I have been meal prepping for a solid year now and I don’t think I will ever go back. Getting organized on Sundays makes for a more enjoyable week for me. I get to sleep in 15 minutes extra because I have lunch for work waiting in the fridge, plus I feel more relaxed coming home after work knowing that all I have to do is heat up dinner! Sometimes meal prep is intimidating because of the chunk of time it can take upfront. Read through the five other realities about meal prep and let me know–are you into it?

You Don’t Have to Cook the Whole Meal

If you’re tip toeing your way into meal prep, don’t feel like you have to make an entire meal or two at once. Try preparing things to help you make recipes faster, like chop your onions or peppers, wash and slice the strawberries or kale you bought. Get your celery ready for hummus on Sunday rather than each morning. These little things will really end up being time-savers.

You Don’t Have to Always Eat Leftovers

I know people who are not a fan of leftovers and that is totally understandable. Instead of making a big batch of food and feeling like you’re eating leftovers each night, spend your time on Sunday making basics like baked chicken, taco meat, quinoa, roasted veggies or hummus. With all these separates prepared in the fridge, you can mix and match them with different toppings and sauces to feel like you’re eating something different each day.

You Will Save More Money

With food on hand, you will undoubtedly be less inclined to go pick up take-out, order Jimmy John’s delivery for lunch or call for a pizza. Also, when you buy food in bulk you will save money! Wholesale food places like Costco or Sam’s Club may be more pricey up front (like 5 pounds of chicken for real?), but are a blessing in the long run.

You Will Use More Storage Containers

It is true, you will absolutely use more food containers and tupperware. My roommate and I had to invest in more containers because when we both were meal prepping we were running a dishwasher cycle every two days! Go to Costco or Homegoods and grab yourself a few extra medium to large size containers for meals, salads or soups. You’ll thank yourself later!

You Will Feel More Organized

If you’re not an organized-by-nature person, I dare you to try meal prepping for a week. See how great it feels to open your fridge or freezer with meals ready or snacks prepared. Then, show you roommates, Snapchat your friends and prove them all wrong. If nothing else in your life is organized (ahem, your room, your office desk or your closet) then at least your meals will be.

What do you think? Will you give meal prepping a try?

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela