Time Saving Meal Prep Tips

The lifestyle of meal prepping has grown in popularity recently among the weight loss and fitness community, although it is certainly not a new concept, as it has been practiced by bodybuilders for years.  The growing popularity of meal prepping is with valid reason.... it works!  I'm sure you've head the overused phrase, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail" but for those wanting to shed those unwanted pounds, a solid action plan is a necessity.  Meal prepping is an incredibly effective tool in which you are preparing and portioning meals beforehand, which can be taken with you anywhere to ensure you are eating the ideal foods and portions to help you reach your specific goals.  Despite the many benefits of meal prepping, many people are intimidated by it and completely avoid meal prepping because they believe they simply do not have the time in their schedule to do it.  Meal prepping doesn't have to be some big production involving hours in the kitchen!  Here are some time saving tips for meal prepping that will allow those even with the most hectic schedules be able to live the "Tupp life" :-) 

• Prioritize Protein 

If you are short on time and only have time to prep one thing, choose protein. Protein takes the longest time to prepare so if you don't have some on hand ready you'll be more likely to turn to the convenience of a restaurant or fast food joint when in a time crunch or when you're super hungry.  By having some prepared protein on hand at all times, you can dice it up and throw it on a quick salad or microwave a side dish to pair with it.  

• BBQ Time Saving Chicken Meal Prep Method

When it comes to preparing chicken, personally, I like to BBQ chicken because to me it tastes better then other cooking methods.  To cut down on grilling time, I slice chicken breasts super thin and pound them with a meat mallet to make them more tender.  The thinner slices cook much quicker then entire breasts would take.  If you're really pressed for time, most grocery stores do sell chicken breasts that are already sliced thin to save you the time of slicing them yourself.

• Fit Men Cook Time Saving Chicken Meal Prep Method

Food and Fitness author and blogger, Kevin Curry of Fitmencook.com, has a lot of awesome healthy recipes and tips for those looking to live a healthier lifestyle.  If you haven't checked out his website or the work he has done for bodybuilding.com, I highly recommend you check it out!  One of my favorite tips he shares for saving time on meal prepping is his method of using tin foil to divide a baking sheet to cook 3 different types of seasoned chicken at the same time.  He also dices the chicken into smaller pieces to allow for quicker cooking time in the oven.  You can find the instructions here for this method!

• Roast 2 Different Vegetables with Similar cooking Times at the Same Time

One of my favorite ways to cook vegetables when meal prepping is to roast them in the oven on a baking sheet.  Roasting allows for a flavorful taste without the sogginess that other cooking methods bring.  Also the roasted vegetables seem to keep better in the refrigerator than other methods.  To save time you can roast 2 different vegetables at the same time that have similar cooking times, for the meal prep below, I roasted 2 pounds of asparagus and 2 pounds of brussel sprouts at 450 degree for about 15-20 minutes, they were sprayed with non-stick olive oil spray and seasoned with salt and pepper, super quick and simple.

• Save Even More Time by Buying Pre-cut Vegetables

If you're really crunched for time, most grocery stores sell pre-cut vegetables that will save you the chore of having to clean and cut the vegetables yourself.  Although this seems like a small convenience, when you're preparing multiple vegetables at a time it will save you quite a bit of time.

• When All Else Fails...It's OK to Cheat

Have no shame in cheating in your cooking by using convenience items such as precooked rice and steam in the bag vegetables.  Sure, fresh may be healthier for you but if this is the only option you have time for and it makes the difference of eating healthy or not then by all means do it!