Meal Prepping as an Intern & Grad Student

Meal prepping is something that I have done for nearly 3 years and I’m going to share some of my tips with you! Being a full-time college student and dietetic intern, I don’t have a lot of free time and I am constantly on the go. I have found that meal prepping not only helps me stay organized for the week but I am also less likely to choose unhealthy options when I’m on the go (plus I save money!). I pack my lunch for the entire day, even if I will be home early (you never know when you might need an extra snack! J)

I have been meal prepping my lunches for so long that I have a variety of meals I like on hand depending on what I’m hungry for during the week. but 1^st things first…

Every Friday or Saturday, I scan through Pinterest and look for lunch ideas that I might want to make for the week. Once I have my meal picked out including snack ideas, I head to the grocery and make sure I get all the ingredients and food items I need. Then, Sunday rolls around and time to meal prep! I have truly come to enjoy this part of my weekend. I remember when I first started meal prepping, it took me about 2 hours…now I can prep in less than 1hour! This is one of them things where the more you do it, the easier it gets. I set out all of my containers that I’ve purchased either from the grocery store or amazon and I assemble my meals.

I’m very blessed to have 2 refrigerators, one in the kitchen and one in the garage. I store all my meals in the garage refrigerator and I pull a meal out each night before bed and move it to the inside fridge and essentially “pack my lunch” the night before.

This helps me save SO MUCH time. Then, in the morning all I have to do is put everything in my lunch box, top it with some ice, and head to my internship rotation or class.

So What Are My Meal Prepping Pro Tips?

1. Plan ahead! Decide what you want for the week BEFORE you go to the grocery store.

2. Pick a protein, a vegetable, and a grain. You can keep them separated in your container or you can combine them all to create a stir-fry or bowl.

3. Make it easy on yourself, you can grill, bake or sauté many different foods. So choose which cooking method works best for you. I personally like to grill my meats and sauté or bake my veggies and potatoes.

4. Don’t forget a couple of snacks! I like to grab fresh fruit such as an apple with peanut butter, yogurt, or crackers with cheese. You can also, use plastic baggies to store crackers and other dry foods. If you prefer a more eco-friendly choice, there are reusable storage bags that you can get from amazon.

5. Make sure you have containers for your food. You can find them anywhere (amazon, grocery stores, Target, etc.) Don’t forget the silverware either!

6. Set aside one day that you designate to meal prepping. I like Sundays because that is the one day that I don’t have other obligations (usually).

My BIGGEST tip is to make sure you are meal prepping something that is not difficult to make and that you won’t mind eating for the next 4-5 days! I am guilty of trying a new recipe and then not wanting it for my lunch all week...but I eat it anyways. Now I stick to a few staples that I love and rotate them.

Remember that you can meal prep any meal! Breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner. Pick whichever meal works best for you and your schedule.

Meal prepping can be a little scary at first...there’s a lot of planning that goes into it and it takes time. But once you start, I promise you’ll get better at it!

-NB