plastic, so it’s easy to see what’s inside.
One-Week Meal Prep Sample
To help you get started, here’s a sample meal calendar you can try:
Monday
- Breakfast: egg and toast
- Morning snack: blueberries
- Lunch: chickpea and veggie salad
- Afternoon snack: medium-sized orange
- Dinner: Seared Salmon With Green Peppercorn Sauce
Tuesday
- Breakfast: blueberries, skim milk, and bran cereal
- Morning snack: medium-sized apple
- Lunch: Veggie and Hummus Sandwich
- Afternoon snack: medium-sized red bell pepper (sliced) and hummus
- Dinner: Roasted Tofu and Peanut Noodle Salad
Wednesday
- Breakfast: non-fat Greek yogurt (plain) topped with honey, slivered almonds, and blueberries
- Morning snack: hummus and medium-sized carrots
- Lunch: Roasted Tofu and Peanut Noodle Salad
- Afternoon snack: strawberries
- Dinner: Grilled Romaine With Avocado and Lime Dressing
Thursday
- Breakfast: blueberries, skim milk, and bran cereal
- Morning snack: medium-sized apple
- Lunch: Green Salad With Chicken and Black Pepper
- Afternoon snack: medium-sized orange
- Dinner: Cod With Tomato Cream Sauce
Friday
- Breakfast: cooked oats (cooked with milk) topped with sliced strawberries
- Morning snack: bell pepper (sliced) and hummus
- Lunch: Toaster-Oven Tostadas
- Afternoon snack: medium-sized orange
- Dinner: Cod With Tomato Cream Sauce with brown rice
Saturday
- Breakfast: skim milk, bran cereal, and blueberries
- Morning snack: medium-sized orange
- Lunch: Chicken Cauliflower Fried Rice with kiwi fruit
- Afternoon snack: strawberries
- Dinner: Toaster-Oven Tostadas
Sunday
- Breakfast: Egg and Tomato Toast
- Morning snack: unsalted dry-roasted almonds and blueberries
- Lunch: Tuna and White Bean Spinach Salad
- Afternoon snack: medium-sized orange
- Dinner: Lemongrass Pork and Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowl
The measurements of each meal set would depend on your daily food requirements and body type. You can adjust this meal prep sample according to your needs. For example, if you require more, you might want to eat a large serving of egg toast during breakfast. If you need less, consider eating a smaller serving.
To help you know your caloric consumption, we recommend you download a fitness tracking app like MyFitnessPal. It helps you monitor your food intake in accordance with your body composition goals. The app counts calories based on the amount of food you eat. And don’t forget to take food supplements too!
Following a meal prep guide makes it easy for you to stick to your diet. It is also convenient and saves time and money. Remember to be consistent in cooking healthier dishes in medium-to-large volumes, so you can easily pull those dishes from your fridge when you go hungry. Start meal prepping today and be one step closer to realizing your fitness goals!
How do you think meal prepping can help you? Let us know in the comments section!