Quarantine has gotten all of us down in the dumps. Most people are stuck at home staring at their screens to do work. Some are overworked essential workers that risk their lives every day. Whoever you may be, there’s a simple similarity that unites us all. We HATE having to cook up a meal when we’re tired and just want to get the meal over with and relax. 

Sometimes when you get home from your job or from your work-from-home job, you already feel tired after cooking a  meal and eating. You just want to pass out and go to bed. Now you have no time for relaxation and de-stressing. This is where meal prepping comes in handy!

 

What is Meal Prepping?

Meal prepping is about as self-explanatory as the name implies. It’s when you cook or prepare ingredients of food ahead of time. This way, you can base the meal around your schedule and relax.

Think of it as a way to not only eat the meals you’d usually skip but also a way to avoid fast food entirely. Since you have a pre-prepped meal, you won’t be tempted to impulsively buy McDonald’s!

 

How Do You Prep For A Meal?

Meal prepping gives you more room to breathe. There are three common ways of preparing for a meal in advance. You can either cook in large batches, make individually proportioned meals in airtight containers, or you prepare your ingredients in advance.

 

Large Batches

Cooking in large batches is the quickest way. Make a large batch of food now and reheat it later and you’re good to go! This isn’t for people that like variety though as it can get very repetitive and bland.

 

Bento Box Galore

Making individually proportioned meals in the morning can give more variety. Cook up the meal in the morning or late at night and then put it in a preferably airtight bento box. This process is a lot more extensive though and making different meals in one go can be a hassle.

 

Ingredient Prep

As the name implies, what you do here is prepare the ingredients you need to cook in advance. Slice up the veggies, prepare the apices, defrost and chill the meat, etc. This method is a lot better for mostly veggie-based meals though. This way, the work you have to do when you’re cooking is a lot more minimal. You also have the advantage of having a fresh meal and not just reheating food in the microwave.

 

All You Need To Prep Meals

Of course you could improvise some of these items with some stuff you already have at home. However, some of these are ESSENTIAL and incredibly useful if you want to have a good prepped meal.

 

Food Containers

You don’t necessarily need a fancy bento box or an expensive Tupperware. You just need a decent quality lunch box that can contain liquids and not get much air inside.

Getting a mason jar or any good jar that can fit in liquid, spices, or pre-chopped veggies is also a good buy.

 

Meal Prepping Apps

You could always just use your recipe but these apps just make the process smoother and healthier. Apps like AnyList, Mealtime, or Yummly are great examples. They give you easy to follow recipes that are fun to make and healthy. 

 

A Plan and Schedule

Lastly, you always wanna plan. What meal do you want to prepare? What type of meal do you want to eat? What’s your schedule? These are all important questions that you have to keep in mind.

 

Being quarantined can be stressful, and prepping meals can lessen your load by a ton. Stay safe and have fun prepping!