My last post, the Ultimate Meal Prep Guide, gave away most of my meal prepping secrets - except breakfast. What to do for the most important meal of the day?
I've tried a couple of different approaches to this. I start work at 7, so eating before I go to work just isn't going to happen. I'm a hop out of bed at 6:25 and out the door at 6:45 kind of gal. If you have a long commute or need something you can eat on the go, I highly recommend breakfast burritos. Breakfast Burritos Ingredients 2 eggs/burrito 1 tortilla/burrito Shredded cheddar cheese (I like the Tex-Mex mix from Costco) Butter/oil/coconut oil - whatever you prefer Tinfoil Optional: 2 tbsp black beans/burrito To make breakfast burritos:
To reheat breakfast burritos: Take the burrito out of the freezer to defrost the night before. The best way to reheat it is to open the tinfoil and toast it in a toaster oven, leaving the tinfoil underneath so the tortilla doesn't stick to the oven rack. Make sure to toast to medium only, otherwise it will burn. I usually put the burrito in the toaster oven as soon as I get up and it's done by the time I get out of the bathroom (I shower at night, so your mileage may vary). If the middle is still cold, microwave the burrito for 15-20 seconds. If you don't have a toaster oven, you can heat them in a pan (still in the tinfoil). This is more time consuming and you have to watch them so they don't burn, though. Oatmeal If you have a job where you can eat breakfast at your desk, this requires a lot less prep. We buy oats, almond milk, almonds, and frozen mixed berries in bulk at Costco. I fill up a ziplock bag with oats and leave it at the office with a container of almond milk. The night before, I throw some berries and almonds into a container and put them in the fridge to defrost. When I get to work, I mix the oats with water (I honestly just do this by eye, but you want about 1/2 c oats to 1 c water) then microwave for about 90 seconds. I buy quick oats at Costco, which I know aren't as nutritious as whole oats, but you can't win 'em all. I throw in the berries and almonds and some milk, pair with free office coffee, and I'm good to go. Note that I don't add any sweetener, other than fruit. Eating sugar first thing in the morning makes me feel like shit, so I like to save my sweet indulgences for later in the day. You'll find that if you cut sugar out of non-dessert foods, you stop missing it pretty quickly - in fact, those pre-sweetened foods start to taste really gross. If you have a huge appetite or are strength training, you can also add protein powder (am I the only one who hates the friggen taste of that stuff, though?). Yogurt is good, too, and very filling, but my milk allergies don't like that. All in all, it takes about 2 minutes to make. I'm always confused when I see my colleagues coming in with breakfast from Tim's when making oatmeal takes less time than waiting in line for shitty, processed breakfast. But, to each their own, I guess.
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I've spoken at length in the past about my love of meal prepping. It's fast, it's easy, it saves you money, and it makes weeknights so much less stressful, especially if you suffer from the hangries like me. Now that we've been successfully meal-prepping for over a year, we've mastered the art of stocking our freezer with tasty meals fast - and I mean seriously fast. I know the title says 30 days, but to be honest, we usually end up with enough food for six weeks, all made within an 8 hour day. We both have pretty large appetites as well, so if you eat lighter you might find your meals last you even longer. The usual arguments against meal prepping are: 1. But I love to cook! 2. I don't want to eat the same thing every day. Gross. 3. The food won't taste good enough. Now, if you want to waste your money and time, I won't stop you, but all of these arguments are false. 1. Me, too! I love to cook - on weekends, when I have time to leisurely make pizza dough from scratch, or try a new recipe. I don't love to cook when I just got home from work and realize I don't have any ingredients or idea what to make. Or when I'm freaking starving and would literally eat anything, as long as I can eat it right now. There's no rule that says you have to eat meal prep every day. If you feel like cooking, go for it! But meal prep helps get you through busy days without resorting to shitty takeout. 2. Me, either. That's why we make enough food to have a different meal for lunch and dinner every day. I wouldn't want to eat the same thing for days on end, but sometimes we have enough to eat the same meal for dinner two days in a row. It's really not a big deal. 3. How good the food tastes is up to you. If you're really pressed for time, you might not want to pre-brown your meat, which means sacrificing flavour. On a weekday, I'm more interested in being fed than having a five-star meal, but you can prep your meals according to taste. Now, on to the meal prepping! Planning I prefer to use an instant pot as it's much faster than the crock pot, and now that I'm used to it I'm able to modify recipes to work with the instant pot. However, there are a lot more crock pot recipes available out there, so if you're not comfortable with the instant pot you can absolutely go that route. To plan your meal prep:
Shopping I recommend shopping the night before if you have time (and if your fridge space allows). We go to Costco on Friday night (it's usually not as busy then, either), pack everything into the fridge, then meal prep on Saturday. If I need anything from the regular grocery store I just go on Saturday morning. Meal Prep Day You will need:
To prep your meals:
Enjoy! You're probably exhausted after meal prep. Sit back and relax, you've earned it! To prepare a meal-prep meal:
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