Link Nutrition's guide to meal-prep
11th January 2020
/ Health
Link Nutrition's guide to meal-prep
Emily Shannon
As you may have guessed, we’re all about celebrating FOOD! We love preparing and eating delicious, nutritious food for breakfast, lunch and dinner no matter where we are, or what day it is. It makes us feel more energised, think clearer and sleep better too - the perfect concoction for a healthy lifestyle. There’s no reason why eating well and being prepared means that you have to compromise on taste, if anything, this is where the fun begins!
We’re here to make sure you kick-start your 2020 the right way, helping you to make good food choices to ensure you get the most out of your days. Wondering what our top tip is? You can probably guess what we’re about to say next. Yes, meal prep! You have most definitely heard the phrase time and time before, probably because it’s been tried and tested - it really is the best way to take control of your health.
Why we love meal-prep.
It helps us to eat healthily - When we know that we have our lunch ready to go, we’re less likely to grab anything for convenience that might not be so healthy.
Saves us time - Let’s face it, who wants to be stuck in the kitchen when they’re so much else we can be doing? Getting ahead and doing it all in one go makes it much easier!
It helps us stop food waste - Meal-prepping helps us to use up our odds and ends in the fridge or leftovers from a meal that you have cooked previously, stopping it going into the bin. So you’re being more organised and reducing food waste, win win!
Helps us focus on other things so that we can be at the top of our game - Preparing ahead helps to take the stress out of mealtimes, so we can focus on more important things - even more important in January!
We know exactly what we’re eating most of the time - Making food at home means that you know exactly what you’re eating, there’s no hidden nasties!
If our plans change - it doesn’t matter - When we get thrown curve balls, or have late running lunchtime meetings, it’s always great to know that we don’t have to go far to grab some lunch.
Helps us to save our pennies - This is a big one! Preparing ahead can really save money on buying breakfast and lunch out. As much as we love trying new things (there’s lots of yummy cafes and lunch stops out there) they do come with a hefty price tag for the convenience - so why not just save them as a treat on a Friday?
We get to use our favourite Black + Blum lunch box - At Link Nutrition, we’re all about ditching the plastic where we can. So, this is the perfect opportunity to use our stainless steel lunch box from Black + Blum. Not only is it great for the planet, but it makes lunch times feel extra special!
We can make a note of all our meals in our fancy CGD London journal - This one is exciting too. Our fancy CGD journal has a section to write in each meal everyday. This helps us to be super organised and feel ultra-prepared (plus we get to write in our shiny new journal, which is a good excuse right?!). If you want to get in on the action, we’re offering a FREE (yes, free!) CGD journal with every order over £40 on our website in January, head to our homepage to find out more.
You can make it delicious - Our final favourite perk of meal-prep is the fact that you can pretty much have anything you like! We love adding in all our healthy favourites to make lunchtime totally delicious!
One of the main questions that we get asked is what are the best things to include in your lunchbox. Lunchtime is so important, if you think about it, it’s what powers you through the afternoon and keeps you going until dinner, so lunchtime nutrition is essential to support your afternoon productivity!
Here at Link Nutrition we like to give lunchtime a lot of thought (if you’re anything like us, we’re counting down the minutes until it's socially acceptable to whip out our lunchbox!). Importantly though, whether that be breakfast, lunch or dinner, regardless of the meal you’re prepping, remember that the key is balance to give your body the right fuel to perform at it’s best!
Four key nutrients to consider.
Protein - If you’re trying to reduce the amount of meat you’re eating, skipping meat at lunchtime is a great way to do so. Why not try some plant-based protein, a couple of our favourites are pulses like beans or lentils, soya products like tofu and even nuts and seeds (which we love for their extra crunch!)
Healthy fats - Our favourites are avocado with a drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Nuts are also a great source of healthy fats, try sprinkling your lunch with almonds or cashews, they’re very tasty!
Include a wholegrain/complex carb - This is a great base, we love brown rice or quinoa then adding delicious toppings!
Get in your greens - Including plenty of green veggies at lunchtime is a great way to top up your 5 a day. They contain essential vitamins and minerals that our body needs to be at it’s best. We like ours lightly steamed to keep in all of that goodness!
One of the most important things about meal prep is mixing things up! Make sure you don’t have the same things each week - variety is key! Some of our favourite ways to make things different each week is to include different fruits or veggies and make delicious dressing for some added flavour.
Our favourite ways to meal-prep
Try to get ahead: Meal prepping is definitely easier when you have more time to play with. For us this is at the weekend. Think about what you’re going to have the following week at the weekend and cook it up at the time before the week starts. This way, when Monday morning comes, you can just grab and go - simple!
Batch-cook: Trust us, your freezer should be your best friend! If you know you’re going to plan-ahead and you’re making something already make a big batch and pop it in the freezer! This way you can take it out as and when you need it.
Make a meal plan: Making a meal plan at the start of the week can really help to make things clear so you know exactly what meals you need for when. This way, you can make sure you’ve got plenty of variety (we’re always thinking about our gut microbes!) and won’t be caught short at the last minute.
Make extras - A really easy way to meal prep is to always cook up extras. When you’re cooking dinner in the evening, think about making extra to take for the next day - then just add some salad or veggies to it. This way, you can save the batch-cooked freezer supply for when you really need it!
Don't be scared to try new things and get creative in the kitchen. Cooking can be as simple as you want it to be - it doesn’t have to be complicated. Happy cooking!
