I get it. No really, I do.
After a long week of studying for exams, staying on top of deadlines, submitting those work reports, shuffling the kids around to and from school or daycare, feeding them before sports practice, and letting the dogs out for what feels like 20 potty breaks a day, you feel completely exhausted.
Some days you’re so exhausted, that you barely have enough time to do that self care routine you swore you’d do. I mean really, how do these famous TikTokers have the time?!
And the last thing you feel like doing is slaving over a hot stove to cook something and then having to deep clean the kitchen afterwards.
I understand you may feel crunched for time. It feels like you’re always having to cram as many tasks as you can into a day.
Fear not my friend, there’s a way out of this. It’s called meal prepping.
Before you roll your eyes and click off this blog, just hear me out for a second.
Why Meal Prep?
Which option sounds more appealing to you?
Option A: Sitting in a drive thru at the nearest McDonald’s for the fifth time this week, being asked to pull into a reserve spot to sit for another 15 minutes, and STILL missing a 6 piece chicken nuggets and that extra apple juice?
Option B: Designating one day to go through the fridge and pantry, making a grocery list of what to get, and then prepping those delicious meals for the week?
You see, meal prepping actually can make your busy week go a lot smoother. We don’t have to go into the store ourselves, pile all the groceries into the basket, scan them, and then load everything into the trunk of our cars.
Now, we can order the groceries online and pick them up at the store. This frees up our time to manage and prioritize other tasks.
The other benefits include saving money, time, and reducing waste. Preparing fresh, balanced meals ensures that our family and pets can get the nutrients they need.
Another way to save time is if our kitchen is stocked with pantry staples that have a good shelf life. Even if you’re not sure what to cook for dinner, you can get creative with what you have on hand.
For example, if you have chicken breasts, veggies, and rice on hand, then you could make some healthy Chinese takeout right at home!
The Basics of Meal Prep
First, we want to start off by taking stock of what’s in our pantry, fridge, and freezer.
Step 1: Choosing versatile ingredients
Here’s a checklist of proteins to choose from:
Poultry
Fish (Ex. Alaskan pollock, salmon, tuna, flounder, halibut, red snapper, and sea bass)
Pork loin
Lean beef ( Ex. Sirloin, tenderloin, eye of round, top round, bottom round, and chuck)
Turkey
Shrimp
If your goal is to follow a diet such as DASH or the Mediterranean diet, most vegetables are allowed for each diet.
However, if you are trying to follow a renal diet, you’ll want to avoid such as:
- Sweet potatoes
- Dark leafy greens
- Tomatoes
The reason being is because these vegetables are also known to be high in potassium. If consuming too much potassium is a concern, by all means please consult with your trusted doctor or physician FIRST.
The main goal here is to opt for meats with not as much fat on them and with low sodium.
Step 2: Storing Meals properly
I recommend using meal prep containers such as insulated food jars, glass meal prep containers, and bento box style containers.
After you’re done cooking your meal prep for the week, you’re gonna need to portion out your food into each container.
With insulated, stainless food jars, I love using these to portion out my fruit cups. You can also store other foods such as soups, salads, pastas, noodles, and even trail mix. These are perfect for keeping the food at safe temperatures while traveling to work or down to the beach with family.
Bento box style containers usually have 3 to 4 compartments for keeping all your favorite foods and snacks separate. You can create your own box using cheese, crackers, fruit, low sodium pretzels, hard boiled eggs, and nuts.
If the container has 3 compartments, you may opt for filling it up with crackers, fruit, and a salad wrap with a light drizzle of your favorite dressing.
If you have meal prep containers that don’t have any compartments, you can use these to store your lunch or dinner meal prep.
*Include a checklist on how to assemble their own healthy plates
Example Meal Plan for the Week
Let’s say it’s about that time to go to the grocery store and stock up again.
Before heading out, you list out exactly what you’ll need so you don’t overspend. You’ve decided to cook chicken, some vegetables, and some rice.
The grocery list may look like this:
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
green beans
Rice
Seasonings (Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, etc.)
Seems easy enough, right?
This sample meal is DASH, Mediterranean, and renal diet friendly. You’re more than welcome to swap out rice for something that’s more to your liking.
Although this sample meal is pet friendly, we want to be mindful of their portions as well. Yes, our furry companions may beg with those adorable puppy eyes. But we must be strong and know when to say enough is enough. Just like with our own diets, we have to be disciplined.
ALWAYS consult with a professional veterinarian on appropriate portions, foods, and diets before making ANY drastic changes.
For me, I have a pitbull terrier who weighs slightly under 40 lbs. She’s healthy, energetic, and doesn’t have any major health/weight issues.
With this sample meal, I would feed my dog like so:
- 1/2 cup (or 4 ounces) of rice
- 1/2 cup (or 4 ounces) of chicken
- ⅓ cup (or 3 ounces) of veggies
Although I know she’ll eat a huge bowl of food, I won’t allow her to. I watch her portions and my own. I don’t care how much she begs. If she gets too antsy, I tell her to go away while I’m cooking our food.
Depending on the breed, weight, size, and health condition of your pet, you and the vet may decide to feed them more or less.
Remember, just because our pets may BEG for more doesn’t necessarily mean their stomachs can HANDLE more. Similar to us humans, a dog can eat themselves until they’re sick or vomiting.
And we don’t want another unnecessary vet bill, right?
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Mistake #1: Ignoring or not reading nutrition labels and the listed ingredients
I want to let you in on a little secret. It’s okay to double check the nutrition labels every chance you get. Sure, it may feel slightly awkward to do this at a grocery store. You may even feel a little self conscious at times.
The important thing here is to make sure what we’re getting from the grocery store actually matches our dietary needs.
Just because something like salsa is “gluten free”, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for a renal diet. Why? Because of the tomato product commonly used to make authentic salsa.
Sure, you may have also heard that swapping out regular fries for sweet potato fries, is a healthy choice.
However, someone on a renal diet has to be extra careful about the levels of potassium and phosphorus in certain foods.
Mistake #2: Overeating and overfeeding
It’s normal to be excited about newfound goals and making big changes. However if we try to make too many changes too soon, then we’ll start to feel like these “changes” are too restrictive.
I too, have also tried cutting out fast food, sweets, juices high in sugar & fructose corn syrup, and so on. I did all this only to find myself binge eating on the bad stuff I said I wouldn’t eat anymore.
This is why buying meal prep containers and bowls is helpful. It aids us in learning how to eat in moderation.
Mistake #3: Having unrealistic expectations
When people first start out with their New Year’s resolutions, they’re all pumped up with excitement. They go out, get the gym membership, buy a cool looking gym bag, buy all the healthy fruits known to man, and all the other things that’ll help the journey.
Then when they step on the scale, disappointment stares back at them. The person starts feeling discouraged because the weight didn’t drop off as fast as they thought it would.
This is why it’s called a lifestyle. Small changes add up to big progress. Who cares if you don’t drop 20 pounds in one month right away.
Instead, try slowly implementing the change by eating a little bit more veggies at lunch or dinner time. Then work your way up from there.
Mistake #4: Skipping meals and/or forgetting to eat
When my nurse practitioner told me that I needed to follow a DASH diet, I tried cutting out a lot of things. I had this “all or nothing” type of mindset.
I thought skipping out on eating fast food for breakfast was a good thing. At least I said no to spiking up my glucose levels with pancakes, bacon, biscuits, and whatever else that’s unhealthy, right?
Actually this was doing more harm than good. Why? Because once 3pm rolled around, all I had to show for it was an empty stomach and an aggravating headache.
Mistake #5: Not being creative enough with our meals
Listen, you don’t have to always eat the same Caesar salad + tomatoes + chicken for lunch if you don’t want to. You don’t have to settle for chicken, brown rice, and broccoli for the fourth time this week if you don’t want to either.
Another reason why I created this corner of the internet called Forks & Paws, is because meal time doesn’t have to be boring and complicated.
I want to share my knowledge of creating delicious meal prep that’ll have the whole family eager to see what else you crank out of the kitchen.
So if you’re ready to get started, be sure to download this customizable meal plan template and meal prep guide for the free99.
Comment below your which grocery stores you frequent the most