How To Cook At Home More By Meal Prepping

At some point in our lives, we’re all going to face the need to eat healthier. This may be for health reasons, or maybe you’re choosing to go on a diet. Whatever the reason, the best way to achieve this is to control what goes into your food. By cooking more at home, you can control the calories, nutrients, and ingredients. Don’t like butter? Put only a little or none. You control the spices you add as well as how much vegetables you want to have.

That said, cooking at home more won’t be easy. So, be prepared for the doubt to set in. It’s possible to make excuses like, not knowing how to follow a recipe, or not having the needed ingredients in the fridge, etc. Once you start making these excuses then it’s “hello take-out” and that’s not the route that you want to take.

Ask yourself the questions. Do I want to save money and cook at home more? Do I want to know how to cook at home more? If the answer to both those questions is yes, then meal prepping may just be the answer for you. Here are three tips to make the process easier:

How to Cook at Home More

Here is a three-course meal plan for you to try.

Breakfast: Swiss Chard and Ricotta Pie

Yield: 6 Servings

Total Time: 40 Minutes

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

• Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
• Chopped onion: ½ cup
• Garlic clove: 1
• Chopped Swiss chard: 8 cups
• Whole milk ricotta cheese: 2 cups
• Eggs: 3
• Shredded mozzarella: 1 cup
• Shredded parmesan: ¼ cup
• Ground nutmeg: 1/8 teaspoon
• Salt: a pinch
• Pepper: a pinch
• Mild sausage: 1 lb.

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the chopped onion and the minced garlic clove. Now add in the chopped swiss chard and fry until the leaves are wilted and the stems have become tender.
2. Now add in the ground nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Set it aside. In another large bowl, beat the eggs and then add in the whole milk ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
3. Now add in the fried swiss chard mixture. If you wish to make a large pie you need to roll out your sausage and press it into a pie tart and then put in the filling which you have prepared.
4. Preheat your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and put your pie to bake in for 25 to 30 minutes. You can add in more cheese if you wish to.

Lunch: Beans and Almonds

Yield: 4

Total Time: 30 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of fresh green beans with their ends trimmed up
• 1 and a ½ tablespoon of olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1 and a ½ tablespoon of minced up fresh dill
• Juice of just one lemon
• ¼ cup of crushed up almonds
• Flaky sea salt for finishing

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400-degree Fahrenheit. Take a bowl and mix green beans with olive oil. Season with a bit of salt.
2. Spread the mixture in a single layer on a large-sized sheet pan. Roast in your oven for 10 minutes and stir well, roast for 8-10 minutes more.
3. Remove from oven and keep stirring while gently adding lemon juice and dill. Top with some crushed almonds and salt, enjoy!

Dinner: Roasted Pepper Soup

Yield: 4

Total Time: 35 minutes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon of coconut butter
• ½ a cup of a roasted red pepper chopped up
• 1 large-sized finely chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon of celery salt
• 1 tablespoon of seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon of organic paprika
• 1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 4-5 cups of Cauliflower broken up into florets
• 4 cup of vegetable broth
• Just a splash of apple cider vinegar
• 1 pinch fresh thyme
• 1 cup of organic coconut milk

Instructions:

Take a heavy-bottomed pot and add coconut oil over medium heat. Add chopped-up shallots and sauté for 3 minutes. Add chopped up and roasted pepper alongside the seasonings. Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add cauliflower, fresh thyme, and stock

Bring it to a simmer and cover the pot, cook for 5-10 minutes. Work in small batches and puree the soup using an immersion blender. Bring the whole blended soup back to your pot and stir in coconut milk. Enjoy!

Now that you have a small meal plan laid out here are a few tips for sticking to your meal plan.

Tips for Meal Planning

Pre-prep

Meal prepping can take up a good amount of time, especially when you have to cut up your vegetables. It’s best to do all of your cuts on a day that you’re available. Give yourself about thirty minutes to an hour to do your pre-prep for the week. Once that’s done, then half of the battle has already been won and you’ll be ready to cook on prep day. If you find that cutting up the vegetables takes too long, purchase pre-cut vegetables from your grocery store. Doing it this way will cost a little bit more, but it’ll be easier to prep. You can also buy pre-washed and cut lettuce, marinated fish, and poultry.

Practice Becomes Perfect

Listen you’re not going to be Gordon Ramsay overnight no matter how hard you try. This can be a bit frustrating but don’t give up on yourself. Start slow and pick simple yet tasty recipes. Practice the recipe until you know it like the back of your hand. The more you cook the better you’ll get.

Conclusion

Meal Prepping can be a useful tool when trying to cook more at home. Planning what you’re going to eat for the week will make it easier to grocery shop, and help you get out of the hot kitchen quicker.