Save Time By Eating Simple Meals
First off.. what’s a simple meal? A simple meal is when you have a plate or bowl with protein + carb + veggie + fat source. Your fat source might be your protein source (meat), so if you have some there you might not need an additional one depending on your preference and goals.
Simple meals help you keep a routine.
I preach constantly to others and my clients about keeping meals simple. It not only saves time in the kitchen but I really do think it keeps things not too complicated when you’re trying to change things in your routine and create new habits.
Think about a normal “healthy recipe” you might find on a blog or interest. There’s usually a bazillion ingredients (and that’s after you read through 8 irrelevant paragraphs) and you might not even have all of them.. so then you have to go to the store to get several things that you might not even need more than once or twice. It’s just a lot to commit to honestly 😂
When you make simple meals, you just need the ingredients of the items you’re going to eat. For example, you could do lean beef, white rice, zucchini squash, and avocado. That’s a very simple meal and you’re just using the exact ingredients you need. You can add seasonings and spices or sauce to give it more flavor, but the base of the meal is very simple.
Simple meals make batch prepping easier.
When you make meals like this, it’s also easy to batch prep. By batch prepping, I mean making an entire package of beef or chicken or turkey and putting in the fridge. It might last 3-4 days and then you can do another batch prep.
You can do the same with rice or potatoes or any other starchy carb. For veggies, you can do this if you don’t mind them getting slightly soggier from being in the fridge — or you can just cook when you’re going to eat them or use frozen/canned.
Then, for your fat sources.. think avocado, nuts, nut butters, oil, butter, etc., those obviously don’t need to be batch prepped as you can usually just use them as you need them because they don’t need to be cooked.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have your decadent meals, too.
If you really enjoy cooking and the process of creating a really decadent meal, maybe just do these less often because they do definitely take more time. If you’re trying to save time and make it easier for yourself when it comes to preparation, keeping it simple is best. Simple doesn’t have to mean boring or that it doesn’t taste good. It’s just that you’re prioritizing simplicity and time management and also.. there's usually less clean-up, which is nice!
What’s your favorite go-to simple meal? Shoot me a message and let me know!
If you need more help with figuring out what meals to cook and how to plan ahead of time, I work with my clients 1:1 for this and I’m taking clients. Click here to see if you’re a good fit!
