Do You Meal Prep?

There are things that come up every now and then, especially for me as an empty-nester, that really make me feel old and perhaps a bit behind the times. This whole “meal prep” explosion is definitely one of them. 

The popularity and power of the meal prep craze hit me hard on a beautiful Sunday afternoon last month when we asked our 26-year-old son, Kai, if he would like to join us for a sunny afternoon of golf. His immediate reply was, “Sorry, I can’t go. Molly and I are meal prepping this afternoon.”  What? And then a few weeks later while on the phone with our other son, Ryan (28) and his wife Erin who live in St. Louis, they casually mentioned they were meal prepping for the week. I immediately thought to myself, “Well, it appears everyone is meal prepping. I feel so out of it!” I have to admit a smile came to my face when I pictured both newlywed couples sharing time and working together in their kitchens. Maybe a secret to love and romance is through food!

Anyway, as a young girl, I remember my parents making big Sunday evening meals that we would then eat off for days. In that era of my life, we called those follow-up meals “left-overs.”  And with our own family, Phil and I would make big soups, chilis, or casseroles on Sunday nights and we’d enjoy those “left-overs” for the entire week. Usually those meals would even taste better the second night. Who knew?

So here’s my question…is meal prepping the new left-overs?  From what I’ve read, meal prepping is basically a nutritional and controlled portion-size way of eating. The more I think of it, Phil and I could really benefit from this method of eating. I’m just not sure I have the patience to spend the time preparing a week’s worth of meals, or the will power to only eat what’s in my container. Ha! We would love to know if there are any empty-nesters out there who have gotten on the meal-prepping band wagon. We’d love to learn and share your ideas with others!

Here’s another consideration – if you are considering meal prepping or have been meal prepping, you know the meal storage containers are an important part of the “prep.” There are quite a variety of meal prep container options and they are everywhere! I literally almost ran into this display at our local HyVee grocery store just last week. 

The different container options have their pros and cons especially as it relates to BPA levels, environmental concerns, keeping food fresh, and budget friendliness. Just take a peek online for a few ideas!

Conventional wisdom suggests older generations can learn a thing or two from our own kids and/or the millennial generation. I think the concept of meal-prepping is one of them. I’m still not sure I can change my ways and commit to ongoing meal-prepping, but I think we should at least give it a try. It might even turn into a good conversation topic to bring up with our kids on Sunday afternoons!  “Hey, what are YOU meal-prepping this week? Send us the recipe.”