Do you ever have those days when you wake up late for work, starving hungry and no idea what you’re going to eat throughout the day? You either skip breakfast or have a piece of toast as you’re running out of the door, then keep your hunger at bay with endless cups of tea until lunchtime, then get a cheap sandwich or salad from Tesco at 1pm with a packet of crisps and a flapjack for later (spending on average £5 per day, £25 per week, £100 per month…senseless!!), dinner comes around and you have a massive bowl of pasta and nurse your food baby all night on the sofa feeling uncomfortable and annoyed with yourself.

Sound familiar?

That used to be me until I discovered how to prep my food properly, don’t worry I’m not going to bore you with an endless lecture on strict dieting and limiting your food intake, what I am going to do is try to open your eyes to why prepping your food and cooking your meals in big batches is a good idea, short and long term.

I am quite possibly the laziest eater on the planet, if I didn’t prep my food then I would be grabbing whole bagels out of the cupboard for a snack and a big bar of chocolate all before 10am, why do we do this when we know it’s reallllly bad for us? Because we’re adults and adults can eat whatever they want, so shush!

I have to admit, when I do have moments like that I feel horrible. It’s not even guilt, I just feel sluggish, bloated and drained due to the unhealthy spike that food has given my body.

If you’re sick of feeling like you do not have control then do something about it, start taking control of your diet, your body and your own health. Here’s how…

Step #1

The bane of my life. Buy some decent, microwavable, plastic containers.

You can usually buy these for about 50p each at your local supermarket, make sure to get a range of sizes, 5-10 of 2 different sizes should be enough to start with.

Step #2

Shop smart. I buy all of my carbs, fruit and veg at the cheapest supermarket I can. I can get good quality food for 7 days costing under £25 as opposed to your big supermarkets costing around £40 per week.

I tend to buy my meat in bulk, it can save me around £10-20 per month and I can freeze it all in individual portions as soon as I get it. I would recommend either your local butcher for great bulk-buying deals or www.musclefood.com for deliveries.

Step #3

Make a date with your kitchen. I usually set aside each Sunday to shop for and prepare food to last 4-5 days.

So clean it sparkles!

Step #4

Get cooking. Get your boss-hat on and crank up the music for the next hour. Start cooking your carbs first, 30-40g of uncooked rice is about 1 serving, alternatively you can measure other carbs by matching them to the size of your fist. 1 chicken breast or 120g-150g of meat is 1 serving, 1 -2cups of veg is enough for a meal.

It can take a while to clean up if you don’t have a dishwasher so clean as you go.

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It will take a long time to complete your first attempt but you will get quicker with more practice.

Through doing meal prep, I am able to wake up and grab my zip lock bag of pre-measured oats and protein, bung in some boiling water from the kettle and finish it off in under 10 minutes.

I am able to have snacks like nuts, rice cakes with peanut butter, protein bars and veggies on hand in the perfect portion sizes whenever I get hungry between meals.

I am able to throw my lunch in the microwave for  4 minutes and then stuff my face, I am not spending a stupid amount of money on unhealthy food everyday which is going to slow me down and mess with my body.

THE BEST THING EVER is not having to spend 20-30 minutes over my cooker when I finally get home and am STARVING HUNGRY, snacking on rubbish until my food is ready. All I have to do is steam some veggies for 5 minutes and heat up my meat and carbs in the microwave. BOOM, healthy microwave meals all in under 10 minutes.

Now I beg you to give me one good reason why this isn’t a good idea. A few hours out of your Sunday will enable you to be SUPER LAZY with your food for the rest of the week because you can just grab and go!! You’ll save money, save time and ultimately be in control of exactly what you are putting into your body.

BONUS TIP: If you feel like being super-extra you can always buy some more veggies and freeze them in serving sizes just like this:

GENIUS!!

I know that it can be daunting at first but it really has changed my life for the better, I hope it changes yours too!

P.S. “Baby Got Back” is great to twerk to in the kitchen whilst stirring your rice.

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