5 Creative High Protein Meal – Prep Dishes to Save You Time

           For people who are always busy a good example being athletes, meal prepping comes in as a very important concept. The concept basically involves preparing your meals or dishes way before consuming them. It is a very imperative not only in saving time but also in its effect on the health of the individual. Preparing Meal a head of your schedule as it seems is of course a bit complicated. We therefore decide to explore this concept here in great details highlighting some of the top 5 most creative high protein meal prep dishes that can help you save time if you are a busy individual.

Why is meal prepping beneficial?

         Preparing your meals in advance some great benefits touching on some aspects such as your nutrition, your lifestyle and so much more. Here are some of the most important benefits that you can be sure to rip if you consider meal prepping:

• Helps you stick to your preferred diet - When you have your meals ready, you can never be tempted to eat something that is may not be important for your health nutrition-wise.

• Controlling your diet is easier - Meal prepping does not only help in making sure that you stick to your diet but also comes in strongly in helping ensure that the diet you are consuming has the right contents in the right amounts.

• You can easily put your hunger under control - Since you already prepared your meal, there is no point why you should feel hungry since you can easily eat your meal.

• Saving time - Of course, we cannot fail to mention that meal prepping saves quite some time especially if you have little time to prepare your meals.

• Saving your costs - Have your meal already prepared saves some costs such as costs of delivery of meals, you don’t waste a lot of food and other resources.

         When you start meal prepping, you tend to know exactly how much of the ingredients you will need for each of the meals that you will be preparing. This in the long run helps reduce wastage.

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Some disadvantages of meal prepping

           Meal prepping lacks many disadvantages. Some of the few that can be found include:

• It can get boring for some people - Some people prefer to eat a wide variety of food. Meal prepping on the other hand in most cases will involve eating only a single variety of food. This will not favor people who like going for variety.

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• May not be good for kids - Meal prepping may not work for kids because they may not like the plan.

         The disadvantages of meal prepping can easily be avoided through using spices of different varieties or any other way of flavoring your food. This way, you end up avoiding the monotony.

The different ways of prepping High Protein Meal

         Meal prepping can be done in several ways most of which take care of how much time you want to spend during the process. You can always spare your weekend if you choose the best way of meal prepping. Here are the different ways that you can prep High Protein Meal:

Cooking meals in advance

          This way of meal prepping simply involves cooking full meals such that the next thing when they are removed from the fridge will be eating them. The only thing that might intercept will be reheating them so that they are warm and good for consuming. The most appropriate meals that this way of High Protein Meal prepping is suitable are those meals that are particularly great for dinner.

Batch cooking

          Another way of meal prepping is batch cooking. Batch cooking involves preparing sizeable quantities of a certain recipe, which can then be divided into single portions. These portions are each frozen and are consumed for a given period of time usually of several months. Meals that are good for lunch and even dinner will be best prepped using this way of meal prepping.

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Portioned individual meals

          In this way, one basically prepares meals then divides them into portions that are separate. These portions are refrigerated and can be easily grabbed and consumed afterwards. If you like quick lunches, then this way will be particularly good for you to use as you prep your meals.

Earlier ingredient preparation

            Sometimes if you do not want to prepare meals in advance but still want to save some time, then you can consider preparing your ingredients earlier. This means that you are going to use minimum time as much as possible while in the kitchen.

            There may be other ways that you can do your meal prepping. It totally depends on your day-to-day routine. However, the above-mentioned ways are the most common and one or two are likely to favor your routine and ensure that you are not late whether you are an athlete or any other person who is busy.

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What to Consider Before Starting Meal Prepping

           Before you start meal prepping and even before choosing your recipe, there are 3 things you need to put into consideration:

The meal you want to prepare at an appropriate time

          There are meals you may want to prepare for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is very important that you know which food will be the best at such times for you.

• The day of doing your meal preps - So that you do not interfere with your work or your workouts, find a suitable time that you can do your meal preps. People often go for Sundays and Wednesdays but it is upon you to choose the appropriate day.

• The amount you want to prepare - Deciding on the amount to prepare is also very important. This makes sure that you do not waste a lot of time and at the same time ensure that the food lasts the time intended.

The Type and Number of Meals to Prepare During High Protein Meal Prepping

           Something that is very crucial when it comes to meal prepping is getting to know the type of meal as well as the number of meals to prepare. This is because Meal Prepping is all about planning a head and one cannot plan ahead without knowing what and in which amounts to prepare. To ensure that you get the right type and amount to prepare, you can follow this guide here:

• Find out the type of meal that you want depending on your preferences.
• The next thing that you will consider is the meal prepping method that will fit your day-to-day activities and lifestyle.
• After having landed the best method for you, have a quick check on your calendar and find out the number of breakfast, lunches and dinners that you will require for the specified period of time according to your method and again your lifestyle.
• Take into consideration the times you are likely to not use your meal preps for example you may have dates and so on.
• Start with recipes that are familiar to you and then slowly transit to more complex recipes.

Spending less time while High Protein Meal prepping

           While it help save time in the long run, meal prepping can keep you in the kitchen if you are not well prepared.  Highlighted here are some of the tips that can help ensure that you are spending less time as much as possible in the kitchen when doing your meal preps.

Have one schedule that you use

           Having a single schedule for your meal preps is a good first step in ensuring that you spend the least time possible in the kitchen. Have a clear outline of when you will fetch your groceries and when you will be preparing the meals. This of course also depends on your lifestyle and how busy you are.

Know the recipes that you need for your meal preps

          Having a well-known combination of recipes for a given meal preps is something else that goes a long way I ensuring that you spend as less time as much as possible. It is generally recommended that your recipes should at least require different cooking methods so that you do not end up requiring the same utensil for several kinds of meals.

A good organization in prep and cooking time is required

        Different foods have different cooking times. Knowing this will help you organize how well you can ensure that you they fit into your lifestyle. Generally, start with foods that require long cooking times. As they cook, you can focus on the ones that require shorter times.

Have a shopping list

          Lastly, if you are considering saving time while making your preps, always ensure that you have your shopping list. This is one area that when not properly taken into consideration will lead to a lot time being wasted. Things like getting to double check everything will waste a lot of time. Therefore, a shopping list is a great tool for you to save time while making your meal preps in the kitchen.

General types of foods suitable for meal prepping

          Before looking into the 5 high protein meal prep dishes, here are some of the general types of foods that are good when it comes to meal prepping. Some of them will be a crucial part of the dishes you will want to prepare.

1. Frozen vegetables - are among some of the best foods you can incorporate into your meal preps. They include broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and peas.
2. Starchy vegetables - suitable for meal prepping include cassava, potato, taro and canned pumpkin.

3. Stiff fresh vegetables - in this category include cabbage, carrots and radish.

4. Lean protein - are also part and parcel of meal prepping. Foods in this category include eggs, shredded cheese, tofu, beef and pork.

5. Whole fruits - to ensure that you balance your diet, fruits should also be part of the meal preps. Notable fruits include apples, oranges, pears and bananas.

The 5 creative high protein meal prep dishes

            After having looked into various concepts of meal preps, one thing that has emerged is the need to save time. Busy athletes and other people will try to identify those dishes, which will help them save time and at the same time contain high protein, which is required considering the nature of their activities. Here are some of those dishes, which will make sure that you are spending less time in the kitchen and contain high proteins.

 1 Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken

            Barbecue chicken for a long time has been the best meal to be taken during dinner. Something good about it is that it can be made more easily and quickly compared to most other foods.

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        Here is how you can prepare your barbecue chicken as a meal prep:

• You will first make a tex-mex salad with lettuce, tomato, onion, black beans, Monterey jack cheese and crushed tortilla chips about a handful.
• This is followed by topping over a thin-crust whole-wheat pizza dough and then sprinkling with mozzarella.
• After that, you will top over medium baked sweet potato.
• Then make a quesadilla with high protein tortillas, Monterey jack cheese, beans and diced tomatoes.
• Finally, roll into a high protein tortilla full of lettuce, tomato, onion and Colby-jack cheese.

 2. Beef Stir - Fry With Asian Peanut Sauce

        This another great dish that falls in our category of creative high protein meal preps, you can quickly prepare this dish through following the simple steps below.

• Chop the beef and add it to brown rice and beans or a chili if available.

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• You can then cube, reheat and then add to a soup that is broth-based and which has sliced vegetables, a good example being carrots.
• The next thing that you do is making a Panini sandwich using thin slices of pork and some cheese.
• Next, you serve over wild rice with sautéed cauliflower or even kale on the side.
• Finally, slice and then add whole grain pasta with vegetables.

 3. Rosemary - Mustered Pork Tenderloin

       Next on our list of the top 5 creative high protein meal prep dishes is the rosemary- mustered pork tenderloin. Here is how you can prepare your dish.

• Chop the pork tenderloin and add it to brown rice and beans or even a chili.
• Proceed to add to a broth-based soup with sliced vegetables after having cubed and reheated.
• Follow this by making a Panini sandwich with thin slices of pork and cheese.
• Serve over wild rice with sautéed cauliflower or kales if available on the side.
• You can then slice and add to whole grain pasta with vegetables.

 4. Baked Salmon With Citrus Herbs

           This dish is for those who like fish. A delicious dish can be prepared as described here below.

• Baked salmon can be enjoyed over some green salad made with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese and sunflower seeds.
• It can be served with quinoa or sometimes faro and some side vegetable be it cauliflower or broccoli.
• The leftover salmon can diced and used in a frittata or an omelet.
• You can then chop and make into salmon cakes.
• This can be used in fish tacos with black beans, shredded cheese dice avocado.

 5. Teriyaki Tofu

         Although it can generally be said that tofu lacks the flavor, it is a far way good dish that can quickly be prepared and also contains high proteins. Besides, you can easily infuse ginger, garlic, onions or any other flavors to suit your flavors.

• Teriyaki tofu can be served over brown rice or even sorghum.
• Toss it into leftover chili.
• You can then create a Buddha bowl with sautéed greens and lentils.
• Finally serve with baked sweet potato fries and broccoli.

Storage of the Meal Preps

           After having prepared your meals, the next thing that you will consider is storage so that they remain fresh for the period that you specified. The most important thing that is highlighted here is the medium of storage. Getting the right storage contain will go a long way into ensuring that you get the best result ever. Storage containers can be:

Airtight Containers

         Airtight containers can be used to keep ingredients, which are ready to cook. They should be washable and include silicone baggies and stainless steel containers, which are reusable.

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BPA-Free Microwavable Containers

         BPA-microwavable containers have the advantage in the sense they are very convenient and are not harmful to your health. Example of these containers include Pyrex glassware and collapsible silicone containers.

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Freezer-Safe Containers

        Freezer safe containers come in strongly in helping maintain the quality of your food. This because they have this effect of limiting freezer burn as well as nutrient losses. The container of choice in this category include the wide-mouthed mason jars with a space of about 1 inch left to allow space for the expansion of food when it freezes.

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Compartmentalized Containers That Are Leak-Proof

          Finally, some very good containers that you may consider using for storage of your meal prep dishes are the compartmentalized leak-proof containers. Particularly if it comes to those meal prep dishes intended for lunch or those dishes that usually require their ingredients to be mixed at the end.

Food Safety When Carrying Out Prepping

          Meal prepping can result to some health problems if enough care is not taken into consideration. One such health problem is food poisoning, which affects millions each year. So what guidelines can be used to ensure that food poisoning as well as other health effects related to meal prepping are not experienced?

Proper Temperatures

         You refrigerator or freezer should always be at proper temperatures. The recommended refrigerator temperatures are about 5 degrees Celsius or below while for the freezer should be -18 degrees Celsius or below

Refrigerating Fresh Foods

          Fresh foods should always be refrigerated as early as within 2 hours of purchase and after cooking. To ensure that they cool quickly, you can simply spread those foods, which have been cooked into containers, which are a bit shallow. This is followed immediately by transferring them into your refrigerator.

Storage Period

       Storage times for certain foods is important. For instance, such foods like fresh meat or even fish should be cooked within about 2 days after purchasing them. Others like red meat can stay a bit longer but not more than 5 days after purchasing them. Within the storage times, it is recommended that they foods be kept in the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

Cooking Temperatures

        Cooking temperatures should be the right for the right type of food. This is because bacteria in different foods are killed at different temperatures. For example, meats heated to temperatures of at least 75 degrees Celsius will ensure that most of the bacteria are killed.

Thawing food

           Thawing food should also be done safely and the best way to this is by using your refrigerator instead of instead of the countertop like some people do. So that this process is done faster, you can submerge the food in cold water and change the water after every 30 minutes.

Reheating the food

        Reheating the food is another thing that will ensure that your food is well and safe. This should be done at the right temperature as well as just once. The recommended temperature of reheating the food is usually about 75 degrees Celsius. It is generally considered that the more times you heat your food the more you increase the chances of food poisoning. It is therefore in the best interest that you heat your food only once.

Labeling

         Labeling your food and including the date on which they should be consumed also helps ensure that your dishes stay safe as much as possible.

Eat food at the right time

          Lastly, eat the food within the stipulated time. This will ensure that the food does not go and give you food poisoning.

Conclusion

          Meal prepping can be a great way to help you save cooking time if you are a busy athlete. This article has highlighted some important concepts regarding meal prepping as well as giving you some of the top 5 creative high protein meal preps that can be very helpful.