5 meals for LESS than the price of 1 meal at Chipotle (when you meal prep)
It’s SO simple: You Cook. You Store. You EAT. You Rinse. and You Repeat (over and over).
FIRST OFF….What is meal prepping?
You cook as many meals for the week as desired and store them in containers that are easy to reheat throughout the week.
Now, why is that important? Well, let me tell you.
1. LESS STRESS
Do you ever stand in front of the refrigerator and think to yourself… “What’s for breakfast/lunch/dinner? Ugh, I need something healthy… because you know I have goals…. but I’m way too tired to make anything.. but I need something…Eh whatever, I’ll just order Ubereats…again”.
Well if that sounds familiar then you should really consider meal prepping! Meal prepping doesn’t have to be some daunting task…in fact, I think you will find that it solves a lot of unnecessary stress during the week because you never have to question about your next meal! Not to mention, you won’t have to have that constant battle between eating for your nutrition vs eating for your cravings.
2. SAVE TIME
I hear all the time people say they don’t feel like they have enough time in the day. Well, we all have the same 24 hours in a day but if you can save so much time by not having to figure out what to eat, grocery shop, cooking, or dishes… how nice would that be! When I prepare all my meals on Sunday it takes me about 2 hours (including the time it takes to clean up the mess). This allows for during the week to just heat up a dish and call it good! No midweek grocery hauls, or hours in the kitchen. The best part is I can take my meals with me anywhere. So when I’m running late for work I just throw my containers in a bag and heat it up at work!
3. STAY ON TRACK
If you’re getting off work late, you’re more likely to just grab something convenient from fast food or the grocery store. Even just stopping at the grocery store to pick up a last minute dinner may lead to poor choices though. When you shop hungry, you are more likely to throw junk food into your cart. Also, if you’re tracking your macros throughout the day then meal prepping will make your life so much easier! You know ahead of time that each day you’ll be hitting all your macros! It does take a little time upfront when you’re preparing the meals, but during the week it saves you so much energy and you won’t have to try and figure out how you can get your last 20 grams of protein in.
4. SAVE MONEY
Meal prepping saves you money in a number of ways. First of all, it prevents you from throwing out ingredients you forgot you had in the fridge, which is basically equivalent to just throwing dollar bills in the garbage can.. Secondly you can buy in bulk and get more bang for your buck! Last but not least you avoid spending money on fast food because you’re too tired to make anything at home. I think this is where I realized how much money I truly started to save when I began meal prepping. I was eating chipotle on the regular until I realized I can make the same thing for WAY less.
1 (ONLY ONE!!) Chicken Burrito Bowl from Chipotle:
- 1 Cup Rice
- ½ Cup Black Beans
- Chicken 4 oz.
- 1 Cup Chopped Lettuce
- Guacamole (YES, I KNOW IT COSTS EXTRA)
- Total Price: $9.48
5 (FIVE!!!) Homemade Chicken Burrito Bowls:
- 1 Cup Rice = $0.17*5 = $0.85
- ½ Cup Black Beans = $0.20*5 = $1.00
- 4 oz. Chicken = $0.99*5 = $4.95 (Fresh Market has chicken on sale on Tuesdays for 3.99lb)
- 1 Cup Chopped Lettuce = $0.10*5 $.0.50
- Guacamole = $.40*5 = $2.00
- Estimated Total Price: $9.30
You guys…You get 5 meals for LESS than the price of 1 meal at Chipotle!!!! Nuff said.
5. PORTION CONTROL
This is simple. If you already measure out all your portions ahead of time you will avoid over-eating, or going back for seconds. Not only that, but how often do you snack while you’re making dinner? Well, you won’t have to worry about that with having your meals prepped because if you’re hungry just pop it in the microwave and it’ll be ready in just 90 seconds!
Last but not least: IT CAN BE FUN!
Every Sunday (I choose Sunday because it’s my relaxing day but choose the best day for you) I just turn on my favorite playlist and cook away. Each week I make something new to look forward to. As you experiment with meal prepping you’ll be able to get more creative with the meals that you prepare.
If you don’t already meal prep, I challenge you to try it for one week! If for some reason you already meal prep but you read through this blog anyways, leave a comment with some of your favorite meal prep meals!
Happy cooking!
-E