Last Updated on December 2, 2020 by TheMealPrepNinja
10 Tips to Meal Prep Without Getting Bored in the Kitchen
We put together a list of the 10 tips to meal prep without getting bored. Here are a few questions you might have asked yourself. Staying engaged in a healthy meal plan?… Do you find it challenging?… How do you spice things up every day at the dinner table?
These are just among the few questions that every meal prep beginners ask midway into their meal prepping journey. Hell, even the most seasoned meal preppers grapple with the same challenges at some point. Maybe you find yourself on autopilot every time you meal prep or do your groceries– buying and prepping the same things week in week out. Maybe it’s your fault, maybe not.
Let’s put the blame aside for a minute and address the main misconception about meal prepping.
Normally when people eat the same breakfast, lunch, or dinner every day. It’s much simpler and easier. But it doesn’t mean you have to contend with it every day.
Meal prepping isn’t just about batch cooking your ingredients and contending with rice, chicken, and broccoli for the next 5 days. How do you even do that? (come on, you’re better than that!). I can tell you for sure that meal prepping is a breeze for those with the least picky palate. Otherwise, you’ll have to put in some elbow grease since you have your work cut out for you. But that’s okay if you really want meal prep to work out for you.
Well, guess what? You can still get the benefits of meal prepping despite being a picky eater or contending with repetitive leftovers. I know there’s no magic bullet or a one-size-fits-all solution. However, a combination of all or some of these pro tips will make all the difference. Indulge.
Are you looking to meal prep on a budget? Here is a helpful meal prep on a budget guide.
Planned Leftovers
It’s hailed as the #1 tip for those who find it hard to eat the same thing consecutively. However, it involves a bit of hard work since it involves weeknight cooking and some planning ahead– if you’re committed to not buying lunch.
Here is a helpful resource. 10 best meal prep cookbooks. There are plenty of recipes on this website but if you are looking for a cookbook then this article will help you out.
How is that meal prep anyway?
Well, unless you’d want to cook your meals individually(which takes up a lot of time), embracing planned leftovers will actually improve your meal prep and aid you in eating different lunches daily while saving on lunch money. You won’t have to consume the same lunch twice a week ever again. For me, that qualifies as meal prep. It’s quite simple.
Make a weekly meal plan and ensure you cook up an extra dinner portion to be eaten for lunch the next day( planned leftovers). It may be hard for most of us, but it’s a sure-fire way to ensure that your meal prep journey never lacks steam.
Storing Prepped Ingredients by Type For Later Assembly
It involves preparing your ingredients ahead of time, packing them when you’re actually about to eat them. You skip the part where you assemble your bowls ahead of time.
Wait, is this meal prep?
Yes, it is. You can comfortably mix and match your cooked ingredients to your liking on the day you plan on eating your meal. You’ll be in the mood to eat what you’ve packed since you selectively picked them that morning. You also saved yourself time by having them pre-cooked.
Tips to Meal Prep Without Getting Bored
Cooking up Ingredients and Using it in Multiple Ways
For instance, you could cook up a big protein batch and match it with other ingredients in your pantries, such as rice or pasta. Further, you could divide the protein portions, seasoning them in different ways of your liking. Alternatively, you could season them mildly so that other flavors in other ingredients get to shine.
Chicken is notoriously known for this method, but one could still use other forms of meats and veggies.
Toss in Some Extra Veggie Options
If you’re darn tired of eating the same meals each day, you could try tossing in some veggie options to spice things up a little bit. You could try filling up the meat void in your plan with veggies. You could try flavoring your veggies the same way with your meats and see what happens. While this option may not work out well for everyone, it’s still a valid option. Further, if you’re tired of eating your chicken meal prep daily, you could overhaul it or substitute it with another plant-based protein such as lentils. Always try to embrace other creative options instead of filling that something is missing in your diet.
Strive to Have Different Sauces
Sauces can literally be the life of your meals. They can transform an ordinary-looking dish into a finger-licking meal. To achieve this, you should have at least three different homemade sauces at your disposal. Be keen when sourcing your sauce ingredients since they’ll determine your end product. They’ll serve as the bases for your meal and, coupled with a few additional ingredients, can transform an ordinary rice and chicken meal into a chicken burrito bowl. Flavor the same food differently, and you’ll be amazed. They say that spice is the variety of life. Well, we’d like to think of sauces as the variety of meal prep.
Incorporating Freezed Portions in Your Meals
Why not make an addition to your meals by incorporating other existing portions. Maybe you have other portions tucked neatly in your freezer. This would be the best time to explore how to beef up your meals and transform them into those tasty meals- this is where your creativity kicks in. With an endless array of possibilities, your mealtime won’t fall short of anything amazing. This is a great way to meal prep without getting bored.
Add Color to Your Meal Prep
Try picturing plain chicken breast on a bed of brown or white rice. Sounds drooling? I didn’t think so. Plenty of staples come in blah colors. As much as we don’t want to hate on them, let’s face it. Bright colors just make our meals more enticing. When doing your grocery shopping, incorporate more colors in your fruits and veggies. Furthermore, your starchy staples can also be colorful– purple yams, yellow corn, and sweet potatoes, purple arrowroots, among many others.
Trying Out New Recipes Each Week
As a seasoned meal prepper or a newbie, chances are that you’ve got a few standby recipes to carry you through the week. That said, you may find yourself getting increasingly bored over time. Before reaching such a level, you should try switching up your recipes and smoothies to prevent yourself from burning out on your prepped meals. There isn’t a shortage of sources to get your inspiration from. From cookbooks, friends to cooking websites, the list is endless. You could try a new one pot-meal every week or switch up to a new smoothie to ensure your interest doesn’t wane off.
If you are looking for a easy healthy meal prep cookbook then check out Skinnytaste Meal Prep: Healthy Make-Ahead Meals and Freezer Recipes to Simplify Your Life: A Cookbook
Spice up Your Staples
There’s no reason to let your meals go bland with a stock of spices in your pantry. Spices can make a difference in your meals without making a huge dent in your diet. Spices, herbs, and peppers are low in calorific value hence being a suitable addition to your meals. Ginger, vinegar, citrus zest, garlic, and dry wine are also suitable additions to give you that much-needed spark in your prepped meals.
Lean Towards Streamlined Thinking, Not Boring
Eating the same repeatedly tends to get boring. There’s a reason why Warren Buffet has the same breakfast every morning or why Mark Zuckerburg wears the same grey t-shirt daily. Though it has its disadvantages, the upside to it is that you don’t have to rely on your willpower every time you scour through your fridge. Willpower is considered to be a limited resource. It can result in decision fatigue, particularly when you have to make a lot of daily decisions.
Meal prepping isn’t different. A lot of people find it difficult or hate the idea of thinking about what to eat. A quick and simple building block for your meals would help in such a situation. For instance, just because you prepared your pound of chickpeas doesn’t mean you have to contend with plain chickpeas the whole week. You could make curry chickpeas, chickpea burgers, roasted chickpea, and hummus on consecutive days.
10 tips to meal prep without getting bored.
Make Meal Prep an Inclusive Function
Meal prepping as an individual sometimes gets boring and can get the best of us. Why not make it an inclusive function and rope in your wife, girlfriend, or colleague? When done together, meal prepping can be exhilarating and fun, not to mention the myriad of meal prep ideas you could get. As they say, the more, the merrier. Moreover, you could use such an experience as a bonding session. There’s nothing better than sharing the same passion with your wife.
Embracing Non-Traditional Food Timing
Go against the grain. It’s not cast in stone that you should limit yourself to breakfast foods in the morning. Further, it shouldn’t be a biggie to indulge in your oatmeal and egg whites just before bed. Don’t be obvious. Mix up your meals at different times to avoid boredom.
Conclusion
Meal prepping is an art that requires creativity to accomplish your goals. Despite the misconceptions that float around, meal prep can be a euphoric and exhilarating experience, particularly for the beginner. You just need a little thinking and creativity to pull it off. We hope these 10 tips to meal prep without getting bored.
Jim Lopez, the founder and editor of The Meal Prep Ninja, shares his journey from a passionate bodybuilder and fitness enthusiast to a certified nutrition coach. Certified by Precision Nutrition, Jim aims to empower others with knowledge on meal prep and nutrition, offering resources for busy individuals to enjoy low-calorie, tasty foods. His blog is a community for sharing healthy eating habits and meal prep recipes
