3 Simple Solutions For Overcoming Food Prep Struggles
I love cooking, and spending time in the kitchen is a terrific stress reliever for me. But the truth is, since I founded my business, dinner time is more of a struggle. I just don’t have nearly as much time to cook. Sometimes, even getting to the grocery store feels like a big hurdle.
I know I’m not alone because I help my clients troubleshoot these same issues all the time.
Do You Experience These Common Food Prep Struggles?
Here are 3 of the most common food prep struggles I see, along with some solutions to make meal readiness easier.
Food Prep Struggle #1: You’re overcomplicating meal prep.
You don’t need to block off an entire Sunday to cook multiple meals and pre-portion everything into individual Tupperware containers to eat well.
🔥 The solution? Make just one or two simple dishes ahead of time to reduce your cook load and increase your meal options throughout the week.
Instead of trying to make an entire week’s worth of meals, pick one or two things you can make and repurpose all week long. Some of my favorite make-ahead dishes include:
Quiche: You can eat this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and pair it with a simple fruit or veggie salad to round out the meal.
Soup: Make it once and eat it all week for lunch or dinner (or freeze leftovers in individual containers for a last-minute homemade meal).
Roasted or grilled veggies: Add them to salads, use them in quesadillas or omelets, or pair them with an egg and toast for a quick meal.
Grilled chicken, shrimp, or flank steak: Make extras and keep the protein on hand to add to salads, wraps, toss into a simple pasta dish, or simply to have leftovers for another dinner.
Bean or grain salads: These are great to eat as a dinner side. But you can also scoop some on a traditional salad, pair the grain salad with a protein for a quick lunch, or enjoy the bean salad with some crackers or tortilla chips for a yummy snack.
Food Prep Struggle #2: You’re too busy or don’t like cooking.
🔥 The solution? Embrace shortcuts and simple meals.
Each week, be sure to stock up on:
A variety of prepared proteins, such as rotisserie chicken, frozen burgers (tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey, or lean beef), ready to eat shrimp, frozen meatballs, bean salads, chicken or tuna salad, frozen fish, hard-boiled eggs, etc.
Pre-washed and cut up fruits and veggies (I also try to keep baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, baby cucumbers, and snap peas on hand because they don’t require anything other than a quick rinse.)
Quick cooking grains—I buy the small ready-in-10-minute bags of farro, bulgur, and barley, and stock up on whole grain pasta and frozen brown rice.
Sauces & dips, such as hummus, tzatziki, guacamole, pico-de-gallo, black bean dip, marinara sauce, etc.
Now you’re ready to mix and match carbs, proteins, and healthful fats for simple, balanced meals. Be sure to check out my 11 ideas for easy half-homemade meals here, too.
Food Prep Struggle #3: You’re being too restrictive.
🔥 The solution? Remember that all foods fit in a health-promoting diet.
The dieting world constantly tells us to cut out food after food in the name of “health” or weight loss, including things like fruit, sugar, bread, pasta, dairy, starchy vegetables, potatoes, nuts or nut butters, and endless others.
Not only is this advice completely overwhelming (and often conflicting!), but it’s usually misguided too. So many of the foods my clients believe they should avoid are nutrient-dense, health-promoting options. Even the ones that aren’t nutrient-dense can feed your soul and add joy to your meals in other health-promoting ways.
Authentic health is so much more than just calories and nutrients … physical, mental, and emotional health matters. Your relationship with food and body is an integral component of your overall wellbeing.
Plus, I promise, it’s so much easier to get food on the table when your food world opens up, and you learn to eat any food you want in a way that feels good in your body.
As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I love helping people find great tasting, healthy food to eat that’s full of nutrients but also easy to prepare. If you’re looking for delicious and nutritious meals and snacks that are simple to make, check out more recipes here: Healthy Recipes for Delicious Meals and Snacks