These Hacks Will Mean You Never Pay for Lunch Again!
Taking lunch from home is a hassle like no other. You either have to get up much earlier than usual to prepare everything or devote extra time at night to set things up for early morning.
But with the right kind of prep and smart organization, you’ll be able to ensure that your regular payments to this burger place or that biryani place stop once and for all (or at least are restricted to weekends).
1) Buy some stuff you can eat raw. And by that we mean buy your greens and fruits smartly.
Hear us out – we’re not saying meal prep means eating boring, textbook healthy food. While fruits and veggies are an important part of your meals, there’s another reason why we think these should be a part of your meal prep.
When you don’t have a meal prepared, you can overspend easily on trying to fill your stomach. But if you’re in a rush and have some fresh carrots and cucumbers in the fridge, or some fruits and/or dry fruits to snack on, you will be significantly more full and less likely to spend more money when you do end up paying for lunch.
Plus, vegetables take much less time to cook than meat!
2) Marinate and pre-cook meats over the weekend to save cooking time.
Meats are time consuming to cook because they need time to tenderize. If you’re someone who enjoys adding some meat related protein to their meals then you’ll definitely have a problem trying to throw something together last minute.
Marinate or pre-cook your meats beforehand. This will save so much time when you’re looking to make something in a rush. Cubes of cooked chicken can be thrown into some rice, salad, pasta, or a sandwich to make a quick lunch. Or you can always get creative and mix and match ingredients to create a lunch bowl for yourself.
3) Store your ingredients separately.
Meal prep requires having lots of ingredients ready at hand. This means having to buy in bulk. Keep your fridge and pantry organized by keeping all your ingredients clearly labelled and separate. This way, you’ll know exactly how much of a certain item you have left. No more last minute runs to the grocery store! (because lets face it – you don’t have time for it anyway.)
4) Keep your snacks and meals in one bag.
Having a devoted lunch bag instead of random takeaway bags from that restaurant you went to last week is a much better way to ensure you have a place to keep all your food.
5) Don’t be too hard on yourself!
Like any good habit, trying to develop the tendency to stop eating out and take your lunch from home requires time, effort, and commitment. Don’t be too strict or hard on yourself or you’ll never end up sticking to the habit. It’s okay to eat out sometimes as long as you try and balance it out with some nice ol’ home cooked meals.
This is how you all gonna feel once you realize the power of meal prep…
