Thanks to Instagram, weekday meal prepping has become a weekend ritual for many workers. It can save time and money while making healthy eating easier.
Interested? Take a few lessons from Unum’s Casey Foster. Casey, a learning consultant in the company’s Portland office, discovered a new healthy lifestyle after following fitness bloggers on Instagram who meal prepped. She saw how quick and easy it was and decided to give it a try. After a few weeks of trial and error, she was hooked.
Eating healthier and staying cost efficient were important considerations for Casey, and she’s been able to stick to her routine for more than 2 years. Her secrets to maintaining her success for so long: buying frozen fruits and veggies in bulk, multitasking while cooking, and finding recipes with variety.
“The hardest part is eating the same thing every day for a week, but everything else is so much easier,” Casey added. “I grocery shop on Saturdays and do the cooking on Sundays, which only takes about an hour and a half.”
When she wants to add some variety, Casey goes with an Italian sub salad with pepperoni, salami, veggies and provolone. Normally, she sticks to regular balanced recipes of proteins, carbs and veggies. Lunch is the main meal Casey preps for on Sundays, plus snacks such as raspberries and Greek yogurt.
“I lay out my containers and have those ready to go. I’ll sauté my protein while my rice and vegetables are steaming in the microwave,” Casey said. “Frozen veggies and 90-second rice are the best because they’re so easy to make.”
She also commits to physical activities Monday-Friday, but her choice to meal prep trumps working out due to the benefits.
“You can work out every day, but if you aren’t eating healthy to support it you probably won’t see results,” she said.
Eating healthy affects not only Casey’s physical health, but her mental health as well, which is just as important. Maintaining a well-balanced diet offers her so many benefits, including feeling alert instead of groggy, alleviating stress and feeling happier overall.
Overall healthy eating doesn’t have to be all work and no play, though. Casey rewards her hard work by indulging periodically on the weekends. Favorite treats include Stove Top Stuffing, her grandmother’s beef stroganoff and Sour Patch Kids.
