Why Meal Prep? Why Eat Well?
Let’s just get down to it and start off with the basics. Simply put, meal prepping has some great benefits such as these:
- You’ll save on time and money
- You’ll save energy and be less stressed/worried about what to eat throughout the week
- You’ll prevent food boredom
- You’ll prevent excessive food waste
But let’s dive into each of these a little more - I don’t know about you but for me, I want to know the real life benefits of just about everything!
You’ll save on time and money: (i.e the time value of money)
Who couldn’t use an extra couple hours? Why not spend that extra time with your family, friends, doing what you love or simply just relaxing? Most people spend 2-5 hours shopping and prepping each week - pending on size of household and types of food. Time is one thing we cannot get back, so I know all of us could use that extra few hours each week pouring into other aspects of our lives.
Grocery shopping isn’t always the most fun either. We do live in a time where we have the convenience of ordering online and having our groceries brought to our car or even our homes. But you are still spending time making that grocery list after making a list of what you feel like cooking and eating for the week. There are also some of us that are just grocery grazers and just wander the store buying what looks good at the time. We also make impulse purchases of items/things we don’t need. Grocery stores set up their isles and check out counters to influence purchasing decisions.
Whether you make a list or not, how much of that food do you end up throwing out at the end of the week prior to your next shopping trip? I know we all do it at some point or another! That’s just money straight in the trash and filling the landfills even more.
Your week will be a little less stressful:
How much does figuring out what to eat for the week, making a list, finding deals, shopping and prepping food stress you out?! The worry of staying within a budget is a stressor too!
Think about a time when someone brought you food, cooked you a meal, someone sent you home with leftovers, or your favorite delivery service showed up. I bet that took some stress and worry off since it was prepared and possibly delivered to you! Not having to figure out food for even a meal or two frees your mind from that unnecessary stress.
The less you are stressed and worried, the less cortisol levels you will have as well. When your cortisol levels are elevated, it can lead to weight gain especially in your mid section, and even disease. And for most of us, gaining unwanted weight leads to even more stress. No one wants that!
You’ll prevent food boredom:
Have you ever struggled with making a variety of different meals throughout your week while also trying to minimize food waste? It’s rare that people will be willing to eat the same thing day in and day out. For some, leftovers are even a no go. Variety keeps people from getting bored with their food selections and keeps your pallet ever changing. It also helps you try new things and flavors when you wouldn’t normally make it on your own.
Having different meals readily available to you in your fridge ready to heat up, is almost like looking at a menu. It could be turkey meatloaf with butternut squash and green beans, roasted chicken with red pepper tortellini, sweet chili salmon with roasted veggies, korean bbq tofu with seasoned roasted potatoes and veggies, or even a Mediterranean salad. Having a variety and choices is good as your mood and tastes change each day.
You’ll prevent excessive food waste:
As I have mentioned a couple times above already, the amount of food waste from each household each year is more than you’d think. Each person generates 3.5 pounds of food waste each week! Majority of that uneaten food ends up in landfills - unless you compost or feed to animals on farms that can use it. 16% of methane emissions are from the wasted food in landfills! That’s crazy!
We all want to do our part in keeping the world we live in clean and have more of a reduce, reuse and recycle mindset. Prepping your meals or getting already prepped meals cuts down on food waste immensely! You have the correct portions you would need for the week which will in turn cut down on your food waste from making too much of a meal or over purchasing groceries.
So, now why Eat Well? We have the solutions for every point made above!
- “How can Eat Well save me time and money, let alone any stress and worry when it comes to just my meals for the week?”
- We take almost all of the guesswork out of “What’s for breakfast/lunch/dinner this week?” All you have to do is choose the number of meals and which ones you’d like to have for the week, then choose delivery or pick up option and that’s it! NO grocery lists, NO busy stores and long lines, NO excessive spending in overbuying food, etc! Leave the shopping, prepping, cooking, packaging, and even delivery to us!
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- “How would Eat Well be able to prevent me from getting bored with food each week?”
- There are over 30 breakfast, lunch and dinner options to choose from that are tailored to even your specific dietary needs! EAT WELL MENU You can also choose a build your own option where you pick your protein, carb and veggie - the possibilities are endless! We even have family style dinners with 4 portions in each that you can choose for your family. A few meals change each week so you will never get bored and will always have many choices to choose from. FAMILY STYLE MENU
- “How does Eat Well help me reduce my food waste?”
- Our kitchen crew portions out all of our meals so that each one is just the right amount for each meal. You won’t have left overs from cooking too much or buying too much of something which in turn gets thrown out.
- What’s even better is that our food waste from making your meals goes to the R.A.N.C.H. project which feeds most of our scraps to their animals and uses the remaining as compost on their farm. You can read more about their project and our partnership with them here.
Meal prep can be a scary concept, but that’s what we love to do here at Eat Well Nashville! Let us take time and stress out of your week and leave your meal prepping to us! All you have to do is place your order by Friday at 11:00am and choose delivery or pick-up on Sunday or Monday, and that’s it! I bet it will take you less time to order from us than it would to make a menu and grocery list. Your body and taste buds will thank you! What will you do with that extra time and money? The possibilities are endless!