MEAL PREP + PLAN W/ NAT

Graduating college with a Meeting and Event Management degree means that everything needs a plan in my world. When my love for cooking was born, it allowed me to create a plan for myself to be consistent with healthy habits each day.

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2022 is to continue to keep on a routine and be consistent with it. Nearing the end of 2021, I started to keep up with a plan weekly. I keep telling myself to learn to eat at home rather than going out to eat. When I eat out, I tend to get sick, for days sometimes weeks at a time. It's always a game, whether or not I am going to get sick. I only eat at places I trust as well as places that have a gluten-free menu or gluten-free options. In my opinion, restaurants that don't provide gluten-free options on the menu aren't going to take as many precautions as those that do offer different dietary options.

EATING IN

Eating at home is the safest way to know exactly what you're eating! It is important to become a "Label Reader" to make sure you are getting safe ingredients for you and your diet. I try to stick to whole foods, meat, as well as gluten-free and dairy-free alternatives such as almond, cashew, or oat milk, dairy-free cheeses or butter, gluten-free bread, and oils.

THE PLAN

Before going grocery shopping, I handwrite a list of all the ingredients I need. Prior to that, I go back to all the recipes I've flagged in my cookbooks to decide what I want to make for the week. I like to plan for about 5-6 days but keep in mind any plans we may have to go out with friends so I don't overbuy and end up wasting food. I utilize Pinterest for almost all of my borrowed recipes. I have found great creators and influencers this way with incredible recipes that are already gluten-free dairy-free or that can be transitioned to it easily. Once I have found at least 4 dinners, lunches for the entire week, breakfasts, and snacks, I handwrite out all of my recipes. I like to have more dinner recipes set aside than lunches and breakfasts. It's easy to remake the same meal more than once a week for lunch or breakfast. This is a great way to save money and stay far away from expensive bills every time you go to the store. My mom got me two recipe boxes for Christmas. It was by accident that she bought two but this makes organizing easier for me! One for new recipes and one for old.

THE GROCERY TRIP

Always make sure you go to the grocery store on a full stomach! If you don't, you'll be tempted to buy all sorts of snacks that you don't need. Bring your list! Going off memory is very difficult if you are prepping for specific meals. You want to make sure you don't miss any key ingredients.

I preferably like to organize my list in order of the aisles. If you are familiar with the stores you are going to this is easy. If you don't, no worries, I have an alternative for you! Organize them by category such as meats, veggies, fruits, snacks, bread, etc. Most grocery items are grouped in similar areas based on their category. For those of you who hate being at the grocery store or find you're always at the grocery store during the busiest times, this will allow for less time in the store,

THE PREP

When bringing your groceries home, if you're anything like me that means all in one trip, be sure to unpack them all right away. You want to get anything that needs to be cold or frozen in the fridge and freezer as quickly as possible. If I have the time, I cut up my fruits and veggies right when I get home from grocery shopping. This saves time when actually making the meal. A lot of people while meal prepping will actually make each meal ahead of time to eat throughout the week. I only pre-make my snacks. In my opinion, gluten-free and dairy-free food doesn't always keep as long as most other foods. Something about leftovers freaks me out a little. It could have something to do with my fear of getting sick from something silly like spoiled food. Burger King. Spoiled lettuce. If making meals ahead of time works well for you and your schedule, please share with me your secret! I work remotely so I am able to make my breakfasts and lunches in the comfort of my own home with more time to do so. Once all the fruits and veggies are cut up, store them in proper containers and put them in the fridge or freezer.

THE PREP + PLAN

Finally, when bringing the two together, you'll have a week of meals fully planned. You can choose to plan them out the meals themselves whichever way makes the most sense to you and your timeline. Personally, I like to dedicate each meal to a day of the week after shopping. It's easier for me, I don't always know my work schedule ahead of time and that plays a huge part in my meal prep process. Stay tuned for more Kickin' in the Kitchen with Nat!

Thanks for sticking with me while I accept + learn the little things life has to offer :)

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