Different Ways to Meal Prep California
Meal prep is an ideal way to give yourself plenty of healthy meals throughout the week while saving precious time on prep work and assembly. By planning your meals for the week, you can improve your eating habits to be healthier and more satisfying. For ideas for meal prep California natives will find most effective, this basic guide is a great place to start. Get proactive with your meals with these simple solutions.
The Meal Prep California Professionals Need
For many people, the idea of meal prep sounds intimidating, especially when they already feel their days are too full of work, social engagements and housekeeping tasks. If you are health-conscious, it can make the idea of planning and prep too complicated for your special diet. It doesn’t matter what kind of diet or lifestyle you keep. Meal prepping is a way to give yourself better eating options when you are short on time. While you may read blogs or watch influencers spend an entire weekend doing meal prep, you can get similar results (healthy, great-tasting meals) without having to devote an entire weekend to the effort.
It does take a little bit of thought, planning and execution, but the time you save is well worth the investment. Ideally, your meals will be healthy and satisfying, giving your physical health a boost. Your stress levels are also apt to decrease if you aren’t worried about what to eat for lunch or dinner or having to cheat on your diet to grab some fast food.
The Meal Prep California Professionals Can Do
There are several ways you can meal prep, and it’s all about choosing what works for your schedule and diet. For example, some busy individuals prefer to have meals that can be eaten on the go, while others have the time to warm up a meal for dinner or in the employee lounge at work. The various types of meal prep include:
- Ingredient prep for cooking and serving in one specific moment (prepping parts of the recipe for later use)
- Preparing a meal and portioning it into single servings to provide meals for one for a few days
- Batch cooking by making a large batch meal, portioning it out and storing/freezing it (soups, chili, etc.)
- Make full meals in advance for storage in the refrigerator or freezer
Depending on your situation, you may want to prepare entire meals over a weekend to have for the upcoming week to feed the family. However, if you just need healthier options for one, you can use single-serving storage containers and combine several of the meal prep options.
Create a Meal Plan
You should consider your meal plan when deciding on meal prep. Good planning helps you create a successful and tasty menu. Some people will choose to eat the same thing for breakfast to keep it simple, use leftovers for lunch and use the meal prep to take care of dinner for the week. If your schedule demands a healthy, energizing lunch, you may want to consider meal prepping your lunch items and doing something light for breakfast or dinner. This is often helpful for those who work rotating or third-shift hours.
One way to simplify the process of meal prep California-style is by focusing on foods that are sourced locally or in-season. This is a great way to eat healthier and get a good variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and meats in your diet. You should also work on a menu that allows for several ingredients to be used more than once. This can free up a lot of time when you are meal-prepping. Flexible ingredients can be used to get your basic meals started, but they can also create a strong foundation of pantry staples. Grains, veggies and proteins can be included in just about every meal.
Invest in Storage Containers
To ensure your hard work with meal planning and prepping pays off, you will need to invest in quality serving or storage containers. Glass jars are great for layering things like a salad, a grain bowl or breakfast parfait. For the best in food safety and convenience, prep your meals in glass containers. These are both refrigerator and freezer safe. You can also find glass containers that are leakproof. Bento boxes are extremely popular and convenient meal prep containers as well.
Options Using Meal Prep California Recipes
If you are trying to save time and still eat healthy meals, meal prep is the way to go. Here are some of the more popular versatile and healthy foods to use when planning ahead for either breakfast, lunch or dinner.
- Grains like brown rice, oats, quinoa, whole wheat pasta or bulgur
- Lentils and legumes like pinto beans, black beans or garbanzo beans
- Heart-healthy oils like avocado, olive and coconut
- Nuts like peanuts, cashews, almonds and walnuts
- Low-sodium canned goods like broths, chicken, salmon, olives, corn or no-sugar-added fruit
Once you have these items on hand, you will only need to head to the grocery store for the fresh items you plan on using for the week. This reduces both stress and food waste with meal planning.
Simple Solutions for the Meal Prep California Professional
If you’ve seen the benefits of meal prep but still can’t commit to the process because of your work schedule, there is one more meal prep solution available. Thanks to MaxFit Meals, you can have healthy, perfectly portioned meals delivered straight to your door. There is a range of meal options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and each recipe was created by a professional chef. Each meal is fully prepped and cooked before being carefully packed for delivery. Once you have it delivered, simply pop it in the microwave for one to two minutes and enjoy it guilt-free.
MaxFit Meals is the meal prep California residents have been waiting for. Create your own subscription plan with favorite recipes and reduce your meal time stress. Watch your carb and protein intake and remain in control of your diet. Order your meals today and leave the work to us.