OCTOBER 2019 MEN’S FITNESS 37Savemoneyandfeel
virtuous:mealprepping
isa realmorale-
booster.Domorewithyour
Sunday than just sit
on the lounge and
scratch: meal prep!
If the first time you think about
what you’re going to eat for dinner
is when you step in the door afterwork,the odds of making a healthy choice are
not in your favour. When a ready meal or Uber
Eats is the fastest and easiest option available,
then that’s the option you’ll probably take.
Fortunately, there is a better way, and it’s
not one that involves cooking from scratch
each and every night. Prepping several meals
in advance each week puts you on the fast
track to a healthy diet, because eating those
meals then becomes as easy as a ready meal,
quicker than home delivery and healthier
and cheaper than both.
New to meal prep? Here’s how to get started.I
TOP TIP 1
Map out your week
n Before you lift a spatula
in anger, it’s well worth
checking your schedule
to see how many nights
there are when you might
be in a tight spot come
dinnertime. You could
have more free evenings
for cooking than you
think, and there’s no point
prepping a vast array
of meals only to never
eat them. At this point,
you’ll also need to decide
if you’re only prepping
dinners, or if you want
lunches, too. Once you
have a rough number
of meals in mind, it’s
time to hit the kitchen.
TOP TIP 2
Block book a regular
weekend slot
n Sunday is primetime
for meal prep. That’s when
most of us have more
dead time and if you’ve
mastered the basics in the
kitchen, you can easily
cook enough on Sunday
for the week. Cook all the
meat medium-rare, so
when you heat it up in
the microwave it’ll taste
good without being dry
or rubbery. Roast a whole
tray of veg – sweet potato,
pumpkin and broccoli
are all good candidates- and then divide them
into sealable bags. Leave
enough in the fridge for
Monday and Tuesday
and place the rest in the
freezer. Each day, move
a portion into the fridge so
it’s ready for the next day.
TOP TIP 3
Consider your menun Some meals taste
better after a few days
in the fridge, but others
will dry out and lose all
their flavour by the time it
comes to eating them.
As a general rule, sauce-
heavy dishes like curries,
chillis, soups and stews
are a good option for meal
prep because they become
more and more delicious
with each day in the fridge.
Up to a point, of course.
And speaking of which...TOP TIP 4
Don’t leave food sitting
around for too longn It only takes one bout
of food poisoning to really
put you off ever eating
leftovers again, so be
sensible. Get the food in
the fridge quickly after
cooking – within two hours- and as a general rule eat
Turnonegrainbowl
intofivelunches
ChefCharityMorgan
offersthiskillertip:
cooktwotypesofgrains,
roasta batchofveg,
thenpreparesomefresh
veg,too.Mixandmatch
thoseingredientsto
createa differentcombo
foreachday,buttomake
sureyou’renotstuck
withthesameflavours,
Morganrecommends
preparingfivedifferent
sauces:trybalsamic
vinaigrette,chimichurri,
Thaipeanutsauce,tahini
garlicdressinganda
spicybuffalosauce.Or
comeupwithyourown.TOP PICKS
Easy-peasyNEXT-LEVEL
MEAL PREP TIPit within two days. You can
always turn to the freezer
for longer-term storage,
but make sure you store
the correct portion size you
want because you should
avoid reheating frozen food
more than once.TOP TIP 5
Stock up on clever
storage solutionsn Treat yourself to a
range of variously sized
and shaped containers to
ensure you have what you
need to allocate portions
and even divide up food
within one container if you
don’t want it getting mixed
up. The most convenient
containers will be safe for
the microwave, freezer
and dishwasher. And leak-
proof, obviously.n No time to meal prep this week? Get your pre-portioned
healthy meals delivered to your door instead. Lite N’ Easy
offer chef-prepared, dietitian-approved, nutritionally
balanced meals made to order. There are more than 100
breakfasts, lunches and dinners to choose from, all made
from the freshest quality ingredients, and the menu is
constantly changing, so there’s no chance of getting bored.
And don’t stress – there are no pesky contracts or joining fees -
order when you need to, and relax knowing meal time’s sorted.
liteneasy.com.au