How a nutritionist does meal prep on a Sunday

ORGANISING all your meals for a week may sound like a big job. But there are some simple tricks to make it a lot easier.

MEAL prep might feel arduous at first, but if you stick with it, in time it will become part of your routine — just like brushing your teeth.

It’s important for a variety of reasons. Firstly, when Monday morning rolls around, it feels amazing to know that breakfast and lunch are sorted. Plus, portion control is something a lot of my clients struggle with, and meal prepping really helps with this. Finally, it’s a great way to save money as nothing in the fridge goes to waste.

I have a basic philosophy that everything lasts three days in the fridge so I tend to prep on Sunday and Wednesday. This also helps me avoid having to spend too long prepping each time. Here’s what I do, so you can copy this Sunday.

Nutritionist Belinda Kirkpatrick. Picture: Supplied

Step 1. Get organised

The trick to meal prep is to be organised and as streamlined as possible. After a few practise Sundays you’ll have the hang of it and be so efficient you’ll be prepping as you make Sunday dinner, making the most of your time, and minimising your washing up.

Part of being organised means having the right utensils on hand. Invest in a good knife, chopping board and stock up on leak-proof screw top containers. It’s hard to find small and cheap jars so I like using baby food jars — I get the apple puree ones for about $1/jar. Economical and good for the environment.

Step 2: Start with breakfast

I have two go-to brekkie recipes that are delicious, healthy and easy to reach for in the morning rush. First, Yoghurt Pots. In little tubs I mix natural yoghurt with a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds and LSA. I then top it with frozen raspberries. My second go-to breakfast is Egg Wraps. I put a couple of boiled eggs in a wrap with some spinach and a spicy relish. Then I wrap it in baking paper so it’s ready to toast in a sandwich press at work or home.

Step 3: Move onto snacks

Snacks are really important to prepare because healthy snacks are HARD to find and the quickest way to derail your healthy eating is to become so ravenous you’re forced to grab a convenient muffin or chocolate bar just to tide you over.

Avoid overeating by portioning out your snacks rather than taking the whole container to work. Picture Supplied.

Choose between two or three of these options and you’ll always have something nutritious to reach for: boiled eggs; nuts/seeds; chia puddings; apple with almond spread; hummus with carrot/celery/cucumber sticks; miso soup; bliss balls; healthy banana bread; cheese and cucumber. You might think it’s OK to just take the bag of nuts and tub of hummus, but I find it’s still a good idea to portion out everything otherwise — if you’re anything like me — it’s too easy to scoff the lot and wind up feeling sick and bloated! Also, yes, you are right, the veggie sticks are not quite as fresh on Wednesday as they were on Monday but I just don’t have time to cut them up daily so I go with it.

Step 4: Now for lunches ...

Generally, I double dinner and pop a portion in a container for lunch the following day. Start to think of extra dinner not as leftovers but as an extra portion that you are making. I like this because it means I have to only think about what I am having for dinner. Often I will also make a big batch of my quinoa salad for the first three days of the week and then I just add some extra protein from dinner to it each day. This salad is great because quinoa is a gluten-free seed (that acts like grain), is rich in protein and contains lots of fibre that helps you feel full for longer. It’s also really high in iron and zinc, which help to keep the immune system strong.

Step 5: Dinner.

Cutting up your vegies ahead of time can speed up dinner prep. Picture: Supplied

I usually try and have a meal plan for what I am cooking for dinner for the next three days because half the battle is just thinking of what you are going to cook but when that has already been planned it becomes easy. Once I know what I’m having, I make sure that I have the ingredients in the fridge and pantry. I usually keep it pretty simple for the beginning of the week, with salmon, chicken skewers or lamb cutlets, served with steamed veggies such as broccoli, beans, carrots and cauliflower, and roast sweet potato. When you get home chop the sweet potato and while it bakes in the oven, cook the meat and steam the veggies. If you are super time poor, cut up your veggies in advance and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. These veggies are great for helping to remove excess oestrogen in the body and can help to balance hormones and support healthy liver function — you should be aiming to include at least five different types of veggies in your diet every day.

Step 6: Don’t forget the extras

Finally, I also throw a few nice herbal tea bags in my lunch-bag at the beginning of the week so I always have lots of yummy ones to choose from at work — my personal favourites are licorice, which is great for helping to combat stress and support the adrenal glands, nettle leaf, which reduces fluid retention and helps keep your skin looking clear and fresh, and rooibos, which is a great caffeine-free alternative to black tea and is comforting midmorning with a splash of milk.

Belinda Kirkpatrick is an expert nutritionist and naturopath with more than 12 years clinical experience. Her first book, Healthy Hormones with Ainsley Johnstone, features expert naturopathic advice, 50 recipes plus tips on lifestyle and nutrition.

Healthy Hormones by Belinda Kirkpatrick and Ainsley Johnstone. Picture: Supplied