Effortless Meal Prep by Knowing What to do When
In this post I share a simple framework to do meal prepping the intuitive way, no matter what situation you're in. With the main story line of how I got there.
Releasing Family Food Traditions Straight Away
Monday and Wednesday, football coaching at the local club during dinner time. No chance to eat with the family, so only one option left – cooking for myself. Haven’t done this before though, besides making a sandwich, some porridge with fruit jam, or typical Dutch ‘appelflappen’. So many things that can go wrong, yet not a single reason to limit my excitement. Variation! Is what comes up, exploring and trying out new things than I was used to from childhood. My conscious mind turned off almost automatically, a softer nudge giving directions this time. Inspiring it is for sure, the idea alone makes the first bubble burst.
Okay, let’s start with what I already know. Pasta, rice, tomato sauce, peanut sauce, meat (back then...), and vegetables. Enough to get going and start practicing how to cook. Healthier versions, look for healthier alternatives, is what the soft nudge urges towards. Integral pasta with tomato sauce out of a glass bottle instead of regular pasta and tomato sauce in powder form out of a plastic bag. Together with a package of Italian vegetables mix and onions. Good to go, the first attempt is a success, and already a better taste than before. And it just feels better, especially that.
Bumping Into Supermarket Food Choices Overload
It’s nice to introduce more variation and new flavors to my meals, I enjoy the process from the first moment. Next up is to become aware of what is actually possible. Since family food traditions are nice, but there must be more out there. Let’s find out along the way. Walking through the supermarket makes a couple of things clear. First, they’ve made sections and departments with stuff that fits together. Bread goes with pastry, meat goes with fish, milk products with cheese, fruits with vegetables, and anything that fits in a freezer in the same section. Easy to navigate, right? No thought process is needed, it’s self-explanatory.
Second, within the sections, there are different types of similar foods or ingredients. Mexican style, Indian, Asian, more Northern Europe style, and a lot more. Third, in a couple of supermarkets, there are also ‘healthier’ options. Not all supermarkets have a section for it, but at least you can see it on the labels. ‘Light’ sodas, spreads, milk and alternatives, even meat that’s supposedly better treated (thank God I know better now!). The same with bread and pastry, integral or whole grain breads, many choices to pick from. Most ‘light’ products are also labeled as ‘sugar-free’. Later I found out that the manufacturers changed the name for ‘sugar’ – fructose, dextrose, sucrose, maltose – look for ‘ose’ and you’re on the right track. Clever tricks, but not enough to fool me.
Not that I’m looking for this specifically, it’s just so visible that it’s obvious. What I’m looking for is what’s the best option. And there’s the caveat – there are not 2 or 3 options of tomato sauce, but 50 to 60. Good luck with that. Trying out all of them doesn’t make sense, I need a different solution. The soft nudge pops up right on time, remember, look for the healthier version. Reading the labels to see what the ingredients are narrows the options down to 5 choices. That’s way easier to work with, the fewer ingredients on the label the better it usually is. And skip the ingredients that are too difficult to pronounce, they probably don’t belong there. No need to think about it, all comes naturally. Confusion? None. Overwhelm? Zero. Having an overload of choices feels exciting!
Fast Food Failures and Prepackaged Comfort
Although cooking and exploring how to prep meals for myself is a joyful and relaxing process, it takes time and effort to get it done. Shopping the ingredients, washing and cleaning fresh produce, coming up with dishes to make, and the cooking process itself. Based on old rhythms and traditions, the mind jumps in to fill the gaps. There’s a snackbar on the corner of every street, Chinese takeaways all over town, Greek and Turkish pita’s or wraps, Italian restaurants that deliver pizzas, and even some more exotic or exclusive options. Also from the towns in the surrounding areas. The best part, most of them deliver within 30 minutes. In case there’s no time to cook options are enough right?
Another one is the tempting packages in the supermarket where they’ve done the hard work already. Meals that you can put in the pan, oven, or microwave and it’s ready to serve within 15 minutes. Drive by after work and you’re ready to enjoy a lasagna in no time. All good and well, but it has some downsides. Added ingredients, like salt, oils, fatty ingredients, sugars, e-numbers, and the ones that are too hard to pronounce. Zero added value though, besides the attempt to make it taste better. That seems like a legitimate point at first – however, the healthier the foods I consume the bigger the gap becomes. Eventually, years later detoxification protocols are needed to get the old damage out. Conclusion for me: it’s not worth the investment to skip meal prepping myself and look for shortcuts.
A Thousand-and-One First Times
After the first years of cooking for myself have passed, I’ve seen so many supermarkets with so many various sections and options that it takes the fun away. My curiosity is drawn to trying out various cuisines from all over the world. How do people prepare food in India? What about Italy or Mexico? Only one way to find out – by looking for recipes online. Hours and hours of checking out inspirations of the most delicious looking food (side note: this doesn’t mean that it also tastes delicious...). And trying it myself, especially that. No results without practice.
Thick rice noodles with Asian-style vegetables and a mango-leek-curry sauce. The first time, no idea what the outcome would be. It actually brings tension, you’ll never know, it might fail completely. No reason to slow me down though. The recipe I found I’ve left aside, they don’t have the exact ingredients where I live. Doesn’t make sense to follow through, much better to go my own way. And double the fun! 45 minutes later it’s finished. Tasting after cleaning up quickly and letting the food cool down a bit speaks volumes – so good!
I go back and forth between following recipes and finding my own way from there on. In both cases, the soft nudge within points to exploration and trying out unique combinations. Each meal prep becomes a ‘first time’, never tried before, and a one-time creation to enjoy to the fullest. Some are average and okay to taste, no huge fails though. Most of them are beyond any expectation. Keeping an open mind, returning to the basics at all times, and looking with childlike curiosity and wonder bring out the best in me. Over and over again I stumble upon something new that I would’ve not imagined upfront.
Starting From the Endpoint
By practicing the cooking process consistently a couple of things become very clear to me over time. Flavors can be created and adjusted in limitless ways, getting the most flavor out of food is an art that can be learned. Fresh ingredients bring a dish alive, there’s energy behind it. Like the soft nudge within repeats, go for the healthier options, it pays off on all levels. The opposite is also true, choosing the unhealthy options and trying to get away with it doesn’t work out well. Following a recipe is nice to get started, finding my way gets me much further. Not only that, it’s also easier to execute.
Long story short, deliciously tasteful, healthy, and nutritious food that’s simple to prepare is the goal. With that in mind the meal prepping goes from something that requires much thinking and figuring out to coming into flow within seconds. More about that later. Within the elements mentioned (flavor, healthy, nutritious, simple to prepare) there are numerous options and possibilities to create from. No more need to link to reference points like types of meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), types of dishes (burger, sandwich, curry, stew, salad), or cuisine (Indian, Mexican, Italian). Instead, the cooking and exploring itself come first, and the naming and labeling come afterward. From a slow-paced linear process to an evolving fast-paced cooking practice. Setting a high standard to work towards makes life a lot easier and brings a lifestyle that can be maintained for a lifetime.
Purity of Flavor Over Anything Else
As I mentioned before, skipping over steps and not doing the work has effects that are not worth the time and effort. Having a system in place where it’s more tempting to do meal prep than to look for other options makes the difference for me. That’s where I’m at right now and here’s what it looks like. The only thing that can interrupt heavily is getting stuck into a thinking process without taking action. Actively staying out of this at all costs is what I start with, by narrowing down the (type of) ingredients I use and having clear what needs to be done when I prep my meals.
My meals are plant-based only and consist of fruits and vegetables for about 75 to 80%. That makes shopping the easiest part and very joyful to do. Fruits and vegetables I get from local fruit shops, farmers, and markets that sell organic produce. Asking the owners and sellers what is organic and what’s not gets me a long way, double-checking on what they say is organic (looking for tangible proof) narrows down my options. Eventually, only a few are left over that I choose to buy from. They bring me the tastiest foods with the highest nutrient density, guaranteeing meals that can live up to the standards I’ve set.
Dry ingredients, herbs, and spices I buy in bulk so that it’s covered for the coming month at least. Variety is key, so multiple types of beans, GF whole grains, nuts, and other dry foods I’ve got in stock.
Twice a week I go shopping for fresh ingredients. At home, I wash them (preferably straight away) with water and hydrogen peroxide. It kills off microorganisms and parasites that I don’t want in my food.
Two days before meal prep, I soak and sprout beans and grains. This takes out the phytic acid (it’s harmful to the digestive system) and makes the food more nutritious. Besides that, the cooking time is significantly lower (if it needs cooking at all, sprouts are delicious!).
One day before meal prep, I pre-cook beans and legumes, they can take up a long time and slow down the cooking process. Also, I pre-cut the fresh ingredients after washing and drying as much as possible. Doing things in smaller steps makes it more sustainable over a longer time.
Following the Movements of the Hands
While washing, drying, soaking, and preparing, inspirations already give me insights into what I roughly want to cook. Linking up the main ingredients that I’d like to combine gives the main characteristics of the dishes that pop up. All that is needed now is the actual cooking. The only thing to keep in mind is to check what takes the most time and effort and start with that. Preparing 4 dishes for example becomes simple once I know what the dishes will look like. Since it immediately tells me if it needs to be cooked or if it’s raw, if it needs to go into the oven or in a pan, and what the estimated time is for the whole preparation.
For boiling food, the job is to bring it to a boil and lower the fire – easy peasy. Preparing in the oven, same story. Preheating the oven, putting the cut ingredients in an oven dish, and putting the dish in the oven. Steaming, stir-frying, and sauteing require closer attention since there’s stirring needed. In that case, I put the fire a bit lower so that I know it can’t overcook or burn. The gaps in between I fill with adding herbs and spices, tasting and adjusting, and assembling raw dishes or cutting small fresh ingredients to add to a pan.
Having awareness of what-to-do-when is like an eagle flying high above the mountains and spotting all the tiny details that need attention. The thing is though that this way the details only matter once they pop up. Since I know this already upfront there are little surprises. Apart from that, having trust that the outcome will be great (at least!) brings the fuel and confidence I need. Knowing that all the years of practice and doing the actions help to neutralize the negative voice inside and let the soft nudges lead the way.
That’s where the magic lies, once my mind is in observation mode flow takes over. To get there makes me think of 2 well-known quotes: 1) that being a master of something doesn’t require you to think, and 2) that someone who’s a master seemingly has a ‘feeling’ for what he does. So, no thinking and instead feeling is the way to get there. The feeling comes through the hands, the skin, and the tongue. Even the ears and eyes can ‘feel’, not literally but in a supportive way. Think of it more as added layers of depth, being in touch with the senses at the deepest level. No thoughts can disturb this, they move to the background, where the mind is the observer. With the presence and awareness of all that I’ve described above – doing meal prep is nothing less than a creative expression, one that pays off each time.
Cultivating A Level of Excellence with the Boring Stuff
To come back full circle, the beginning and end need to be the same. How does that work? Thoughts, words, and actions all go in the same direction. With cooking it means to have a framework ready that gets the job done in any situation. My framework I’ve described above, it’s striving for delicious, healthy, and nutritious plant-based meals that are simple to prepare. No matter the place (both kitchen and country, town, and area), tools, circumstances, ingredients available, time, and budget. These are simply the constraints to work with, including inspirations that come through in the moment. None of these can be controlled, staying present and being able to adjust according to what the moment brings.
When I go shopping, the framework is what I start with and what I work toward. Also while washing, cleaning, cutting, and cooking. After so many years of changing my mind and rewiring my brain over and over, this is my system of success. Biggest gift? Being able to let my mind observe the feelings, sensations, and emotions that rush through my body. All the elements mentioned are basics that can become boring when there’s pressure in terms of time, budget, environment, and circumstances. Since the mind is so occupied with the externals, doing the basic stuff consistently can feel like a drag.
Imagine having the opposite, a deep sense of presence each step along the way, like a flow of actions following up on each other. With clarity about what-to-do-when thoughts linked to skipping steps or looking for shortcuts become obsolete. Coming in place of that are tiny adjustments during the process and creating a stronger system. Training the mind to feel the feelings rather than stressing about them. To work from the inside-out instead of outside-in. Boring tasks are released from their label, with a focus on noticing deeper sensations within the body. There’s space for that when striving for excellence with the basics And it goes along with cultivating joy and creativity. To let the creativity come out, the basics need to be done. It is better to do them as well as possible while feeling what that feels like, observing the movements of the hands.
Love this VERY mindful approach to shopping and meal prepping!