Food Prep. 101
I hear people say they can’t afford to eat healthy, or they just don’t have the time. I understand, it can be overwhelming! Let me show you how to eat real, organic, non-gmo food on a budget and how to do it efficiently.
Here's the KEY... Food Preparation! Don't panic! We won't be spending hours in the kitchen. I keep food prep. to one hour, or less. The great news is, it will help you eat more affordably and actually spend less time overall in the kitchen. Food prep. is an absolutely essential foundation for eating healthy, in an affordable way. It also allows you to pull together healthy meals quickly, with less effort.
This Isn’t Your Typical Food Prep!
Some very dedicated people spend hours and hours on the weekend preparing food. I just don’t have that kind of time!
We won’t be assembling 5 containers of the same 5 lunches. That might work for a single person, or a couple, but I would have to make up 35 containers for my family of 7. I don’t have that kind of fridge space and frankly, I like variety. I don’t want the same lunch every day for a week.
We aren't going to do big batch, or freezer cooking. Instead, this method allows you to have a variety of fresh, healthy food at your finger tips, allowing you to quickly make a variety of healthy meals and snacks.
One Hour a Week
I have designed a system that takes 1 hour, or less, a week depending on how much you choose to do. I'll admit, this will take discipline and consistency, but you'll actually spend a lot less time overall, then if you tried to prepare healthy meals each day from scratch. Sure it takes an hour, but in the end, it makes meal time and snacks so much easier! I think you'll be surprised at what a difference one hour a week can make.
You'll also save money, because you won’t be as tempted to go out to eat, or stop for fast food. You'll know that you can pull a healthy and delicious meal together in minutes. So put on some music or a podcast and get to work. This is an investment in your health!
First Things First
You spend your hard earned money each week on food at the grocery store, but sadly, much of it goes to waste. Let's talk about a few strategies to help you squeeze every last penny out of the food that you buy.
1. Before you head to the grocery store, do a five minute fridge clean-out. *See link at bottom of page, or click here.
2. If you can't see it, or find it, you won’t use it!
3. It needs to be easily accessible. If your fridge is full of a multitude of salad dressing bottles, slimy spinach, limp carrots, left-overs from three weeks ago, moldy cheese etc. you won’t have room for the good stuff.
4. When your fridge is clean and organized, you'll be more likely to use the food that you spend your hard earned money on.
5. Ever had a container of beautiful strawberries freeze? Do you have a problem with food molding and spoiling? To steer away from food waste, make sure that your fridge is at a temperature of 35-38 degrees. Read here for more information.
6. Have one or two turn tables in your fridge for smaller items, if there's not enough room in the door of your fridge.
7. I love these rectangle lidded glass containers. They stack and use space more efficiently and allow me to easily see what is in them. I have had many people comment how much longer their food keeps in them. You can often find these, or similar containers at discount stores. Start with what you have: zip-lock bags, or Tupperware etc. until you get a good feel for what you actually need. Keep in mind, glass is a much healthier food storage option than plastic.
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