Can you meal prep and eat mindfully? How do you listen to what your body wants if you are making food ahead of time? Let’s talk through these questions.

Mindful eating puts you in charge of your food choices. Instead of the extremes of trying to stay in control, at any given time you have the freedom and flexibility to mindfully fuel yourself the way you want to.

This involves seeing food as something to make you feel good both physically and mentally, instead of a set of food rules to follow.

This means letting go of perfectionism in your eating habits. You’re not going to eat exactly what you are craving all the time, at the precise time when you are hungry and stopping at the moment that you feel full. That’s way too perfect - and the reality is that many times we need to adapt our choices to be flexible to whatever we are doing in the moment.

There will be a mix of scenarios - eating what sounds amazing in the moment, but also eating what’s easier. Listening and honoring your cravings, but also being realistic that every meal is not going to be a Michelin star experience.

Enter meal prepping. Busy workweeks, hectic after school schedules leave no time for cooking. This is where meal prepping comes in. But how do you meal prep and eat mindfully? What if you make a big batch of chicken and vegetables for the week, but one day you feel like something else?

Let’s break this down.

Meal Prepping: There’s No Right Or Wrong Way

Do what makes life easier. If you have time on Sunday mornings and prefer to batch cook stuff to keep in the fridge for the week, then do it. If you would rather chop and pre-cut a bunch of stuff to make cooking go quicker, that works great too.

The whole point of meal prepping is to simplify your life. If meal prepping becomes a rigid and restrictive process for you, then you need to think about the reasons why you are doing it.

If it’s to make sure only “good” or “safe” foods are around, then you need to work on forming a healthy relationship with food first.

Otherwise, I do think it’s helpful to have a few things from each food group slightly prepped for the week.

For example:

Grains: cooked quinoa, roasted potatoes

Protein: canned sardines, grilled chicken, frozen bison burgers

Vegetables: roasted veggies, pre-cut raw veggies, frozen spinach (can easily be added to soups, stews, omelets)

As you see from these examples, meal prepping can be as involved or simple as you want it. Having a few things at the ready ahead of time will save you time, money, and help you better honor your food cravings.

I’d also recommend keeping some desserts around too! If you’re the type who likes a sweet treat after lunch or dinner then having treats you enjoy around will make foods both filling and satisfying. I like to keep a batch of these chocolate muffins around and make these ice pops.

Continue To Mix It Up

Instead of eating the same thing every day for lunch, try to mix it up.

For example, if you prepped grilled chicken, quinoa, and roasted veggies, try different variations. One day you might crave something cold and crunchy. You could take some of the grilled chicken and roasted veggies to add to a salad. Top with nuts and seeds and a delicious dressing.

Another day you might crave something comforting. You can take the chicken and grilled veggies and top over a warm bowl of pasta.

Use the meal prepped foods to your advantage - be creative and use it in different ways to keep things exciting.

This does involve keeping some staple items in your pantry like lentil pasta, nuts, seeds, dressings, feta cheese, etc. to elevate your meal from filling to deliciously satisfying.

If You Don’t Feel Like Eating Your Prepped Food - That’s Ok

If you don’t feel like anything you made, that’s ok.

I think the biggest concern is food waste. Instead of wasting, can you freeze it for later? Most foods freeze well for months. Or will someone else eat it (roommate, spouse, kids)? There’s usually someone around who will eat it!

Or try to repurpose the food for another meal. Pre-cut a bunch of raw veggies but don’t feel like hummus and peppers? Why not make a sheet-pan fajita dinner with shrimp and the peppers?

One of the biggest takeaways is that not every meal will be perfect or the exact thing you want to eat.

Meal prepping is supposed to make your life easier. If it becomes a stressful or rigid thing, then assess your intentions.

Remember - there is no such thing as perfect eating and there’s no perfect way to meal prep either.

Do what makes your life easiest!