Save money - Travel more!
If it was up to me, I’d be eating out allll the time. Or at least a lot. So convenient, such great restaurants with amazing food and great atmosphere out there! But as it is, I love travelling and a great way to save money for it is to cut down on your luxuries. So, let’s dig into how to meal prep!
WHAT IS MEAL PREPPING?
Basically: preparing meals ahead of time to have them at hand at your convenience. The way we want to show you is batch cooking, dividing the food up into portioned meals and freeze them.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A Good MEAL PREP?
In short: it can save you time and money.
You can easily cook one or even two meals in one go and pack them away for the following week or two. That way you quickly pick a lunch to take to work instead of eating out and you’re also more likely to stick to the easy available healthy option and get less tempted to buy unhealthy fast food on the way.
IS THERE A DOWNSIDE?
If you only prep one meal, then some people might miss variety. Which is why I personally always have 2-3 different meals ready prepped in the freezer.
I simply cook 2 different meals on one day and a third the day after. But I also enjoy cooking. You could simply cook one big batch 3 days in a row, then you’ll have multiple different options in the freezer. This does require some good freezer space, though.
HOW TO GET STARTED WITH YOUR MEAL PREP
Before anything else: get enough airtight and reusable containers! Nothing worse than having cooked for a whole flight crew and then not having containers to store the food.
Here are some of our favourites!
10 Glass Containers
Freezer, microwave & oven safe
We love these glass containers because they can go anywhere. Freezer, microwave, oven, all fine! They’re also air-tight and won’t leak.
You can get them on Amazon.
10 Plastic Containers
Freezer & microwave safe
We like these containers because they’ll get the job done. They are plastic though, might break earlier and can’t go in the oven.
You can get them on Amazon.
3 Collapsible Containers
Freezer & microwave safe
We like these containers because they’ll safe you space! Not using them? collapse them before storing them away.
You can get them on Amazon.
To make your life even easier: download a meal prep app. That will make both grocery shopping and cooking easier for you.
Yummly
Just snap a pic of the ingredients you have on hand to get new recipe ideas, or browse dishes from your favorite food sites. Anything you need gets added to an automatically organized list.
Mealime
Use personalized recipe suggestions based on dietary restrictions and even food preferences to build your menu for the week. Then just tap to add all the ingredients at once to an organized grocery list.
BEST FOODS FOR YOUR MEAL PREP
- Frozen vegetables: peas, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green beans, veggie pastas, cauliflower pizza crust, riced veggies, veggie-based tater tots
- Starchy vegetables: parsnip, cassava, potato, yuca, taro, parsnip, sweet potato, canned pumpkin
- Stiff fresh vegetables: celery, carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, radish
- Sturdy greens: romaine, green leaf (dress just before serving)
- Whole grains: oats, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, sorghum
- Pulses: chickpeas, lentils, beans, peas
- Lean protein: frozen or canned seafood, eggs, unsweetened Greek yogurt, skyr, reduced-sodium cottage cheese, shredded cheese, tofu, lean cuts of chicken, turkey, beef, pork
- Whole fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, clementines, plums, peaches, pears
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, chia, flax
GET COOKING
Now all you have to do is:
- choose a recipe
- get the right groceries
- start cooking
- pack away and freeze
If you’re creating your own meal, we recommend following this
RULE OF THUMB
When filling the containers always start with the veggies. Half of the container should be veggies and fruit. The other half will be filled half with protein (meat, peas, eggs, …) and half with fiber-rich carbs (rice, quinoa,…)
What are you going to meal prep? Share your meal prep with us on Instagram! Tag us with #TravelSisters
Happy saving and safe Travels! 
Another great way to save money, is to do your destination research and plan ahead. Check out our planners!
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