Meal Prepping for Busy Schedules: Save Time, Eat Better

-


 Desgined by Freepik

Between work, school, family, and everyday responsibilities, eating well often feels like one more thing on the never ending to do list. This is where meal prepping comes in. With a little planning you can save time, reduce stress, and make eating nutritious meals much more realistic- even on your busiest days. 

Why meal prepping? 
It saves time, reduces stress, saves money, and supports nutritious meals. 

How do I get started with meal prepping?
• Choose 2-3 versatile proteins, a couple grains (include whole grains), and several fruits/veggies. Build different combinations throughout the week with these items.
• Pick a day to batch cook (maybe a Sunday) and store the food in airtight containers. 
• Portion it out or keep it flexible- pack lunches/dinners in grab and go containers or store foods separately and assemble different meals each day for variety. 
Quick add ons to keep on hand- canned tuna or beans, prewashed greens, frozen veggies, hard boiled eggs, and whole grain wraps or pitas. Invest in good containers- clear, stackable, and leak proof to make storage easier. 

Meal Prep Ideas
• Breakfast- overnight oats with fruit, egg muffins with veggies or greek yogurt parfait bars
• Lunch- grain bowls (quinoa, roasted veggies, protein), mason jar salads or hummus with whole grain pita/veggies. 
• Dinner- sheet pan salmon with sweet potatoes/broccoli, stir fry with tofu, rice, & mixed veggies, and slow cooker chili to last multiple nights 
• Snacks- portion out nuts, fruits, cheese sticks or energy bites

Meal prepping does not need to be overwhelming. Just set aside a little time to plan & prepare and in return you will save time and be able to eat more nutritious meals. Start with one or two meals, build your routine, and soon meal prep will feel like second nature. 


-M.S.

https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/meal-prep/




Comments

  1. Caitlyn HendershotSeptember 23, 2025 at 1:33 PM

    It’s definitely difficult to maintain a balanced diet with such busy schedules! Meal prepping is great way to control your diet and save time/money throughout the week. I like that you gave specific ideas for each meal or snack! Overnight oats are one of my favorite meals to prep, i definitely want to try the sheet pan meals in the future.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Sweet Benefits of Valentine's Day Chocolate

-
Image
 With Valentine’s Day coming, we all love those sweet treats that come along with the holiday, whether chocolate, baked goods, or even fruit candies.  But have you ever wondered if chocolate could be healthy for you? Chocolate has three categories we may all know: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. This is determined by the amount of cocoa solids made from cocoa beans mixed with cocoa butter and sugar. In America, a standard bar of dark chocolate has around 70% - 85% cocoa.  Dark chocolate contains a large amount of flavonoids which are antioxidants that protect our bodies from damage. So the higher the content of cocoa the higher the amount of flavonoids.  While dark chocolate has the benefit of flavonoids, there are more benefits including: A source of important minerals - such as iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, and phosphorus  Non-dairy - a good option for those with a milk allergy or sensitivity  High in fiber - around 4 grams per ounce...
Read more

Nutrition Interventions and HIV

-
Practice Paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Nutrition Intervention and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Autoimmune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) can present many nutritional challenges, especially related to obesity due to treatments that have extended life expectancy for this population. Antiretroviral Therapies (ART)   have shifted nutrition concerns from undernutrition to obesity and cardiometabolic problems. HIV can alter metabolism, resulting in protein-energy malnutrition, anemias, and micronutrient deficiencies. Risks for chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes are higher in this population than in the general population, and obesity and overweight incidence is increasing in people affected by this disease. Food insecurity is also higher than average in this population. RDs should use the nutrition care process and nutrition focused physical exams to identify malnutrition and n...
Read more

Heart-Healthy Snacking: The Best of Both Worlds for National Snacking Month and Heart Month

-
Image
  Designed by  Freepik February brings us two important topics to celebrate: National Heart Month and National Food Snacking Month! You may be asking yourself, are snacks even good for me? Yes, they are! A snack is typically eaten between main meals. Benefits of snacks include providing a boost of energy when several hours have passed between meals (which causes blood glucose levels to drop), helps reduce your appetite to decrease overeating at the next meal, can help maintain good nutrition if one has a poor appetite but cannot eat full meals due to an illness for example, and provide extra nutrients when choosing snacks like fresh fruit or nuts. The downfall of snacks is if the frequency of eating them is too much it can lead to reduced hunger at meals times causing some to skip a meal entirely. Many of us also prefer ultra-processed snacks such as chips, ice cream, candy, soft drinks, and cake which are not always the best option to fuel our day. A way to curb the downf...
Read more