Meal prepping for the week is always my go-to strategy when it comes to staying on track with my nutrition. Not to mention, it saves a lot of time during the week, where oftentimes, I don’t have the time or energy to cook. However, even on the weekend, I don’t always feel like doing an elaborate meal prep that takes 2 hours or more.
Thus, over time, I’ve developed a few hacks to accelerate the process. These hacks will enable you to get your meal prep done in under 40 minutes! Now that’s efficient.
1. Bake your meat
The first thing you’ll want to do, to save time meal prepping, is to prepare your meat. I like to bake chicken most of the time because it’s quick and easy. Also, the nice thing about baking is that it leaves your meat tender and juicy. You can usually cook anything around 350F to 375F and leave it baking for 25-35 minutes (depending on how thick the cut of the meat). If you’re cooking chicken breast, for example, and they are extra thick (THICKY-THICK 😉 ), just cut them in half to make sure that they are cooked thoroughly by the time the 35-minute mark. Also, always season your meat on BOTH SIDES before throwing it in the oven so that it’s flavorful and tasty. There’s nothing worse than bland protein!
2. Pre-cut potatoes
Next up is the carbies. If you prefer potatoes over rice, this is when you’ll want to get ready to bake them. There are several brands that sell all natural, organic, pre-cut, ready-to-bake, potatoes that you simply have to toss in the oven. The whole point of this is quick and easy, remember! One of my favorite brands is Alexia potatoes (pictured). These are low in fat and contain a reasonable amount of sodium. They have plenty of options as well, such as natural sweet potato fries, red potatoes, spicy sweet potatoes fries, etc. The baking instructions for these are usually 425F – 450F for 16-18 minutes, but if you have your meat in the oven, you leave them at 350F for about 20-25 minutes instead. I call that efficiency!
3. 90-second microwave rice
If you prefer rice, these 90-second microwave rice bags are wonderful! Just throw them in the microwave for 90 seconds and your rice is done! You might need 2 or 3 bags of these, depending on your daily caloric intake, but either way, it will take you less than 5 minutes to make. However, you want to stick with the PLAIN brown or white rice for these. The other fancy options with added peas or spices are typically high in fat and sodium.
4. Steam-in-a-bag veggies
Next, we’re moving to the veggies! I am a big fan of steam-in-a-bag vegetables. Again, there are so many options out there. Just make sure that the ones you buy do NOT have any added sauce or spices. These will be loaded with fat, sugar, and excess calories. Instead, choose a simple steamed broccoli or mixed veggie option (as pictured). These usually take about 6-8 minutes to cook in the microwave. Just throw them in there and you can call it a day! If you’re not a fan of microwaves (I feel bad for you), then you can always boil the vegetables in water as well.
5. Line up meal prep containers
Last, but not least, you’ll want to line up your meal prep containers. Add your vegetables and rice (or potatoes), while you wait for your meat to finish baking. By now, your chicken, pork, or fish should almost be done! Once it’s thoroughly cooked, add it to your containers, and you’re DONE! It’s that simple!
Meal prepping doesn’t have to take hours and hours. If you’re short on time or simply don’t feel like cooking for hours, these 5 hacks will go a loooooong way! Meal prepping in under 40 minutes, it doesn’t get much better than that!
If you have any other meal prep hacks, I would love to hear them! Share in the comments below.
Here are some other blog posts you might enjoy as well:
How to Stay Active at a Desk Job
