Last Updated on January 12, 2021 by TheMealPrepNinja
Things to Consider When Meal Prepping for the New Year
New Year meal prep considerations! We’re usually accustomed to hitting the new year with profound strength, considering our new year resolutions.
“I’m hitting the gym this year like crazy, I’m quitting smoking and eating healthy, I want to shed off some pounds (there’s a reason why the gyms are jam-packed in January).
Does that sound like you? With 2020 just a few days behind us, you probably might be among the many (55%), according to the science journal of personality and social psychology who came up with health-related new year’s resolutions.
To fulfill such resolutions as eating healthy, you need to embrace best practices such as meal prepping, put some elbow grease and get down with it (Snap out of it! An elf won’t magically appear and carry your weight with it!)
When it comes to meal prepping, feeding oneself and your loved ones can be pleasurably easy and, at the same time, a pain in the neck. And don’t get me started on weekday lunches when hunger pangs get the best of you, and you have to settle for the $10-15 salads that drain the life out of you. This is where meal prep comes in and saves the day, but at what cost? What considerations do you need to factor in before kicking off meal prep for the new year? Let’s dive in.
Let’s start with the most obvious one.
What’re Your New Year Resolutions/ Goals?
Maybe you want to save on a few bucks and direct it towards your student loan repayment. Maybe you desire to just eat healthily or trim your waistline and have the new, hot, office newbie notice you. Whatever the reasons, you’ve got to have a starting point or goal to govern or direct you. Goals play an integral role since it aids you in evaluating your scorecard.
New Year meal prep considerations when starting.
Getting Organized
Good organization is a requisite for successful meal planning. Before embarking on your meal prep journey, you must organize your fridge, pantry, and freezer to have a successful grocery shopping and menu creation. Taking stock of what’s left in your pantry and freezer avoids second-guessing and making repeat purchases. You’ll also have the ability to effectively use products with less shelf life while stocking up on fresher products.
Such an organization makes meal prepping a breeze as you get to know exactly where your tools and ingredients are. Since there’s no prescribed right or wrong way to organize your space, always make sure you choose a system that works for you.
What Are Your Needs or Mealtime Pain Points?
The whole point behind meal prepping is making mealtime as easy as possible. Feeding yourself might sound easy, and it is if you have a tangible plan in place. While this is true, sometimes it can be nerve-wracking in the absence of a plan. Based on today’s hectic schedule and the busy 9-5, most people find it unpleasant to reach home amid hunger pangs and cracking their brains on what to eat.
What are your struggles? Do you find yourself missing out on breakfast on most mornings? Do you find it expensive to eat out during lunch breaks? Are you always worn out and find it hard to whip up something for dinner? You’ll need to consider such pain points to determine what meal of the day you’ll prepare.
Tip: Don’t try to prep all three meals when starting out. Address your biggest pain point and focus your energy on that. With time, you’ll be natural and can incorporate other minor pain points as you desire.
Time Factor
One of the major aims of meal prepping is cutting down on time you’d otherwise use to cook meals. On the other hand, meal prepping in itself requires an allocation of time to pull it off. As the new year begins on a high note, it’s important to note that there will be some changes in your personal and working life.
Maybe you’ve decided to pick up a new hobby that eats into your time, or maybe you’ve got some targets to achieve (courtesy of a new boss). Whichever the case, you’ll need to make sure that meal prep fits into your hectic life. Consider how much time you allocate to meal prepping and whether you can squeeze it in during the week. Weekends mostly work for most people. However, you could still do it during your off days, whichever days work best for you.
There’s no wrong or write answer regarding how much time you should take while meal prepping. However, meal prep burnout is real. It’s always recommended that you take it slow, particularly if you’re just getting started. For those seeking to refine their prepping skills, you can read more about it here.
Equipment.
Are you well equipped for the task at hand? It’s a no brainer that your kitchen needs to be well equipped with equipment that’ll make the task easy while cutting down on your prep time. Seriously, if you haven’t souped-up your kitchen with some of the must-have kitchen tools in 2021, then you’re in for some hell in the kitchen. We understand that some of these tools may be out of reach for some, either due to their price range, but that doesn’t mean that you should set yourself up for some hard kitchen time. At least have the bare minimum.
Some kitchen equipment, such as the instant pot, is a must-have in the meal prepping world. Acting as rice, pressure and slow cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, as well as an egg cooker, I’m sure that such a piece of equipment would be worth your penny.
Storage equipment is another critical area to consider. The use of BPA-free plastics or glass containers is usually encouraged due to health safety concerns. Such containers prevent cross-contamination from other foods, and leaching of chemicals from storage containers, altering the food’s taste. Before embarking on your meal prep journey for the year, take stock of your storage capabilities, and make appropriate improvements where you fall short.
Coming up With a Meal Plan
Whether you are an experienced meal prepper or a newbie, chances are you’ll need a working meal plan. It’s time for the seasoned prepper to take stock of the diets that actually worked and those that didn’t. Maybe you’ve cramped up your style with celebrity fad diets that didn’t do you any good. This is the time to evaluate what you’ve achieved concerning your goals and tweak your dietary requirements to fit your lifestyle.
For the beginner, a meal plan is a road map that makes it easy and guides you through the week. Knowing what to prepare beforehand takes the stress out of figuring what to eat. However, it’s important to calculate and plan out your meals based on your daily dietary caloric requirements to avoid under or overfeeding.
Sometimes it may be hard to come up with a meal plan. However, simple strategies such as sticking to your family’s favorite meals can be a game-changer. You could also seek inspiration from cookbook recipes or family and friends. The secret lies in the simplicity of your recipes.
Keep Your Costs Low
Meal prepping aims at cutting costs. However, a common assumption with most people out there is that eating healthy is an expensive undertaking. Maybe this is true, but luckily, there are strategies to deal with such.
As the year starts, take a critical look at what’s in season and base your dietary plan on that. You could buy in bulk to take advantage of low pricing. You could further take advantage of shopping in bulk and splitting costs if you’re embarking on a meal prep journey if you’re a couple or have colleagues or friends with the same interests.
Go For Easier Cooking Methods
You sure do love that smoky flavor and grill marks on your meat and chicken. I don’t blame you. I do too. But let’s face it. Your schedule may be too hectic to afford you the time to stand in front of a grill. However, you could sacrifice the privileges that come with the grill for a quicker and easier mode of cooking, such as the instant pot or oven. Though the oven does grill, you’ll miss out on the smoky, woody flavor that comes with over-the -fire conventional grilling. Moreover, such privileges are inconsequential in meal prepping since the time factor is more of a concern. You could always batch cook in the oven to save up on time.
Conclusion – New Year Meal Prep Considerations
New Year meal prep considerations. Now that we’ve jumped into the new year, it’s my hope that you’ve made some healthy resolutions to abide by. As always, we try to guide you on best practices for meal prepping to ensure that you get the desired outcome. The stated points above are just some of the few considerations to abide by when kicking off your meal prep journey. Whatever your goals are, always remember that consistency is key. Therefore, muster all your courage and head out towards the new year brimming with optimism as you implement the above.
Stay safe, folks!
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
