10 Tips: Meal Prep to Last All Week

Here are 10 tips to meal-prep foods that will last you all week!

1. Bananas. Don't you hate how bananas ripen so quickly? A trick I often use (that works) is to separate each banana and wrap a piece of tinfoil around each stem. This will prevent it from ripening so quickly and browning. Another [more obvious] trick is to buy bananas on the greener side.

2. Apples. Do nothing. I have the best tips, I know. But, if you must slice them up, place the apple slices into a glass container and fill it with cold water to prevent browning. You can also place a damp paper towel over a whole apples in the fridge to retain freshness (pretty sure that's a word).

3. Carrots. Put peeled or cut carrots in a container and fill it with cold water in the refrigerator until you need them. Swap out the water whenever it starts to look murky. You can also cook them ahead of time in olive oil for 25 minutes, let cool then put in the fridge - they will last all week. Heat them up in the microwave and they're ready to eat.

4. Cauliflower. Cut up into florets and place into sealed containers. If you want cauli rice, cut up/grate into rice-like consistency then place into plastic bags. Refrigerate and cook when you want to eat it.

5. Sweet potatoes. Scrub each then bake at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes depending on size with the skins on. Let cool and put in the fridge. Be sure to wrap in tinfoil, place in a glass container, or plastic bag. Reheat in the microwave. Good all week and can last for up to 10 days.

6. Grains. Couscous, quinoa, brown rice, fennel, etc. Make any of these in a large batch to last all week. It takes no more than 25 minutes to make any of the foregoing healthy grains and saves you loads of time when you are running around during the week.

7. Lentils. Cook 1 cup in 1 1/2 cups boiling water, add herbs for flavor. Simmer 20-30 mins. Let the lentils fully cool then put into sealed container(s) and fill with cooking water to prevent drying out. They’ll last up to a full week this way.

8. Oatmeal. Big fan of quick oats. It takes about 2 minutes to throw some oats into individual portion-size containers, add some organic chia seeds, sometimes honey or vanilla extract if I'm feeling fancy, a little bit of protein powder, and some unsweetened vanilla almond milk. No need to cook, just leave them sit in the fridge. DELICIOUS and lasts the entire week.

9. Chicken, ground meat, or ground turkey. Cook any way you prefer. Meats usually don't last longer than 4 days so put whatever leftover meat you have into a plastic bag and freeze it. Ground meat lasts longer cooked than raw, so remove it from the store packaging and cook it once you’ve brought it home. Thaw frozen ground beef in the fridge rather than a microwave—doing so will keep the meat safe to use for an additional two days.

10. Peanut butter. Okay, this might sound weird to some of you but hear me out - PB2.

This peanut butter powder is delish. All you have to do is mix with a bit of water. Not only is it delectable, but it has less sugar than the premade pb. I know some argue "well, it's not organic" blah blah... Moderation is key, people -- for everything. You wouldn't sit down and eat a 50 lb. bag of cheetos in one sitting on a frequent basis (at least I hope not) and I am not advocating that you eat anything other than the recommended portion size for this in one sitting. I find it tasty and prefer it to the other PBs out there for the taste alone -- being able to add protein powder and determine the thickness consistency, depending on the amount of water I add, is a bonus. Once you mix the water and whatever else you want to add in, put in the fridge into individual tiny containers (PORTION-SIZE IT, PEOPLE). I eat it with apples, bananas, celery, toast, etc. and it stays good all week.

Now get out there and meal prep like the pros you are.