Meal Prepping and Planning Strategies For Busy Individuals
You may be wondering, can I meal plan and eat intuitively? The answer is yes! Meal planning can be very helpful during a busy work week.
Meal planning can help you alleviate any stress you may have when it comes to managing time to fix a quality meal. On the other hand, meal planning can also be the cause of stress and anxiety as well.
It can feel hard to prepare for the week ahead. So here are some tips and tricks on how to intuitively eat and meal plan for a busy schedule!
Meal Planning vs Meal Preparedness
What is meal planning?
We first start with meal planning. That is when you sit down either at the end of your week or the beginning of your week and decide how you want your meals to look for the week ahead.
This could be all 3 meals for every day or just planning your dinner each night. The thing that is different between intuitive eating and “traditional” meal planning is that with intuitive eating you have the flexibility to meal plan based on what sounds good to you that week.
Traditional meal planning means choosing “healthy” and “low calorie” foods that you must eat for that week. Making sure that you keep the flexibility in meal planning will allow you to look forward to your meals and enjoy them.
What is meal prepping?
Meal prepping involves getting the groceries and ingredients you need to make the meals you planned out. Typically, people prepare these meals over the weekend for the work week.
The fun thing with preparing meals is that you could make a day of it, trying new recipes, and cooking with a friend or partner. Meal prepping doesn’t have to be boring.
I think meal planning/prepping can be a form of self-care. If you know you are super busy and want to make sure you get the proper nutrients and time to eat then preparing meals in advance can be a lifesaver.
Common Issues With Meal Prepping
The problem with meal prepping and intuitive eating is when the meal planning becomes rigid:
What if you get invited to a work event on Monday night and you already have your meal prepped for that evening? What if the work event food sounds great?
If you decline the work event because of your planned meal and you feel guilty not eating that meal, then that may become a problem.
Now, of course, sometimes people meal prep to cut back on spending money out and I get that. I am just saying if you have zero desire to eat what you prepared but force yourself to eat it anyway because you think that is the “healthier” option—we should talk.
How To Meal Plan
Choose The Right Day
As I mentioned above, maybe you start meal planning at the end of your week on a Friday, or maybe you start planning Sunday morning. The nice thing is that YOU get to decide which works best for you.
Meal planning and preparing can be a lot. So, if splitting up the time spent doing so helps decrease your stress or anxiety, by all means, go for it!
Create Vivid (Not Vanilla) Plates
When I plan meals, I always try to aim to have the 3 macronutrients, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. From there, I like to add color and variety to make my plate tasty and nutrient dense.
I love whole grains as they are a great source of fiber which helps with satiety. So to incorporate whole grains with each meal I will either have whole grain bread/buns, whole grain pasta, brown rice, or quinoa.
With vegetables, I typically go with fresh or frozen veggies. Frozen veggies are wonderful! They can cut down on price and cooking time which we all know is something we all need, especially with our busy lives.
I typically choose chicken, turkey, or salmon as my protein source, but I cook with my fiancée. He’s a big red meat fan, so lately we’ve been having more burgers, meatballs, and steak.
Fruits can add to your prep time by cutting them up, but once they are cut they are ready to go! Which makes grabbing and going great.
Lastly, dairy, I try to incorporate yogurt or cheese into recipes! I don’t love the taste of milk so I don’t drink a lot of milk, but I will cook with it. Dairy gets a lot of hate, but if you don’t have an allergy or intolerance you should be able to consume dairy without any issue.
Everyone is different though, so listen to your body.
Bonus Tip: Stock Up On Essentials
Another tip on “how to do it” is to stock up on the essentials. Rice, pasta, and bread are all great essentials to have on hand.
They have long shelf lives and are quite easy to make on a whim. They’re also extremely cheap to purchase in bulk at your grocery story.
By having these essentials on-hand, you can add a large batch of rice on evening if lunch didn’t fill you up.
You could also make the rice ahead of time and have it each evening with a different meal so you don’t get tired of the same dinner all week.
Helpful Techniques
Find Fun Recipes
I get a lot of my recipes from Half Baked Harvest. If you have never tried Tiegan’s recipes you are missing out. They are easy and delicious!
I also have a few cookbooks that I use to find fun new recipes. I have a few weekly go-to’s that I make but we all know those can get old.
Use Meal Delivery Service
You could always sign up for HelloFresh or some type of meal delivery service.
There are pros and cons to meal delivery services, but if they help cut back on the time and stress that dinner time can create, especially with a family, then I’m game for it!
Share Responsibilities
Share the responsibilities of meal prepping with your spouse, family, or roommate. So many of us get burnt out or don’t feel like making another meal. Switch up who does what.
Maybe one person preps that meal and the other does the dishes. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Remember, it’s easy to become rigid so be amenable and I’m sure whoever is helping you will understand.
Be Flexible
As I mentioned above, another big takeaway from being intuitive and meal planning is allowing for flexibility! Life happens.
Sometimes we have a sucky day and just want to go out to our favorite restaurant. Sometimes our parents call and say they want us to join them for dinner. Whatever it may be, don’t beat yourself up for not having that meal.
Allow yourself some wiggle room and then have the prepared meal the following evening. If meal planning becomes overwhelming or rigid, take a step back. It’s not worth it!
Sometimes meal planning can take you back to those dieting days of only eating rice, chicken, and broccoli. I tend to stay away from carrots and hummus because that was all I ate in my dieting days.
It’s normal to have foods that remind you of dieting, and you are allowed to say no. So, if meal planning and prepping isn’t for you, that’s okay! There are plenty of other ways to nourish yourself and create fun, delicious, and satisfying meals.
Need help with meal planning?
Elizabeth McIntyre, RD is a registered dietitian helping people in Kentucky find their new appetite for balance. Send her a message, and she’ll get back to you shortly.