Meal Prepping: This is Behind The Food Trend

Meal prepping: how it works

In principle, the basic idea of ​​meal prepping is as old as cooking itself. Because it is about pre-cooking meals. The word derives from “meal preparation”, which translates as “preparing the food”.

• During meal prepping, the food is processed immediately after shopping. So instead of the food, ready-made meal portions are stored in mason jars and lunch boxes.
• The goal behind this is to only have the work of cooking one day a week. On the remaining days, you can enjoy the food that has already been prepared.
• In addition to time, you also save money to a certain extent, since you use less energy due to the quantity effect and only have to clean once.
• Choosing and buying food consciously also reduces the risk of having to throw something away. This saves money and food.
• Meal prepping is considered healthy mainly because it makes it easier for you to resist the temptation to prepare ready-made or frozen meals when you are stressed. Warming up the finished meal is at least as quick.

Tips and tricks: How to pre-cook

Everyone can take part in meal prepping and design the menu according to their own wishes. The only requirement is the ability to store and cool the food. Your fridge and freezer should therefore be reasonably large.

• First, start by pre-cooking for three days. Once you get used to it, you can try pre-cooking for a week.
• The most important part of meal prepping is meal planning. Find recipes that you enjoy and that you can easily prepare together. Over time you will get the hang of it and conjure up main dishes, side dishes, and soups from just a few ingredients.
• Some foods, such as rice, potatoes, lentils, quinoa, beef, and chicken breast, lend themselves better to pre-cooking than others. Pasta, for example, becomes soft when stored and fish loses its taste over time.
• You can find inspiration and recipes on numerous blogs on the Internet or in various meal prep books.
• Really only buy what you need for your meal prep. Over time, you will also notice that you automatically select your food more carefully instead of randomly filling the shopping cart at the stress of the end of the day.
• Store meals in food storage containers that you can stack well. They take up less space in the fridge or freezer. Layering in the can also have its rules: liquids go at the bottom and fruit and vegetables at the top.
• Uncooked food should be used up within the first two days. Fried or boiled meals, on the other hand, can still be eaten in the fridge for a few days. However, if you are cooking for a week, it is better to freeze the food for the second half of the week.