MEAL PREP tips & tricks YOU NEED TO KNOW (beginner friendly + how to stop making boring food)

Summary

This video offers practical tips for successful meal prepping, emphasizing the importance of avoiding pre-packaged ingredients for cost and freshness. The host suggests a 5-4-3-2-1 grocery pattern: five fruits and veggies, four proteins, three carbs, two fats, and one sweet treat. They also share pantry staples, healthy snack options, and fridge and freezer organization strategies. The video aims to inspire viewers to cook more at home with easy, mix-and-match meal ideas.

Takeaways

• 🛒 Avoid pre-packaged, pre-sliced, and pre-chopped vegetables unless you have extremely limited time or physical limitations.
• 🥦 Emphasize buying whole produce to save money, learn cooking techniques, and reduce food waste.
• 🍎 Incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into your meals, aiming for at least five different types.
• 🥩 Choose four different proteins that you enjoy and consider buying in bulk to save time and money.
• 🍚 Opt for three different types of carbohydrates to provide energy and variety in your meals.
• 🥑 Include two types of healthy fats in your diet, such as avocados and olive oil, for cooking and flavor.
• 🍰 Allow yourself one indulgence or sweet treat to maintain a balanced and enjoyable diet.
• 🧊 Utilize your freezer for storing bulk meats and prepped ingredients to simplify meal planning.
• 🍲 Prepare soups and other dishes in large batches to have ready-to-eat meals available throughout the week.
• 📈 Adopt a 5-4-3-2-1 pattern for grocery shopping: five fruits and vegetables, four proteins, three carbs, two fats, and one sweet treat.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is to provide tips and tricks for meal prepping and making more meals at home, emphasizing the importance of avoiding pre-packaged ingredients and suggesting a 5-4-3-2-1 pattern for grocery shopping.

Why does the speaker recommend avoiding pre-packaged, pre-sliced, and pre-chopped vegetables and ingredients?

The speaker recommends avoiding pre-packaged, pre-sliced, and pre-chopped vegetables and ingredients to save money, learn how to cook and prepare ingredients from scratch, and because they tend to go bad more quickly.

What is the 5-4-3-2-1 pattern mentioned in the script for grocery shopping?

The 5-4-3-2-1 pattern is a guideline for grocery shopping where '5' represents five fruits and vegetables, '4' stands for four protein sources, '3' is for three types of carbohydrates, '2' is for two healthy fats, and '1' is for one sweet or indulgent item.

What are some examples of proteins the speaker recommends for meal prepping?

The speaker recommends proteins such as chicken, ground turkey, salmon, and options like tuna or cod for meal prepping.

Why does the speaker suggest buying proteins in bulk?

The speaker suggests buying proteins in bulk to save time and effort in the long run, by dedicating a specific time to cutting, splitting, storing, and freezing them, which reduces the need for frequent shopping.

What is the speaker's opinion on frozen and canned items for meal prepping?

The speaker is a fan of frozen and canned items for meal prepping, as they can be a convenient and cost-effective way to maintain a variety of ingredients without worrying about them going bad quickly.

Why does the speaker recommend keeping a variety of sauces in the fridge?

The speaker recommends keeping a variety of sauces in the fridge to add flavor and versatility to meals, making them less boring and allowing for easy customization.

What are some of the speaker's favorite snacks that they mention in the script?

Some of the speaker's favorite snacks include lesser evil popcorn, siete chips, smart sweets, and that's it or go macro bars.

How does the speaker store their soup in the freezer for meal prepping?

The speaker stores their soup in the freezer by portioning it out into individual servings using gallon Ziploc bags, which are then placed inside smaller Ziploc bags for easy defrosting and reheating.

What is the speaker's approach to meal prepping ingredients rather than full meals?

The speaker's approach to meal prepping is to prepare ingredients in advance, such as chopping vegetables, cooking grains, and having proteins ready, which allows for easy assembly of different meals throughout the week without重复 the same meal.