In a perfect world I’d love to have a personal chef cook my food from scratch with organic ingredients but the way my funds are set up, only on rare occasions am I afforded such a luxury. If food is prepared and presented with love, it’s edible art. Beautiful meals not only have vibrant colors and bold spices, but they also provide nutrition and comfort while uniting families, friends, strangers and sometimes even enemies.
In order to constantly have my soul fed with the comforts of food, I meal prep. For breakfast, I’m a sucker for overnight oats. I also like to make ‘sausage’ biscuits which are quite easy to make in large quantities and freeze them to have at a later date. I’ll grab two biscuits at a time if I’m hungry and if not I’ll just pair one with fruit. I also love everything bagel sandwiches, always prepped with fruit. I eat many of my breakfasts and lunches with fruit and for dinner I’ll load up on veggies. I’m sure to switch up what I’m meal prepping with often to stave off boredom that can lead to poor eating habits.
For lunch I love fancy sandwiches, soups, and salads. There are literally thousands of combinations to choose from with those 3 meals. I’ve learned that it’s smart to put the tomato and heavy spreads on the side if the sandwiches won’t be eaten within 48hrs to avoid soggy bread. If I want a taco salad, I’ll use a snack sized Ziplock bag to separate the warm ingredients so that they are easy to heat up when ready to consume. Soups are relatively easy to make, especially if you have any type of blender even though an emersion blender is preferred.
For dinners, I eat quite a bit of rice and pasta meals. If I’m feeling chunky, I’ll use riced cauliflower or zucchini spirals to lighten my meals. I limit the amount of canned goods that I use because fresh food is always a better option if it’s available. I often make enough dinner so that enough is leftover to be lunch the next day or for dinner in a couple of days. I only like fried food fresh, which is why I use an air fryer to drastically cut back on bad cholesterol. My tortilla chips taste better fried in grease, so I don’t cook them at all anymore–which is great because I used to be addicted to fresh chips and homemade salsa. Don’t forget that wine is essential for dinner too!
Mason jars are a gift from heaven, and I use them 80% of the time for meal prepping. They help me to be eco-friendly while also practicing portion control. They are affordable, sturdy, and have been around forever, just like cast iron skillets. They are heavy to carry around but I prefer not to microwave my food in plastic containers so instead they go from a glass jar to a glass plate IF I use a microwave at all. I also like oven safe dishware so that I can plate my food and serve it directly from the oven.
Meal prepping takes time, but you’ll find your own rhythm soon enough. Once you start, it’ll be hard to go back to your old habits!