Meal Prep

3-minute read

Introduction

This journal entry was written by me, Brandon Nolet, in the context that I just prepared 4-5 lunches in the span of an hour.

What is Meal Prep?

Meal prep, aside from being the short-form writing of meal preparation, is known in and around fitness/health spaces as preparing meals ahead of time for a short or extended period of time. This usually involves the use of a lot of containers and cooking meals that are, at the very least, edible when eaten cold/reheated.

Examples of meals that you could meal prep:

  • Pasta
  • Many kinds of wraps
  • Soup
  • Chili
  • Many salads

Meals that are compatible with meal prep can also simply be a combination meal, or even cereal with the milk in a separate container that you…combine when you eat it. Anyway!

What Did I Meal Prep Today?

I decided to revisit an old recipe of mine that I came up with when I was living with two Indian roomates in the summer of 2017. It’s a simple stir fry that is quite versatile and accepts a variety of food groups, fruits notwithstanding.

With this stir fry I try to make sure that each ingredient is a different colour. This is because the different colours involved usually indicate that there’s different families of vitamin/nutrient in the indgredient. By including many colours in your recipes, you can ensure that you’re getting a balanced meal. After it was brought to my attention, further researched has debunked this. Use this “many colours” method to expand your culinary horizon, not to measure how “healthy” your meal is. Once you know this, eat whatever color you want.

I made two batches of stir fry and then shoved each into tortillas. I prefer the whole wheat variety of tortilla for most wraps as the white ones have a tendency to dry out quicker, I’m not sure why.

The first batch of stir fry consisted of red peppers, brocolli, mushrooms, tofu for the protein and then when I put it in the wrap, I put some cheese and mayonnaise in there. For the seasoning of the stir fry, I used equal parts soya sauce, sriracha sauce, and maple syrup (any syrup would do though, I would think).

The second batch of stir fry consisted of dark red kidney beans, beansprouts, white mushrooms, brocolli, and for protein, again the tofu. Cheese and mayo added when putting the stir fry into the wrap.

In total I was able to make about 9 wraps which is good for 4-5 meals each between my partner and I.

Why Did I Meal Prep?

Why does anyone meal prep? Fuck if I know! Just kidding, it’s part of my narrowing of focus. By meal prepping, I can ensure that I have a bunch of meals at my fingertips that are healthier than the alternative of going to McDonald’s or getting dumplings at the local chinese food restaurant.

By meal prepping, I can ensure that I bring multiple wraps to work, taking one each day for lunch. This way I ensure that I won’t be forgetting my lunch at home. It’ll already be at work! As well, this will help in portion control. By separating the food into smaller portions beforehand, I can have that mental separation done for me already. When I finish a single wrap, I can sit comfortably and know “I’m done my meal.”

Conclusion

I have high hopes for the meal prepping, and I will update how it goes in due time. I’ve also got a pasta sauce I prepared on Monday of which half I’ll be freezing and half I’ll be using for pasta meal prep, so I can alternate between wraps and pasta. That way I won’t get bored of the food! Hopefully.