How Weekend Meal Prep Saves My Ass

Last week, I had to pop over to the store to pick up some groceries for a live kitchen demo I was doing. 

I ended up going at noon and didn’t have a chance to eat lunch beforehand. 

I was hungry as I roamed the aisles. Packaged food was drawing me in with its pretty, bright packaging and eye-level placement. I could imagine the textures in my mouth. The salty crunch of potato chips and popcorn. The instant satisfaction of a sugary energy bar. The pleasure burst of chocolate covered almonds. The convenient creaminess of vegan cheese. The smooth, cool texture of pudding. The frozen pizza, veggie dumplings, Thai noodle bowls, and burritos. 

There was temptation everywhere—until I got to the produce section

As I passed the mushrooms, peppers, onions, and carrots, the magnetic pull faded away. The desire continued to wane when I passed the brown rice, dried pinto beans, and canned tomato products. 

And that’s the problem, isn’t it? 

Packaged food draws us in and hooks us, while whole ingredients do not. Food manufacturers and grocery stores know this and benefit from it. Imagine all the empty shelves if grocery stores stopped carrying packaged food. 

I looked at my fellow shoppers, loading up their carts with foods that hook us—boxed cereal, pre-made meals, chips, candy, cookies, crackers, white bread, canned soup, cheese, frozen delights, instant noodles, and a couple red apples and iceberg lettuce to round things out. 

Then I looked at my cart—zucchini, sweet potatoes, broccoli, spinach, lentils, quinoa, and basil. I asked myself, “What sets me and the rest of the Dirties apart?” 

The answer was obvious. 

Back home, I had a fridge full of delicious food made with whole ingredients, thanks to my weekend meal prep.

All I had to do was go home, decide what I wanted for lunch, and heat it up.

I had Tofu Salad and cooked purple sweet potatoes in my fridge.

I had cheesy sauce made from butternut squash.

I had Miso Soup.

And homemade buckwheat bread.

I had a tub full of prepped salad and dairy-free ranch dressing made from cashews. 

There was no need to fill my cart with shiny packaged food.

No need to grab a microwave burrito or boxed mac and cheese.
No need to add an energy bar or chips to my grocery haul.
Yes, I was hungry, but I knew I had yummy, healthy food waiting for me. 

Highly-processed packaged food isn’t “bad” or “wrong,” and no one is “bad” or “wrong” for eating it. But if we want to eat food that supports us, there are better options.

By using ingredients that don’t hook us, we can make our own convenience foods that not only gently, sweetly call us back for more, but also help us feel energetic, in control of our lives, happy, healthy, and all around damn good. 

When I got home from the grocery store, it took me all of five minutes to heat up a ridiculously healthy and delicious plant-powered lunch. This really does make all the difference. It’s what allows us to pass by the food that hurts our bodies and load up on whole ingredients that heal the body instead. 

Clean Food Dirty Girl is dedicated to helping people eat more plants so they can feel damn good and enjoy their lives to the fullest.

Our plant-based meal plans are perfect for getting started. We’ll tell you exactly what groceries to buy and give you step-by-step directions to cook the majority of your food over the weekend. Then, you’ll move through your week with ease, knowing there’s healthy food in your fridge waiting for you. 

To get access, sign up for a free trial or skip the trial and sign up for our membership and lots rock our weekend meal prep together.