There are many people who try to meal prep, only to fall off the wagon as soon as they start because their food doesn’t taste great anymore, it doesn’t have a great texture, or they simply don’t know how to do low carb meal prep in an effective manner.
Low carb meals can be great to eat, and luckily, they are perfect for most meal prep because they stay fresher longer. Still, you can go really wrong with it if you aren’t careful. Even if you are new to meal prepping, it can be hard to make the adjustment tolow-carb meal prepping for fat loss and other health goals.
So, how do you jump successfully into low carb meal prepping? Let’s explore your options.
Low Carb Meal Prep Tips
Meal prep doesn’t have to be difficult at all. You just need to find ways to introduce it into your life that meet your needs and don’t cramp your style. While there is no one size fits all approach for everyone, there are some steps you can take to get the most out of your meals and prepping.
Get Organized First
One of the most successful ways to do meal prepping for a low carb diet is to get yourself organized before you even start meal prepping. You want to have your kitchen completely organized so that everything is completely accessible and you don’t use the wrong ingredients during your meal prep.
As you get organized, you will start to think about the foods that you need to buy and use. Organize your cupboards so that your oldest products are on the outside, so you can use them first. Make a note when you use up something so that when you are in the middle of meal prepping, you don’t have to go and get something, interrupting the flow of work.
You may also want to think about how you will store your meals. Many people will buy containers for their meal prep, which is a good place to start. You want to have some sort of organization there as well—perhaps your containers with a red rim mean one thing, while your containers with a blue rim mean another. You can also label them for complete clarity.
Start by Prepping One Meal
Start small. To successfully meal prep three meals, you will need to get in some practice. It is best to pick one meal that you want to meal prep and start there. A lot of people like to prep their breakfasts because they can sleep in a little longer or do something they want in the mornings.
Try to start meal prepping just your breakfasts and see how you do—you may notice things you like and things you don’t like. Starting off meal prepping two or even three meals can make the learning process harder because you will likely make the same mistakes with every meal.
Keep Your Kitchen Stocked with Low-Carb Recipe Staples
Having a stocked pantry and kitchen will streamline the process and enable you to get the prep work done quickly—and if you are doing low carb meal prep, it can help you keep everything healthy. We all have different food tastes, but it is a good idea to keep brown rice, quinoa, oats, and whole-wheat pasta on hand for those meals that are a little more carb-heavy. Also, keep legumes like black beans, chickpeas, and lentils, canned goods like sauces, broth, tuna, fruit, olives, and soups, oils, almond butter, mixed nuts, and other foods in stock at all times.
By keeping some of these basics in your kitchen, you can focus your shopping efforts on the main parts of the meals you’re prepping.
Spice It Up
Let’s be honest—eating the same things over and over again can get pretty boring. Luckily, herbs and spices can make a meal taste amazing and give it a little something extra. Chicken is a great place to get some variety because you can use garlic, onion powder, curry, turmeric, adobo, jerk, and many other types of seasoning to give everything a unique flavor.
Use Your Freezer
The biggest complaint about meal prep is that you eat the same things over and over again. When you batch make foods, throw a few of the meals into the freezer. Over time, you will be able to have a whole week of different meals (or at least 2-3 meals that are different) using what’s in your freezer and what you are making fresh.
Remember that certain meals freeze better than others, so you will have to test and try different foods in the freezer. Just remember thatthings don’t always last forever in the freezer, so be sure to date your meals before you put them in there.
Give Yourself Time (and Grace)
You won’t be a pro meal prepper overnight. Some recipes you’ll try won’t be all that good. Some things you make are going to be good on the first day, but by the third day, you won’t like them. It may take a few months to get in the groove and find what recipes still taste good a few days later. But don’t be too hard on yourself if something isn’t up to your standards.
Don’t Be Afraid to Try Something New
If you see a new recipe for a low-carb meal that you want to try, don’t be afraid to try it because other recipes haven’t worked out for you. Every recipe is different, and as you meal prep, you will start to figure out how to make it all work for you.
You may even want to go back to old recipes once you’ve got a few months of meal prepping under your belt.
Find Your Community
One of the best ways to succeed at any diet orlifestyle change is to have a community of people around you that support you and help you improve your process. There are tons of communities on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and Pinterest for meal prepping and living a low carb lifestyle. They will have some great tools, tips, tricks, and recipes to help make your meal prepping journey successful.
Use Pre-Made Meals to Supplement
If you are just starting out and want to add variety, you may want to use meals that are pre-made for you. This will help you to interject some different foods into your weekly routine, and it will take away some of the work. No one wants to spend every weekend building their meal prep meals.
These pre-made meals are also great for those times you make something that you just don’t like or you just aren’t in the mood for. Often, when we try to bring something for lunch that we don’t really like, that is when the pizza run or trip to McDonald’s sneaks in, and we veer off of our diets. Oops! Pre-made meals can help keep you on the right path.
Sample Low-Carb Meal Plan Options
Your meal plan should fit your needs, but there are plenty of meal plans already out there forspecific caloric goals, diets, and even cuisines.
Breakfast Ideas: Egg and meat burritos or bowls, Overnight oats, Protein pancakes, Egg omelets.
Lunch Ideas: Avocado salad over mixed greens; Cauliflower rice bowls, Spaghetti squash, Tuna with rice crackers, Salad, Egg salad with lettuce wraps, White bean salad, Bell pepper sandwiches.
Dinner Ideas: Zoodles, Pork chops, Meatloaf, Broccoli, Zucchini lasagna, Scallops, Shrimp, Lobster.
Snacks: Oranges, Apples, Raspberries, Blueberries, Hard-boiled eggs, Low carb Greek yogurt, Almonds, Cheddar cheese, Hummus, Cucumbers, Bell peppers stuffed with cream cheese, Beef jerky, Cheese crackers.
The opportunities are really endless, and there are plenty of recipes online that will help you to stay low carb but still meal prep in advance. You will be able to mix in foods you made, pre-made meals, and processed or pre-made components to have some variety.
Also, remember that not mixing things up and not trying new meals is one of the biggest reasons why people fail with meal prepping and low-carb diets.
In Conclusion: Meal Prepping Low Carb Meals
When you are meal prepping low carb meals, it can be easy to fall into the habit of eating the same foods and not really enjoying your foods. However, if you are meal prepping correctly and working in someyummy meals that maybe you didn’t make yourself, you are going to have better results and really enjoy your meals.
Remember that it’s okay to break your meal prep once in a while to try something new or different. Even so, consistency is the key to success, so you need to really stick to it, even if you don’t like it at first. When it comes to low carb meal prep, practice makes perfect!
Sources:
How to Meal Prep—Meal Prepping Tips, Recipes, and Ideas | Good Housekeeping
Do You Know How Long Food Will Keep in the Freezer? | The Kitchn