To prep, or not to prep

… that is the question.
Whether it’s nobler to prep and suffer
under the pressure of your knives and spoons,
or take arms against a kitchen full of food…

I’m kidding. But then again, I’m not.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve watched dozens – if not hundreds – of those meal prep videos, where a happy, healthy young chick is cooking up a storm, resulting in a fridge and freezer full of meals. Enough to feed an army for a week. At the very least. And all of that in under two hours time. How do they do that?

Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer to that question. It might be the magic that comes with the being young and healthy.

I’m neither young nor healthy, so my meal prepping takes all day and I still end up utterly exhausted and with unfinished tasks. Also, the results of all my hard work will feed only me, and not even for an entire week.

Is it worth it?

That’s a question every person has to answer for themselves. To me, it certainly is. Most of the time, anyway. But I love homemade food. And I love cooking. Spending one day a week prepping saves me a lot of time and energy later on. I get to enjoy lovely homemade meals and treats all week long, without using up all my spoons in the kitchen every day. That ‘s a definite win to me.

You may be different. You might not enjoy cooking, and just want to find a way not to starve or go bankrupt ordering takeout. Spending an entire day may not be enticing, or even feasible for you at all.

If that’s you, don’t despair. There are other ways to meal prep. You don’t have to do it all in one day. Maybe you could make double portions of each meal you prepare. Eat one now, freeze one for later.

Maybe you could clean and chop double, or even triple, the amount of veggies you need. Use one part, save the rest for later.

Or, if you can prep for just five minutes at a time – and maybe two or three times a day – do it. Because even that will help you achieve your goal of eating more homemade meals.

Can you think of other ways to make meal prepping more attainable?