Meal Prep 101: Affordable, Healthy, Quick (from a Breast Cancer Survivor)
I believe food is fuel. Food helps us recover, grow, and nourish our bodies/minds.
I also believe it brings people together. I enjoy trying new dishes, sharing a meal with my partner each day, and planning for the coming week of meals by learning from others.
Indian cuisine in Mexico
But I realize not everyone shares this passion. Sometimes food is confusing. Sometimes it’s a challenge to figure out what to eat, how much to spend, how to prep it… Or sometimes, especially if you’re sick or too busy with appointments, or unable to cook for yourself, you just need some guidance. And that’s okay! I’m hoping at least some of these ideas and principles will be helpful to the majority of you in one way or another!
I cooked a lot during chemotherapy but on the days I felt really bad, my parents prepared meals and usually kept them very simple. I remember many foods tasting metallic and of course, often times I felt slightly nauseous— the main thing was that I was eating, and eating as best I could to fuel my body in order for it to repair and heal itself. (You can check out my Grocery Haul post from when I was mid-chemo here).
When I asked my Instagram friends on @shestaysstrongblog what they struggled with most it was:
Time
Figuring out what to make
And sticking to a plan
Budget came last but when asked if people wanted me to make a budget-friendly Meal Prep example, people voted yes at 75%
Follow me on Instagram @shestaysstrongblog
So with all of this to consider, I figure I’ll start by sharing some of my best Meal Prep Tips with you all!
Use Pinterest for inspiration and meal-planning
Ensure you’re getting a good balance of Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats
Buy foods that are versatile
Plan for about 3-4 days of the same meals
Find alternative healthy swaps for some of your favs
Use a digital checklist like Google Keep for grocery shopping
PINTEREST:
(Follow my Meal Prep Inspo board here: https://pin.it/2dAMcnA)
I’m always on Pinterest and finding new ideas for meal prep (well, hundreds of topics, really). But I have plenty of boards for food (holiday-related, picnic-style, regular meal prep, etc)… it’s endless content so there’s really no excuse for ‘I don’t know what to make’.
Start by searching for something generic i.e.: “Healthy Breakfast Ideas” or “Egg Meals” and you’ll find so many visually stimulating recipes that you’ll want to pin everything.
Once you have a collection going, pick 2-3 meals to prepare for the week (i.e.: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner). I typically choose Fridays to plan my meals, Saturdays to do my groceries, and Sundays to prep.
PROTEIN CARBS & FATS
My tip for narrowing down what to make: you want a good balance of the 3 macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. (I won’t get into the ratio of these you should be eating as each body/individual is different. If you’re not sure how many calories to consume, I’d suggest finding a trainer or doing some research online).
Some examples:
Protein sources: Turkey, Chicken, Fish, Beef, Pork, Seafood, Legumes, Tofu
Carb sources: Rice, quinoa, potatoes/sweet potatoes, vegetables
Fat sources: Olive oil, Avocado, cheeses, yogurts, nuts/seeds, butter
VERSATILITY
I also recommend versatile foods especially if you get bored easily and aren’t a huge fan of leftovers. I often batch things like eggs, potatoes, chicken, rice, salad greens… so I can mix/match throughout the week and make slight variations each day to keep it ‘exciting’.
For example, you can have rice and chicken one day, rice and potatoes the next, potato and egg salad the day after that and chicken salad the day after that. Batching versatile foods is a #lifehack
LEFTOVERS
Meal prep is meant to give you leftovers, if you’re not a fan, you might want to consider planning for simpler meals that you can make each night.
Or, take the above advice and leverage those versatile foods!
HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES
What’s your favourite food? Pizza? Tacos? Pasta?
Use Pinterest to search for alternatives.
Pizza: Cauliflower crust
Tacos: Taco Salad
Pasta: Noodle alternatives
CHECKLIST
I have a shared Google Keep list with my partner that allows us to track who has purchased what for groceries throughout the week. Some are pantry items and don’t need to be purchased every week, while certain items perish within just a few days. Work as a team so you’re always stocked up but not wasteful.
So here is my example of a budget-friendly meal prep for 2 people (covering approximately 3-5 days).
Breakfast: Energy Bites & Protein Shake
Lunch: Sweet Potato Mash + Chips
Dinner: Club Sandwiches
Snacks: Greek Yogurt, Kiwi, Rice Cakes & Peanut Butter, Hard-Boiled Eggs
Sweet Potato Mash (Chip Dip!)
Sandwiches
Energy Balls
I spent about $65 (Canadian) total on everything.
Grocery Haul!
And some items were already in my pantry/fridge as shown here.
What I already had in my pantry/fridge
I’m conscious of not over-spending and wasting food so I try to get creative with what I already have then fill in the gaps.
Example: If I already have frozen ground turkey, I will search Pinterest for “Dinner recipes using Ground Turkey” or if I have potatoes already I will search Pinterest for “Lunch ideas using Russet Potatoes”.
As for this week’s meal prep, I knew Sam would be at the office often so the meals had to be quick to prep and portable.
I must also note that people have preferences, likes/dislikes, and allergies so please consider this for your family dynamic/household. If it’s just for yourself, this becomes much easier! (I’ll eat basically anything but Sam is a bit more… particular ;)
Overall timing for this meal prep was just shy of 1 hour and this included prep, cooking, packaging, AND cleaning the kitchen afterwards. You’re welcome (lol).
Here’s how I got it done in under 1 hour:
Start with a clean kitchen.
Grab all your pots, pans, and cooking accessories you will need.
Defrost your meat in the microwave (if you have to) while you start boiling pots of water.
Cook the bacon in a pan (if you’re using bacon in the sandwiches).
Cut the sweet potatoes and clean/spin the lettuce.
Rinse your beans. Flip bacon. Boil potatoes.
Cut your bell peppers. Flip bacon.
Once bacon is done, wipe/clean pan (or use a different one) and cook ground turkey.
Add the peppers. Add spices.
Mash the sweet potatoes in a bowl once done. Add the beans.
Start on energy balls mixing 1-2 ingredients at a time while checking the cooking ground turkey.
Once turkey and peppers are fully cooked, add to the bowl of sweet potatoes. And at the end add the beans. Stir.
Finish mixing and forming energy balls.
Put everything in the fridge once cooled down a bit.
Put dishes in dishwasher, wipe counters.
Again, with each of these meal ideas, you can switch it up!
Energy bites: try different ingredients i.e.: chocolate chips, almonds, shredded coconut, different dried fruits, different nut butters, or seeds…
Potato Mash: try adding cilantro, cheese, sour cream, hot peppers, corn or use beef instead!
Sandwiches: switch up the types of meat and cheeses, use different condiments, and try different veggies on it like spinach, bell pepper, red onion, etc.
All set for the week!
All done and it feels so good!
I do hope this helps some of you! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below! Or find me on Instagram @shestaysstrongblog and send me a DM! I’d love to chat.
Let me know if you’d like to see more meal prep ideas for the week! I’m always cooking and love to share! Bon appetit!
XO Stephanie
#shestaysstrong
