Living a consciously healthy lifestyle is now more important than ever.

And if you’re like me, I often wonder how can I change up what’s for dinner but stay within my caloric intake. 

When you receive one of our CSA shares of 4-8 fruits, vegetables, and herbs every week, your meal prepping woes get much simpler! You're already getting the freshest and most nutrient-dense produce and  you can build your meal plan around those products. This is how our ancestors used to eat - living off whatever was growing at the time and picking things straight from the ground or trees.

Our CSA members receive an E-mail each Sunday detailing the items you can expect to receive and also recipes to help you make the most of some of the less popular items. 

Keep it Small & Simple

When you decide to prepare your own meals for the week, start small! Cook just one or two meals and build your way up from there. Don’t try to cook a whole week’s worth of meals in one sitting. You may want to do this later as you get more comfortable, but for now, just try to find your meal-prepping groove.

Focus on simple meals. Salad greens are a favorite among many meal preppers because they can be used in a seemingly endless number of ways. From spring salads, to taco toppers, to hamburger fixin's - greens are so versatile should be a staple on your weekly grocery list. It’s also easy to store - no need to use your freezer space.

Have Variety
With just a bit of protein (chicken, turkey, beef, seafood, etc.) and fresh, nutrient-dense vitamin-packed vegetables and herbs, you can easily prepare three totally different meals.

Take, for instance, ground turkey. From one package of ground turkey you could easily make a pot of chili, juicy turkey burgers from the grill, or taco meat to be used on taco shells, or on top of your salad greens for a quick, low-carb option.

Learn to Multitask
Remember that you can cook lots of different things at the same. Use your oven space or grill to its fullest potential. There’s no need to place one thing in there at a time. Use multiple oven trays if it helps, or use aluminum foil to make dividers on one oven tray and multiply your efforts. Start with recipes that lend themselves to this type of cooking.

When planning your first shopping trip as a meal prepper, ask yourself if you have enough oven trays, aluminum foil and other utensils you might need.

Fruit
Fruit is a great way to dive into meal prepping. You can cut up different types of fruit and store them just like any meals you could prepare. You can easily make fruit salads or smoothies to go along with your prepped meals, or you can simply start off with fruit prep only. Having vitamin-packed, healthy snack options at your fingers tips is a great way to limit calories from mindless snacking. Oh and Ps. Don't be afraid of sugar in fruit! Fruit is one of the most nutrient-dense foods we can eat!

The Crockpot

Okay, this one is obvious, yet so many new meal preppers overlook it. The Crockpot has been a favorite among moms for decades. Use it to make simple, great-tasting meals in bulk, then store them in the freezer. You can also Google "Dump Meals" and prepare your ingredients in one large bag ahead of time and just "dump" the meals in the crockpot as you run at the door to work! You'll come home to an amazing smelling house and dinner already prepared! Win-win!

Let's Get to Work!
Hopefully this guide has given all you need to get started with meal prepping so you can make life a little easier. Remember, DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY! You may have to experiment a little bit, but carving out time in your week to prepare some healthy meals ahead of time can save you time, money, AND calories.

After all, that’s what meal prepping is all about.

Don’t forget to tell us about your favorite tips and recipes in the comments below!

12 Week Community Supported Agriculture - Weekly Subscription

Join the Rommey farm family and be apart of our CSA subscription!

$25/Week

BUY NOW