This post is part of ours healthy and whole Series to inspire passion for home cooking and a sustainable healthy lifestyle. Today’s guest author is Robyn Downs, blog author real food for life. Robyn is dedicated to spreading the message that healthy eating can be accessible and enjoyable. His new guide, Real Food Fix, is designed to put his innovative meal prep solutions into practice: try it Here. Congratulations Robyn on launching Real Food Fix and thanks for sharing your innovative strategy for preparing real food meals!
After the birth of my daughter in 2012, I was upset and unbalanced. I knew I needed to devote myself to eating right and to living life as a whole, but I didn’t know where to start. Between the demands of work and family, I struggled to find the time to organize myself. I felt like I needed an extra 6 hours just to plan meals and that’s 6 hours I didn’t have. I as well hated meal planning
Integrating real food into my daily life seemed completely overwhelming. can you understand I tried complicated meal plans but struggled with unwieldy grocery lists and cooked new recipes every night. I was afraid of the grocery store. And I felt guilty for how much unused food I had to throw away each week. KNow that there had to be a better way, I spent several years experimenting with different systems to reduce time and effort while still allowing myself and my family to eat real food every day. . What I’ve found is that simplicity really is best.
Instead of planning meals each night from separate recipes — with ingredient lists that don’t line up — I found I needed to prepare and plan the meal rooms (or “Essential Six” as I call them) allows for a streamlined process without complex meal plans and endless shopping lists. Today I’m excited to share some of my top strategies and tips for making real food manageable in real life. Read on to find out how to plan and prepare your meals without a recipe!
1 | Think of meals in terms of The Essential Six.
Think of the Essential Six as the building blocks of any recipe: Sauces, Proteins, Cooked Vegetables, Raw Vegetables, Grains + Bases, and Toppings + Extras. The Essential Six can be combined in endless ways to create different types of meals. Think bowls, tacos, pasta, salads and stir-fries to name a few.
When you think of meals in terms of the Essential Six, you can shop, plan, and prepare efficiently without wasting time or money, and create a refrigerator and pantry with ingredients that go together. It also allows you to have efficient prep without cooking entire meals ahead of time. If you’re new to planning and prep, I recommend starting with sauces because they mix up in minutes and save for easy weekday cooking.
There’s nothing quite like coming home with a fridge full of pre-made sauces you can use to add flavor to almost any dish. Here’s one of my favorites to get you started:
try it: Prepare a large batch of tahini dressing Homemade Greek Quinoa Bowls in advance (above), then assemble during the week.
2 | Create a stress-free weekly meal plan.
I find it helpful to take a few minutes each week to plan meals before heading to the grocery store. Instead of planning individual recipes, think about it types of meals like tacos, pasta, bowls, stir-fries and salads. Once you’ve decided on the type of meals for the week, decide what sauces to use and what proteins, veggies, and grains you have on hand, are in season, or are available in the market.
In addition to planning around meal types, here are some of my other go-to meal mapping strategies:
- Plan the most complex recipes for the start of the week when you have the most energy.
- Prepare large batches of protein, such as cooked beansearlier in the week to have leftovers for dinner or lunch later in the week.
- Plan super easy recipes and leftover dinners for later in the week when you’re low on energy.
Try it: Grill a large batch of vegetables, prepare a double batch of quinoa and enjoy Build your own quinoa vegetable bowls (above) in minutes.
3 | Simplify grocery shopping.
My grocery or market plan each week revolves around the types of meals I have planned. You can do the same by going shopping about once a week. Getting the most out of every trip is key, so here are some of my strategies to help you get there:
- Buy commonly used Essential Six ingredients in bulk when they’re on sale so you’ll always have what you need on hand.
- Stock up on seasonal produce as these are fresher and probably cheaper too.
- Use fragile produce like sprouts and herbs earlier in the week and save stronger produce like root vegetables for later in the week.
- Keep a cool box in your car so you can get your groceries anytime.
try it: Next time you’re at the market, stock up on quinoa, black beans, and the seasonal vegetables you love. Then do this Easy Southwestern Quinoa Bowls (above).
4 | Put your slow cooker to work.
The slow cooker is your best friend when it comes to preparing large batches of protein. It’s especially handy for preparing vegetable beans and chillies that can be used in tacos, bowls, and salads. Here are some of my favorite slow cooker tips:
- Every slow cooker is slightly different, so experiment with yours to find the perfect time.
- A 6 liter slow cooker is a great option, even if you’re only cooking for one or two people. This creates leftovers that can be used in multiple meals or frozen in individual portions for future meals.
Try it: Prepare a batch Slow cooker bean puree (top) Use in tacos and bowls throughout the week.
5 | Make preparation an enjoyable part of your weekly routine.
Meal prep doesn’t have to be a dreaded chore. Here are some of my favorite tips to make it fun:
- Schedule a time that works for you. Maybe it’s during your child’s nap, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, or late at night when everyone is in bed.
- If a prep session seems daunting, schedule two mini prep sessions, one for the weekend and one for the middle of the week, to break up the process and replenish your stash.
- Plan a special time at your favorite cozy spot. Create rituals around this time to make it something to look forward to.
- Listen to your favorite music or podcast and pour yourself a glass of wine or a hot cup of tea as you plan and prepare. Then celebrate the time invested by enjoying food throughout the week.
try it: Put on your favorite pieces, pour yourself something delicious and prepare the sauce to go with it Vegetable Noodle Shells with 5-Ingredient Peanut Sauce Ahead for a quick meal later in the week (above).
Ready to start?
Robyn just published an e-guide showing how to cook meals without recipes: Real food solution. In the 100+ page Real Food Fix guide, you’ll get:
- A streamlined and flexible process to make meal planning and preparation fun and easy
- Over 50 easy-to-prepare and combinable recipes that can be combined in different ways
- 30+ examples of using mix and match recipes to create real meals for busy people
- Tips for success including how to set up your kitchen, reduce food waste and more.
- Personalized bonus plans for families, couples and singles, plus printable PDFs to stay organized
Listen Here.
Photo by Robyn from KLiK Concepts; all other pictures by Robyn Downs, real food for life.
