If you're looking to lose weight, eat healthier, boost your immune system, or make gains in the gym (or all three!), registered dietitian Leslie Langevin [1], MS, RD, CD, author of The Anti-Inflammatory Kitchen Cookbook [2] recommends meal prepping [3]. But if meal prepping lunches and dinners intimidates you so much that you can't bare the thought of even trying, you've got to try this Sunday habit instead: food prepping.
Instead of packing layered rainbow mason jar salads [4], time-consuming veggie lasagna [5], or elaborate Buddha bowls [6], just prepare or cook whole foods you can use for your week's meals.
Keep reading to find out what I like to food prep on Sundays — this takes about an hour! It's perfect because it allows more variety with my lunches (so I'm not eating five days straight of Crockpot curry [7]). It also inspires a little creativity at dinner time because I can take a couple of my prepped foods and use them to make a bunch of different recipes. Here are the five foods I've been prepping lately.
Roasted Veggies
Washing, cutting, and roasting veggies can take up to an hour, so I love prepping a big pan on Sunday night. I throw in a mix of diced sweet potato, Japanese sweet potatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, carrots, squash, or chickpeas. Set the oven to 400°F and roast veggies for 25 to 45 minutes, checking on them halfway and stirring once to prevent burning.
You can enjoy roasted veggies in a wrap or burrito, with cooked whole grains, on a salad, in a soup, or as a quick snack. If you don't want to eat your veggies in bite-sized pieces, you can roast whole potatoes or spaghetti squash instead — it'll just take more time, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Whole Grains
While quinoa only takes 20 minutes to cook, brown rice can take up to an hour. Working full-time, who has time for that? That's why I love to cook up a batch of whole grains on Sunday. Lately I've been mixing one cup of arborio rice with half a cup of rainbow quinoa because my kids aren't fans of quinoa's texture, and this combo makes it taste like rice. It also looks pretty! I add the one and a half cups of grains, three cups of water, and a sprinkle of sea salt to a covered pot on high heat. After it comes to a boil, lower to simmer, set a timer for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat, wait 10 minutes, fluff with a fork, and it's ready!
I use cooked grains like rice, millet, barley, and quinoa in salads, Buddha bowls, with beans, in burritos, and added to soups. I also like to cook steel-cut oats to have in the mornings. I'll either keep a small batch in the fridge to scoop from or I freeze oatmeal in muffin tins [9].
Tofu or Tempeh
Since I eat a plant-based diet, tofu [10] and tempeh [11] are on the menu a few times a week. I like to sauté cubed tofu [12] (my favourite is Trader Joe's High-Protein Super Firm Organic Tofu [13]) in a pan on the stove with a little olive oil, garlic powder, and seat salt. Every few minutes, I give the tofu a good stir until it's lightly browned, which takes less than 15 minutes. If I have more time and want a more complex flavour, I'll marinate the tofu or tempeh and then bake it [14].
Use cooked tofu or tempeh on top of a salad, or pair it with cooked whole grains and vary the flavour my making homemade sauces like this peanut sauce [15]. I also like adding tofu or tempeh to pasta, in a wrap, or taco [16] or as an afternoon snack when I'm craving something salty.
You can food prep other forms of protein like shredded chicken in the Crockpot [17], ground beef, or Paleo meatballs [18].
Beans
While you could easily crack open and rinse a can of beans, if you've ever had home-cooked beans, you know the flavour and texture is on a whole other level! It's definitely worth the extra time and effort; plus it'll save you money and allow you to partake in the variety of heirloom beans you can find at your local health food store.
I love to cook up a big pot of lentils because it only takes about 20 minutes. Just simmer one cup of dry lentils with two cups of water, and that's it! They add protein and fibre to salads, soups, and whole grains, and we love eating them as an alternative to ground meat over pasta [19].
Experiment with different beans each week to keep your meals exciting. Try black, pinto, black-eyed peas, kidney, and navy beans. You can pre-soak them Saturday night and cook them in a pot Sunday afternoon on medium heat for about an hour or two, or cook a big batch of beans in a slow cooker [20], which takes about eight to nine hours.
Greens and Other Veggies
Just the thought of having to take out the kale, rinse the leaves, dry the leaves, rip the leaves into pieces and then massage it makes me want to grab the phone and order takeout. It's definitely a process, and although it's not hard and doesn't take that much time, it can feel overwhelming when I'm famished and tired after a long day and want to eat ASAP.
Prepping kale ahead of time has definitely been a Sunday go-to. It keeps well for at least three days in an airtight glass container. I can use it for salads or add to stir fries or wraps.
I also like to prep other veggies for the same reason. Washing and cutting is the last thing I want to do after work, and if veggies are cut up, I'll actually use them (instead of throwing out forgotten-about mushy veggies at the end of the week). I chop peppers, celery, carrots, and cucumbers, and that makes throwing together a dinner salad take mere minutes. I also like to have cut up broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans on hand for a quick steam.
Food Prep For Weight Loss
Eating healthy doesn't just happen on its own. You have to make it happen and that means planning ahead. Knowing what you're going to eat for each meal and snack saves time, money, and most importantly, keeps you in charge of your nutrition and calorie intake. Meal prepping isn't for everyone, so try food prepping to make it simple and easy to eat nourishing, whole foods.