Individuals Are Embracing This Half-Assed Strategy To Meal Prep — And It is Not Half Unhealthy

If you happen to’re busy or detest determining what to eat for dinner each night time, you most likely already know that meal prepping is vital for making your week much less demanding. However when it comes time to really do it, it’s straightforward to sink deeper into the sofa and need another person may handle it for you. As useful as it’s, meal prepping remains to be a chore and time-suck.

You need in on a significant meal prep hack profitable persons are utilizing to make their weekday meals a breeze? They’re letting eating places do the cooking for them, utilizing family-style meals or catering menus for his or her core meal prepping meals. One TikTok video exhibits how a $100 platter of hen, greens and mashed potatoes can be utilized for meals all through the week and highlighted Chipotle as a well-liked go-to for meal prep. One other TikTok video exhibits how one can use meals from Outback Steakhouse for per week of meals costing lower than $10 per meal.

Letting eating places do the cooking for you undoubtedly saves time, however are you sacrificing dietary worth and cash? We spoke with registered dietitians and budgeting consultants about this in style meal prep development, and so they undoubtedly had some ideas.

Robert Buckman personally makes use of family-style meals from eating places to meal prep and has been sharing his tips about TikTok. He’s meal prepped utilizing meals from PF Chang’s, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Cracker Barrel, to call a number of.

Buckman advised HuffPost that considered one of his private favourite eating places to make use of for meal prepping is Panera Bread. “My favorite lunch meal prep would be Panera because they have a deal where you can get a full salad, soup and four sandwich halves for roughly $40 and that can easily be split into five lunches,” he shared. As for dinner? Buckman recommends Panda Categorical as a result of the portion sizes are large and their grilled hen can be utilized in a wide range of methods. On TikTok, different restaurant favorites for meal prepping embrace Texas Roadhouse, Olive Backyard and Bonefish Grill.

When determining what to order, Buckman shared that he appears for platters made to serve 4 or 5 folks. “If the menu says that a dish serves four to five people, then I can get five regularly portioned meals or four bigger portion meals,” Buckman mentioned. He additionally recommends selecting meals which are solely frivolously flavored so the elements are extra versatile and to keep away from meals which are breaded, which don’t style nice reheated.

Buckman mentioned utilizing restaurant meals to meal prep saves him each money and time. In a mean week, he shared, this meal prep hack saves him about two hours of time a day. As a substitute of cooking all of the meals he buys himself, Buckman mentioned, it solely takes him three minutes to microwave them or 10 minutes to air fry. He added that it takes him about 10 minutes to select up the meals from the restaurant and 20 minutes to portion out into containers for the week. “They definitely save me money too because usually each meal comes out to roughly $10 a portion, and you can go to a fast-food restaurant and spend $13 for a combo and not a healthy option,” he added.

In keeping with budgeting consultants we talked to, utilizing restaurant meals to meal prep can be price efficient, nevertheless it isn’t at all times. It is dependent upon what you order and what you’ll have been shopping for to eat in any other case.

“When you’re comparing the cost of catering trays to frequent takeout or dining out, you’re almost always getting a better price per meal. The key is buying food that stretches — catering portions are designed for groups, so you get more servings for your money. That said, it’s not always cheaper than cooking at home, but the time it saves can make it worthwhile,” Clever Greenback Mother blogger Claudia Valladares advised HuffPost.

Valladares shared that utilizing restaurant meals to meal prep could be a good choice for busy households, single individuals who don’t wish to cook dinner each night time however nonetheless need selection or for anybody who tends to overspend on takeout. To be as cost-effective as doable, Harris Monetary Teaching proprietor Annette Harris recommends specializing in proteins, which are sometimes probably the most time consuming a part of a meal to cook dinner. “If you don’t have the opportunity to thaw and cook items like ribs or sirloin, purchasing these items in large quantities can save you both time and money. Proteins are very filling and can last for several meals,” she mentioned.

Harris additionally recommends selecting platters that enable for simple mixing and matching all through the week versus selecting meals like lasagna that, whereas large, don’t enable for a lot versatility. Valladares beneficial this too, saying rice is a good restaurant menu merchandise to go for as a result of it may be utilized in many various methods.

Okay, so utilizing restaurant meals to meal prep undoubtedly saves time and can prevent cash. However are you sacrificing diet within the course of? Not should you’re good about it.

“When using restaurant catering for meal prep, the key is balance — prioritize lean proteins like grilled chicken, turkey or fish, along with steamed or roasted vegetables and high-fiber starches like brown rice, sweet potatoes or quinoa. These foods are versatile, nutrient-dense and easy to portion for nutritious meals,” mentioned registered dietitian Alyssa Simpson.

Kalyn True, a registered dietitian at Memorial Hermann Health System, additionally advised HuffPost that the secret’s to deal with lean proteins, complete grains and veggies — simply as you’ll should you had been making nutritionally balanced meals from scratch. When choosing your proteins, True recommends selecting grilled or roasted hen, fish or lean cuts of beef. “As for whole grains, I’d look at options like brown rice, quinoa or whole-wheat pasta over refined grains because the whole grains offer more fiber and nutrients. When looking at vegetables, prioritize foods like broccoli, carrots, bell peppers or spinach. Even pre-made salads have great nutrient density to them too,” she added.

It’s additionally useful to know what restaurant meals to avoid ordering if you wish to preserve your meals all through the week wholesome. Registered dietitian Stephanie Magill recommends avoiding meals which are fried, creamy or tacky. Not solely are these kind of meals increased in energy and fewer wholesome, they don’t style nearly as good when reheated both.

To maintain meals tasting totally different all through the week, Simpson advised HuffPost that the secret’s utilizing sauces, seasonings or dressings. “Get creative by repurposing the same base ingredients into different meals. For example, grilled chicken can be used in salads, wraps, tacos or stir-fries, while roasted veggies and quinoa can make a hearty grain bowl or a filling soup,” she mentioned.

Magill echoed this recommendation. “With a few additions from your fridge or pantry, you can shake up the flavors and options. One night you could have a burrito or wrap stuffed with grilled chicken, rice, veggies, hummus and feta. Another night make a burrito bowl with brown rice, protein, salsa and guac. Then make a plate of tacos the next night,” she mentioned.

It’s additionally essential to retailer your restaurant meals accurately to keep away from foodborne sicknesses. “Store food in airtight containers and refrigerate promptly to maintain freshness, and don’t forget to reheat food thoroughly to kill any bacteria,” True mentioned.

So long as you retain all of the following pointers in thoughts, incorporating restaurant meals into your meal prepping can save each money and time, with out sacrificing the dietary density of your meal. Whether or not you’re cooking for one or an entire household, it’s a option to make your week simpler. On this case, it actually does pay to have another person do the cooking.