Meal Prep Mistakes and How to Fix Them

For those who lead busy lives, the concept of meal prepping can be quite an attractive proposition. What could be better than cooking a few lunches or dinners ahead of time, storing them in containers, and saving yourself a good few hours during the week?

However, in practice, many people struggle with meal prepping. That’s because for some, their meal times get boring as they fall into the trap of eating the same dishes on rotation. Others end up wasting a lot of food because they made the mistake of preparing too much of it, only for it to spoil. Then there are those for whom the whole process feels like a lot of extra work.

When done well, meal prepping should not feel frustrating, a chore or unsustainable. Instead, it should be a handy strategy to free up your precious time when it is limited. And provide you with the convenience of nutritious and tasty, ready-made food whenever you need it.

Despite their best intentions, many people don’t last too long with meal prepping. That is because they often make common mistakes that eventually test their patience and enthusiasm.

Thankfully, there are several things you can do to avoid making these errors. In this post, we will highlight some of the main ones.

What is Meal Prepping?

Meal prepping is when you plan, prepare, and portion meals or ingredients in advance. Many people, especially those who return home late from the office, do it for the working week. The main motivation for doing so is to save time, avoid the temptation to order takeaways, and help them manage their weight.

Usually, it involves everything from cooking full meals or chopping ingredients ahead of time to creating quick options, such as quiche slices or portions of pasta salad, that you can eat immediately when pressed for time.

Why Does Meal Prep Often Feel So Hard?

For some people, meal prepping often feels overwhelming because they expect it to be easy. And it can be. But usually, you need to put some thought behind it to develop a system that works for you.

Often, people attempt it when they are under the pump. Work is busy, the kids need to be taken to and from school, and there are plenty of items you must tick off your to-do list. At these times, your energy can be low, and you might not feel you have enough mental capacity to handle the required levels of shopping, cooking, and cleaning.

That’s where frustration can set in, and their motivation can drop. For some people, this can lead them to abandon meal prepping altogether. However, for others, it can be the trigger to use Meal prep services with Bondi Meal Prep or other similar companies.

What Most Common Meal Prep Mistakes Do People Make?

Those who abandon meal planning tend to do so because they make certain mistakes that eventually get them down. However, using a meal planning app can help you avoid these common pitfalls and ensure a more successful experience.

With that in mind, here are five common meal prep mistakes that people make and how you can avoid them.

Mistake #1: Planning Too Many Meals at Once

One of the biggest mistakes is planning every single meal for the entire week. This can often leave people feeling overwhelmed at the thought of preparing five or more meals in one go.

A good way to counter this is to only prep the first few days of your week. For instance, Monday to Wednesday. This will give you a bit of flexibility if you do find you have more time to cook. It will also give you the option of eating leftovers on Thursday if you have any food that needs to be finished off.

Mistake #2: Choosing Recipes That Don’t Reheat Well

Some foods taste great fresh. But when you try to reheat them, they can be disappointing and unsatisfying. The likes of crispy vegetables, delicate seafood, and certain salads often fit into this category after spending a day or two in the fridge.

To avoid this, try to stick to easy meal-prep ideas that retain their texture and flavour. This could be:

• Stir-fries
• Roasted vegetables
• Slow-cooked meats
• Grain bowls
• Soups
• Pasta dishes

Often, these dishes actually taste better a day or so after you make them because the flavours have had time to infuse.

Mistake #3: Not Accounting For Portion Sizes or Hunger Levels

If you use the same portion size for every meal, you run the risk of needing to snack or feeling overly full. Your hunger levels change from day to day, and often they are based on factors like how much activity you have done during the day, the quality and length of sleep you got, and if you are feeling stressed.

You can avoid these situations by preparing meals you can tailor to your hunger level. To do this, store individual components separately rather than everything on one plate. This way, you will be able to adjust how much you serve yourself as per your appetite.

Mistake #4: Not Storing Meals Correctly

If you don’t store your food properly in the fridge, it’s more likely to become soggy, hard, or smell unpleasant. This can lead to you harbouring concerns about how safe they are to eat, which can result in you throwing them away.

Whenever storing meal-prepped food in the fridge, always use airtight containers. It is also advisable to allow food to cool completely before sealing it. Additionally, labelling meals with dates can help you to keep track of how long certain items have been in the fridge.

As a general rule, most cooked meals stay fresh for 3 to 4 days when stored properly. Here is a guide you can use for cold food storage.

Mistake #5: Prepping Meals You Don’t Actually Enjoy

Food should be something you always enjoy. But sometimes, in their rush to prep meals for the week, some people often cook dishes that are quick to make. Rather than ones they genuinely love.

Consider drawing up a good menu selection of meals you like to eat. And that doesn’t take long to prepare. When meal prepping, you should find that having it on hand for reference will provide you with plenty of inspiration. You could always batch-cook them as well to have them in reserve for later down the line.

To get you started, here are some healthy and delicious dinner options you might want to consider.