On Sunday night, I not only make dinner, but I also plan ahead a week of healthy and delicious meals for lunch at work. In my experience, the hardest part about committing to a healthy diet was having the time to do so. When you’re busy at work, and don’t feel like dropping 30$+ on a healthy lunch delivery by post-mates (or delivery service of choice), the easy option seems to grab something unhealthy, or skip the meal entirely. Our busy schedules, and lack of convenience, can often set us up for failure and make bad habits stick. This is why meal prep can be such a useful tool in maintaining a healthy diet and supplying your body with the key vitamins and nutrients it needs to work optimally throughout the day! Meal prep can have an intimidating connotation. “You mean I have to set time aside to make food for …the entire week?! I barely have time to cook one meal!” Put your worries and excuses aside because meal prep is MUCH easier than it sounds.

Step 1: Start with a base. I like quinoa, lentils, or brown rice. Double the amount it says on the instructions. Rice/lentils take about 30 min to cook, so you can be doing the rest of your chopping/prep while this cooks.

Step 2: Choose your colorful carbohydrates (or veggies). For my dish I chose asparagus, mushrooms, sprouts, and olives. Steam/sauté/boil/etc., and then let cool.

Step 3: Choose a protein. I personally like to switch it up between one animal protein and one or two vegetarian proteins. (i.e. Chicken or salmon, or beans).

Step 4: Add two large spoonfuls of base to your week’s tupperware containers (use microwave safe containers). Add veggies + protein on top! I like to wait to drizzle olive oil, salt + pepper, or another sauce on hand when I actually go to reheat my meal the day of.

Pro tip: I like to choose two themes, or cuisine styles, for the week. For instance, mexican and mediterranean, or italian and middle-eastern. It’s easier to grocery shop for meal prep this way, and it makes me look forward to eating the meals more this way!