Nutritionist reveals why you need to try ‘no prep meal prep’ and spend 15 minutes in the kitchen

A nutritionist has revealed why you need to try the ‘no prep meal prep’ idea when you want to be healthy but can’t be bothered to spend hours in the kitchen before the working week.

Ange, from Melbourne, said it can he hard to motivate yourself to chop and cook protein, complex carbs and veg on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

But making and bringing your own lunch to the office means you’re far more likely to stay on track with your healthy eating goals and even drop body fat.

‘No prep meal prep!’ Ange captioned her latest Instagram post.

‘Do you ever feel like you can’t be bothered about your prep and think you’ll just wing it during the week? I hear you! I feel like this every now and then.’

The nutritionist said everyone has weekends where they’d rather stay on the sofa all day watching Netflix than go and do the grocery shopping and cooking, but if you’re looking to get lean and achieve your goals, you need to have some sort of organised approach.   

‘This doesn’t mean you have to spend hours in the kitchen cooking everything from scratch as this is when I recommend a no prep meal prep,’ Ange said.

‘You can still get organised for the week without having to prep or spend more than 15 minutes in the kitchen.’ 

If you want to try a ‘no prep meal prep’, the nutritionist recommends you incorporate a lot of convenience foods like sachets of brown or basmati rice, ready-made kaleslaw and salad packets, cans of tuna and avocado.

These foods are great because they don’t require you to do anything with them at the weekend, and instead you can just bring them in as they are and often prepare them from your workplace.

‘These meals are all super tasty, wholesome, macro-balanced and just convenient,’ Ange said. 

‘Remember that healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. 

‘It’s actually quite easy with the right guidance.’ 

Hundreds of people who saw Ange’s post were impressed and said they would definitely try a ‘no prep meal prep’. 

‘Awesome ideas, I’m definitely giving some of these a go,’ one commenter posted.

‘Delicious suggestions, I love the idea of no prep but still eating healthily,’ another commenter added. 

Previously, Ange shared her top tips to help you meal prep like a pro.

The first thing she said you must do if you want to meal prep well and quickly is plan ahead.

‘Determine what ingredients take longer to cook and organise your flow in the kitchen,’ she explained.

‘For example, you may want to cut your vegetables while something is cooking in the oven to multi task and save time.’

Once you have everything organised, you’re ready to start your meal prep.

Ange recommends choosing simple meals with few ingredients if you’re new to meal prepping.

‘If I’m making more than one meal, I try to choose something with similar ingredients,’ the nutritionist said.

‘For example, I made a vegetarian Caesar salad and a burger bowl today, both with exactly the same ingredients.’

You could also do this with something like spaghetti bolognese and chilli mince.

When you have cut all your ingredients chopped up and ready to be cooked, it’s time to determine what needs to be put in the oven or air fryer first.

‘While these foods are cooking, focus on other elements of your meals,’ Ange said.

This could include making a sauce or a dressing, or arranging your vegetables.

‘Use different cooking appliances at the same time including the oven, air fryer and stove to maximise time,’ Ange said.

This will mean you don’t have to waste an entire Sunday in the kitchen.

When many people meal prep, Ange said they often get distracted or distract themselves.

But, if you want to get it done within a short amount of time, you should ‘avoid any distractions and give all your attention to your prep during that one hour’.

Ange recently prepped buddha bowls with kewpie-like roasted sesame mayo and chicken soup for the working week.

It took her under an hour to put together this selection of weekly meals.

While some people think that to meal prep healthy foods it needs to be all fresh, Ange said you can include some pre-packaged items and still be nutritious.

‘Salad mixes, things like pre-cooked brown rice and pasta are all healthy and save you valuable hours in the kitchen,’ she said.

Ange often accompanies foods like her buddha bowl with pre-packaged rice and bagged salad leaves.

To follow Ange from The Healthy Diary on Instagram, please click here.