Meal Prep: It’s What’s For Dinner

If someone were to ask me for my number one recommendation for eating healthy and having the largest positive impact on the planet, I would deeply consider telling them about Meal Prepping.

From making lunches and snacks ahead of time to planning your meals for the week, meal prep keeps us focused on eating healthy. The more we plan and prep for our eating habits, the stronger our willpower gets. It’s easier to say no to fast food or the extra serving of cake in the break room when we have our own lunch ready and waiting for us.

But as I’ve mentioned many times, meal prep also has a profound effect on conservation. The less we eat at fast food or take-out restaurants, the less we contribute to deforestation for paper products, and the less single use plastic items we waste. When we prepare our own lunches instead of depending on others to cook for us, we can ensure the ingredients are wholesome for us, and safe for the environment.

In this busy culture, it’s difficult to find time to make quick lunches and snacks much less homemade healthy and sustainable dinners. That again is where Meal Prep comes in handy.

When we get off work, tired and hungry, the last thing we need to do is run by and get something to eat. Our willpower is incredibly depleted already, walking in the door. We are likely to choose items which look good but may not be nourishing for our bodies and minds.

How much better would it be to have dinner waiting at home for us? Or have everything prepared so dinner took a total of 15 minutes to finish getting ready?

If you practice meal prep, you can enjoy all the benefits of a home cooked meal in a fraction of the time. Set aside some time while you are preparing your bulk batch of lunches, and plan for your week with quick, easy recipes you can fix ahead of time.

I have a deep love and infatuation with several of my kitchen appliances. I want to kiss my crockpot every night I make chili or stew because it makes my life so damn easy and convenient.

Here is my special stew recipe. It’s easy, delicious, and very healthy.

PJ’s Homestyle Seasonal Stew: 4 servings- 372 calories, Carbs: 56.3 g, Fat: 1 g, Protein: 16.5 g

Ingredients

• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes, or 1 C cherry tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 bunch greens (kale, chard, or turnip/beet greens), chopped
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 small eggplant
• 2 small squash (zucchini, delicata, acorn, etc), diced
• 1 tsp each salt, oregano
• ½ tsp rosemary, thyme
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 lb chicken breast, or other choice of meat, cut into chunks

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients into a crockpot.  Set on low.  Let cook for 8 hours.

Still not easy enough? Prep your veggies the night before, or even a few days before, and just plop all the ingredients at once, turn on your crockpot and come back to a fantastic meal.

Going to be gone for more than 8 hours? It’s fine. The stew won’t burn. Just make sure the ingredients are well mixed before leaving for the day.

Easy simple steps can make a big difference in our health and well-being.

So what’s for dinner tonight?