Have you ever had that 5/6 o’clock feeling when you’re finally done for the day, you’re hungry and you just want to eat anything in sight? Yup I think we’ve all been there. When you’re hungry AF, the quickest thing to eat is a microwave meal or snacks. But if you’re trying to eat healthy or achieve a health goal (losing weight for example) then unhealthy & processed food isn’t the best option. And whether you’re vegan or not, you’re not going to hit any of your daily nutrition values eating crap.
Over the years I’ve found that a lot of yummy (& healthy) vegan meals can be planned & prepped in advance to make it super easy for you at breakfast, lunch & dinner. Which is why I literally LIVE for meal planning now.
Because there’s nothing more frustrating than thinking about the amount of time it will take to cook up a simple healthy vegan dish for the night. Even the easiest pasta dish would take you 15-20 mins, and when you’re tired and hungry, those 20 mins seem to take FOREVER, am I right? And if you’ve been vegan for a while, you’ll know that pressing, marinating & cooking tofu isn’t a quick job. And soaking cashew nuts & blending them up to make a lush carbonara pasta sauce also isn’t a quick job. So what’s the solution? Meal prepping & planning of course!
Not convinced yet? Well here are 10 reasons why you should start meal prepping & planning right now!
1. To create healthy habits & keep you on track with your health goals
Planning & prepping your meals every week creates a habit of doing your best to eat as healthy as you can. This could be to be the healthiest version of yourself, to lose weight, to transition to veganism, whatever the goal, meal planning will help you reach that goal faster by making you realise the effort you’re putting in each day.
2. Save time
Meal prepping all your meals for the week ahead is an amazing way to save time during the week. If you’re working 9-5 everyday, then more than likely you find on most days you don’t have a lot of time for breakfast before rushing out the door – this is where mason jars with overnight oats come in handy! And when lunch comes around, you waste most of your break because you’ve had to go out and buy something to eat. When I worked in an office, by the time I’d bought food, got back to the office, and shovelled my food down – it was time to work again. Which sucks because it almost feels as if you don’t actually get a break!
3. Makes sure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs
Meal prepping & planning is an amazing way to 100% make sure you’re getting all the nutrients in your diet. If you’re not sure what nutrients you need on a vegan diet then check out the free 5-day Vegan Nutrition Essentials Course to learn everything you need to know!
4. It saves you the “what should I cook tonight” worry
I always try to be as healthy & creative with my meals, but some days I just have no idea what to cook. Planning your meals cuts this out, and prepping your meals cuts out the actual hard work of cooking.
5. To stay accountable
Do you know the phrase “I’ll start again tomorrow” all too well? Yup we’ve all been there. But meal planning keeps you accountable for everything you’ve put in your body. So bingeing out for a whole day and pretending it didn’t happen the next day, isn’t going to work.
6. Stops you eating unhealthy
Once you’ve planned your meals & prepped everything you need to for the week, it will prevent you eating crap when you’re too hungry or too lazy to cook, because you’ll already have everything you need ready to go. Which ultimately can lead to weight loss if you cut out all the junk!
7, Forces you to be more creative with your food
With meal prep you’re usually making a few different meals out of the same few of ingredients, so you’ll learn to be more creative with what you’ve got.
8. Easier & less frequent food shopping
Planning your meals ahead of your food shop means that you know exactly what you need to buy, instead of spending your time in the supermarket deciding what meals to make as you walk through the isles. Your shopping trips will become less stressful, shorter & less frequent – yay!
9. You won’t have to do the dishes everyday
I mean, do I need to say more? Just this reason makes me want to meal prep forever.
10. Save moneyz
Who doesn’t love saving money? When you prep your meals in advance, it stops you buying sandwiches & salads on your lunch break (which easily adds up for £3-£5 each day) and eating out in restaurants in the evening. Not to mention it stops you wasting food too!
