While the early days of the pandemic are over (and hopefully stay away for good), many of us picked up habits during that time that we should still maintain today. For me, one of those habits is definitely cooking. I didn’t eat out often before COVID-19, but when the height of the pandemic forced some restaurants to close down, I started to learn how to cook full-force.
If you’re like me, you may never have gotten into cooking. But now is as good of a time as any to try to cook — especially if the meals you make are good for meal-prepping Here are five benefits of making meal-prep dishes.
1. Meal-prepping is easy.
Don’t like cooking because it seems like too much work? You don’t have to worry about putting a lot of effort into prepping meals! The great thing about meal prep is that because these meals are for on-the-go people, they’re not so labor-intensive.
2. Prepping meals will save you money.
Eating out is almost always going to be more expensive than making your own food. Fast food restaurants and other chains can charge more because you’re also paying for the convenience of not cooking. But if you can make a quick meal at home, consider prepping ahead to save some cash — and not eat out for several days!
3. Meal-prepping helps you make healthier food choices.
How healthy your food is depends on what you put into it, but more often than not, the food that you make at home is healthier than its restaurant counterpart. You know exactly what you’re putting into your food because you’re making it yourself. You can also modify recipes to help them better meet your nutritional needs.
4. Meal prep can help you eat more filling food.
Again, this depends on what you make, but more often than not, the food you make at home is more filling than the food you eat out. Fast food is especially notorious for being high in calories but not very filling. For example, you can stuff more chicken in your meal and not have to pay the extra two dollars that restaurants may charge you for adding extra meat.
5. Meal-prepping is creative.
I didn’t like cooking and still won’t call myself a culinary aficionado, but there’s definitely a fun element to cooking. It’s a creative experience, and it can even turn into a new hobby. You get to try new things when you cook., and knowing that you can cook for yourself is rewarding and empowering.
Meal-prepping can make you feel more confident with “adulting.” If you want to try meal-prepping, I highly recommend Buzzfeed’s Tasty — they have some of the most delicious-looking meals I’ve seen. You can also search for easy meal-prep meals to get creative, new ideas.
Happy eating, everyone!
