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#130: Meal Prep Made Easy
7 Plays17 minutes ago
In this episode of The Kate Hamilton Health Podcast, I’m juggling life and lunch - literally! While babysitting my two-month-old nephew, I chat about realistic, no-fuss meal prep strategies that actually work for busy lifestyles. Whether you're cooking for one or managing meals for a whole family, I share flexible tips to help you stay organizsd without the overwhelm.
You'll hear how I use time-saving hacks like repurposing dinner leftovers, using deli shortcuts, and leaning on handy kitchen tools like air fryers and slow cookers. I also talk about the power of planning ahead - why tracking meals and calories in advance can keep you consistent with your health goals. Plus, I throw in a few of my go-to breakfast ideas and explain why your meal prep routine should work with your life, not against it.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
[0:00] – Kicking things off with Baby Noah in tow
[0:46] – Why meal prep isn’t one-size-fits-all
[1:40] – My go-to practical tips for getting started
[2:45] – Easy lunch hacks and why protein matters
[3:54] – Using convenience foods to your advantage
[9:06] – Breakfast ideas, including my smoothie staples
[11:32] – Next-level strategies for those ready to go deeper
[13:43] – Why planning ahead really makes a difference
[17:34] – Final thoughts and a quick favour for you!
Links & Resources:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with friends who might benefit. For more health and fitness tips, follow me on Instagram and TikTok @katehamiltonhealth.
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Transcript
Introduction and Special Guest: Noah
00:00:09
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Kate Hamilton Health Podcast. So today's episode might be a little different because I'm actually multitasking at the minute and I'm holding my little two month old nephew Noah here as we speak.
The Debate: Is Meal Prep for Everyone?
00:00:23
Speaker
So you might be able to hear him if he makes any noise throughout the podcast.
00:00:26
Speaker
was going to wait and then I was like, no, do you know what? We're chilling. He likes when I'm talking. I'm going to return podcast. I'm going to chat through all things meal prep with you today. And just if you hear a little noise in the background, that's what's going on.
00:00:38
Speaker
Most people listening here are parents or aunties or uncles. You get it. We might as well just multitask and get it done. So let's get into it. Meal prep. OK, I want to talk through kind of some points around this topic.
00:00:51
Speaker
The first thing that I will say about this is you don't have to meal prep. OK, so I think some people think that just, you know, because you want to lose weight or you want to get healthier, or fitter, you have to meal prep and you have to spend all this time preparing meals and getting all your Tupperware ready.
00:01:05
Speaker
You don't. OK, you don't have to meal prep. I don't they have to cook for the family every day anyway. It doesn't make sense like for me to be cooking out of separate meals for me. I also don't like my kids to see me eat separate meals to the family. I think it's kind of important that we all eat the same healthy, tasty dinners together.
00:01:23
Speaker
So I don't meal prep. Now I know someone who perhaps doesn't have kids or there's only a couple of them in the house. It makes sense to meal prep. So it very much does depend on the person. I'm not anti-meal prep at all. you know I'm pro-organization and like meal prep is the height of organization, but I just mean there's like many different ways
Family Meal Strategy: Portion Control and Protein Emphasis
00:01:40
Speaker
to skin a cat.
00:01:40
Speaker
So what I tend to do, there's five of us in my house and most recipes are for six or like for four or six. So I'll either make double the recipe and make it for eight or I'll do a recipe for six people.
00:01:52
Speaker
So I make one extra portion. I'll cook it. ah Usually it'll be a recipe for six. I will cook the the dinner. I will dish it up in six even portions. One portion will be for me for my dinner.
00:02:03
Speaker
The other portion will be all put aside for my lunch the next day. And then the other portions, I might add a little bit more onto the... plates like for the husband and the teenager and a little bit less for the smaller kids.
00:02:16
Speaker
And, you know, like they'll divvy it out whatever way it needs to be divvied out for the others. But I will have had exactly one sixth of that recipe for my dinner that day. And then there's a spare portion which can go into the freezer for another day when I don't have time or I can have it for like leftover dinner, make such an excellent lunch.
00:02:32
Speaker
And yes, you should be spending those kind of calories on lunch. If you have a good decent meal at lunchtime, it's going to help prevent all of that snacking and, you know, the uncontrollable eating at the end of the day. So it's don't be afraid to spend your calories. so There's also nothing wrong with having the likes of salads or sandwiches for lunch.
00:02:49
Speaker
Just make sure that you have at least 100 grams of a protein source with it. Don't forget your vegetables as well. So like when say 100 grams of protein source, having at least 100 grams of chicken. so you although some Sometimes we have people make a chicken sandwich with few tiny bits of chicken in it. It's like, no most packets of chicken or 100 grams.
00:03:08
Speaker
You need the whole packet. OK, so you do like make sure you're getting enough protein into your sandwiches or your lunch or whatever, you know, your your salads or whatever it is that you're making. OK, don't scrimp on protein. It's so, so important. That's how it's going to make it your lunch actually filling and vegetables. So if you're having a salad, that that's a given. Put your salad into your sandwiches if you like. or I don't really like to have loads of lettuce and tomato and onion and all in my sandwich. I just, don't know, falls out and annoys me and stuff.
00:03:33
Speaker
So what I if I was having like a chicken, a cheese toasty or something like that, or was having my scrambled eggs and toast or something like that for lunch. I just chop my vegetables on the side to have some chopped cucumbers and plant some chopped carrots, chopped cherry tomatoes, and I'll just eat them while I'm preparing the main event of lunch.
00:03:49
Speaker
And so I'm still getting my vegetables in, but it doesn't have to actually be in the lunch. It can be like alongside it. But just those things are really, really important for, you know, filling you up. So with like little
Convenience Tips: Bulk Cooking and Quick Meal Suggestions
00:03:59
Speaker
hacks. OK, so if you do over time, build up that extra meal,
00:04:03
Speaker
each time and you're freezing, you're like you portions of curry, portions of bolognese and everything in your freezer. That's so handy for days that you don't have time to cook or you just don't want to cook. Now, ah also there's there's times where you will also there be times where you don't have time to cook or you don't want to cook and you don't have anything left over in the freezer that you've prepared.
00:04:24
Speaker
the best thing you can do here is buy one of those fit meals. So my favourite ones are well-fed. So well-fed are like, you know, really good ingredients. yeah okay You can buy, I'm not sure exactly what shops you can buy well-fed in, but you can buy them on their website as well. If you just Google well-fed meals, they'll come up, they're an Irish company. And then there's pure power nutrition.
00:04:43
Speaker
They're in most supermarkets, you know, Tesco, Sentra, wherever, like, And there's loads of other brands as well. They're just the ones that I tend to use. It's always handy to have one of them kept in your fridge every week. Like I'll always buy one every week that goes into the fridge. If I don't end up eating it like the husband or the teenager, I'll eat it by the end of the week anyway.
00:04:58
Speaker
It just means that if I lose time and I don't have time to cook something, I could throw something frozen after the kids, whatever. Or if people in the house getting a takeaway and I just don't want to take away because I don't want to feel like shit. I have one of those there.
00:05:09
Speaker
And if you know, it's just going to help getting a healthy, balanced meal in, in a really quick way. So I just find that's a really handy hack. You can always have a few of them in the freezer and just when once you use one, take another one out and just keep it in the fridge for a few days.
00:05:23
Speaker
Lifesaver. And they make a lovely lunch. Like I wouldn't be eating those pre-packed meals every day because it's a little bit of processing and they're not like not a whole lot, particularly in the well-fed ones. But, you know, you you do want to be cooking your own lunches as well. They can, you know, once or twice a week be really, really handy.
00:05:38
Speaker
Some more little meal prep hacks that I use. I don't like this, like people be listening to this. OK, that's not even meal prep. This is my version of meal prep. These are all the tips that I do instead of spending all day Sunday preparing loads of meals.
00:05:50
Speaker
Omelets are egg muffins, right? They are a handy lunch and they actually reheat quite nicely. So if you're on the go, you can like, you know, put it in a lunch brock box and bring it with you.
00:06:00
Speaker
They can be eaten cold. Great way to get protein and vegetables in. It depends on what you throw into it, obviously. I also would recommend that you cook some chicken and always have a lunch box of cooked chicken in your fridge, ready to go.
00:06:13
Speaker
It's the handiest little hack. It can go into a salad. It can go into a sandwich, whatever. But if you don't have time or you run out, you can always buy deli style chicken from the supermarket. Like if you buy a good quality one, you it's not full of loads of shit. Like, you know, it's mostly chicken.
00:06:27
Speaker
There are some preservatives in it, obviously, to give it a little bit of a shelf life. But in general, they're going to be good quality. Don't be afraid to to have a little bit of prepacked deli style chicken from the supermarket. My favourite one is the Carol's Honey and Chili Chicken.
00:06:40
Speaker
I got this so good. So, so good. i I literally just, what I would do is get two slices of bread for the whole packet of the honey and chili chicken pieces onto the bread or into a wrap or whatever and a slice of Lolo cheese thrown in and i just put on the George form and it makes, and like the cheese melts into the chicken. And like you don't need mayo or butter or anything because there's like, there's a really nice marinade on the chicken and it makes the nicest sandwich, the nicest wrap.
00:07:05
Speaker
It's just such a nice lunch. And then I just have my chopped vegetables on the side. So like, I think sometimes we overcomplicate things with meal prep. I know we have to have all these fancy meals at lunchtime. And I'm like, like, there's nothing wrong with a sandwich and with enough protein in it or an omelet or an egg muffins or whatever.
00:07:19
Speaker
And or scrambled eggs and toast or whatever. And just have your chopped vegetables on the side if you don't like it in it. I'm always like, be the grown up. Get your get your vegetables in one way or another. Sometimes i'm like, oh, I don't feel like chomping on this this cucumber right now. like, oh, just get it into your game while you're making it.
00:07:32
Speaker
You know, you do feel better for it. So let's talk about if you do want to meal prep, find what works in your routine. OK, don't make it another chore on your list. We're all busy. You know, making changes is stressful enough.
00:07:44
Speaker
We don't need to make it more stressful. So just find a way that it works for you. Like, for example, if I'm prepping breakfast or lunch, I'll do it at the same time as when I'm cooking dinner. You know, some
Effortless Breakfasts: Ideas for Busy Mornings
00:07:56
Speaker
multitasking. I'm not like actually cooking dinners to to batch cook or anything like that.
00:08:01
Speaker
If I just I'm going somewhere the next day and I'm preparing my like breakfast breakfast lunch, I'll do it at dinner time and I'm at the kitchen anyway and going wait for things to simmer and cook, you know, and get my breakfast sorted and my lunch sorted while I'm cooking the dinner.
00:08:12
Speaker
It's just to be kind of forward thinking enough to to remember to do that. So you're not adding a whole other task into your day. Or if you have set aside separate time to meal prep. you know, maybe Sunday afternoon or something like that, cook two dinners at once.
00:08:26
Speaker
So for example, I do chili and bolognese. So it's the same ingredients. You're still going to be putting oil in the pan. You're going to be putting some onions and garlic and beef mince. It's going to go in there and you're going to be adding whatever vegetables you're adding.
00:08:40
Speaker
And The only time it gets different is with the herbs, the spices and any sauces you're putting in. And that's when you can separate them. So I just think it's a much easier way. And so then all of a sudden you've cooked two dinners.
00:08:53
Speaker
like And if the recipe is for four, you've just got eight. You've just made eight portions for yourself all in one go. And it need only take about an hour. or So that that would be my but i tip. And i say that I don't do that very often because it just doesn't make sense when cooking dinner every day anyway.
00:09:06
Speaker
When it comes to breakfast, like breakfast is one that you don't, especially if you're busy and you're trying to get out the door in the morning, you're trying to get kids out the door in the morning and everyone's trying to get out the door. You don't want to overcomplicate it.
00:09:17
Speaker
Now, if you're having an easy weekend and or, you know, or mornings are slow enough, have loads time and you want to prepare eggs and avocado and you know, make all these wonderful omelets and you want to do all that. That's great.
00:09:28
Speaker
But for me, like the mornings are busy. I've got to get everyone out door. It's not, it's not easy. So I would always do like something that I don't, it'll always be overnight oats, weed a bit, overnight weed bit or protein weed bit as I call it protein smoothie.
00:09:43
Speaker
And I've shared these recipes on my page before. They're so, so simple. And so like even if you Google them, there's loads of different recipes available on the Internet anyway in relation to overnight oats. And, you know, if you put in protein Weetabix cheesecake, it'll it'll give you recipes for it. It's basically where you mix the Weetabix with protein powder in the base and you put in seeds or it's a protein powder, Weetabix and a little bit of milk or water.
00:10:05
Speaker
And you kind of make like a cheesecake base with it. And then put some Greek yogurt on top. some fruit delicious protein smoothie like you know I'd always put some protein powder in there some greek yogurt and then whatever fruit you like maybe a little bit of water seeds that kind of thing and they're really handy overnight oats the weed mix cheesecake you can actually prepare the night before if you're open out the door a protein smoothie you can have it all prepared just don't blend it until that morning because it'll be rotten if you blend it like too long before you actually eat it So like overnight oats, obviously can do the night before.
00:10:35
Speaker
The Weedabix you can do the night before. It's great. Then you don't have to think about breakfast. Just take it out of the fridge and you go. Or if you do have time and you want to have a breakfast on the go, the smoothie can be handy. Make up your smoothie in the morning. Take it in the car with you.
00:10:46
Speaker
And like you can put like, you know, like if my protein smoothie, like i said, I would have berries. I would have protein powder, Greek yogurt. I actually put my creatine in it as well. And I put some chia seeds in there.
00:10:58
Speaker
And I have banana Greek yogurt. And I did say protein powder, didn't I? Blend it all together. And it's it's it's like a proper kind of yogurt-y kind of breakfast, but you can drink it.
00:11:11
Speaker
And it's really filling. A lot of people are finding like, oh, smoothie, I don't think I'd like to drink my breakfast. You'd be surprised. ah It's definitely worth giving it a go. I always think keeping breakfast as simple as possible.
00:11:21
Speaker
If you really do like to have toast for breakfast, just make sure you're having like some egg sliced egg with it or something so that you're getting a source of protein first thing in the day. It's so important. Okay. Other little hacks, okay, that I think help like, you know, air fryer and slow cookers can be a game changer. Okay. So, you we know to just throw things and into the air fryer and only takes 10 minutes to do.
00:11:41
Speaker
And, you know, there's so much content out there now of how the air fryer can be used in different ways. Slow cookers, getting your stuff on before you get out the door of the day and then come home dinner's cooked. Like there's also a lot to be said for that. i don't tend to use a slow cooker because I tend to work from home and i would literally be smelling it all day long. I'd be like, oh, God, is it dinner time yet?
00:12:01
Speaker
So like it depends. It it depends on the routine, depends on the person.
Underrated Potatoes: The Versatile Staple
00:12:05
Speaker
Potatoes. great I just want to talk about potatoes for a second. They are so underrated for how much you get for such low calories.
00:12:12
Speaker
And so, like, you know, when we're trying to like, you're doing a bolognese, you're doing a curry whatever, you're measuring out your pasta and your rice and you're like, oh, is that all I get? Like, you know, and then you're like, oh, I better spend some more calories on it so I get some more.
00:12:22
Speaker
Whereas with potatoes, you will be surprised the amount of potatoes you'll get for quite low calories. And then just put them like, so when I say potatoes, you Like there's so many ways if you like mashed potatoes, have them mashed. If you just like them normal with a bit of gravy, have them with gravy.
00:12:35
Speaker
But you can chop them up. You can make chips, throw them into the air fryer or the oven for oven chips or little roasted potato cubes or like there's so many different ways to do to do them. And you'll get quite a lot for those calories.
00:12:46
Speaker
Slow cooker dump bags. OK, and this wasn't actually an idea of mine. I think it was a client that actually brought this idea to the WhatsApp group before. I thought it was so clever. Chop your ingredients for the slow cooker meals.
00:12:58
Speaker
And this could be something that people consume all the time in social media. I don't know. ah It doesn't come my feed anyway, but I thought this was brilliant. and Chop all your ingredients for the slow cooker meals into Ziploc bags into your freezer. Then just label them and take out what you need the night before and then throw into the slow cooker that morning. its You don't have to like start chopping turnip and onions first thing in the morning before you out the door just to get it into the slow cooker. You already, you're like you could have like beef stew and you have all the ingredients there chopped, ready to go, ready to be thrown into the slow cooker.
00:13:28
Speaker
Just take it out of the freezer the night before and then like throw it in that morning and it's done. Like you have them all labeled in block bags. Like genius,
Meal Planning for Stress-Free Health Goals
00:13:37
Speaker
genius. So I think my main point here, and i was a little bit of rambling, I think I've thrown a few a few meal ideas your way, nothing nothing that's groundbreaking or anything. I think what is really important here when it comes to meal prep is that meal planning is essential.
00:13:52
Speaker
So being organized, if you have a goal or you know whether it is just health, just eat being healthier, whether it is fitness, whether it is weight loss, whether it's a mix of of all of them, whether you're trying to gain weight,
00:14:03
Speaker
It doesn't matter like it when you're giving your nutrition that little bit of focus, you do need. To be organized and you do need to plan ahead, and you don't. That doesn't mean you have to be rigid and stick to super strict rules, but always be ahead of yourself and you can adjust as necessary as you go.
00:14:20
Speaker
Know what you're going to have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks the next day. Know where you're going and what's happening and are you going to be eating out? you know, all of these things are really important. It doesn't mean you're not allowing yourself to do anything.
00:14:32
Speaker
You just kind of know ahead of time what's going to happen. It doesn't mean you can't be spontaneous. Of course you can. And you'll adjust as necessary. And sometimes the spontaneity that comes up will be worth being a little bit off track. And that's also OK.
00:14:45
Speaker
But this business, I kind of run around like a headless chicken day in, day out, week in, week out. I know some of you are listening like, Kate, you're looking at me, you're talking to me. Like we all have times like this. We have to get to grips with this. So it's the day in, day out, week in, week out routine, not the special occasions I'm talking about.
00:15:01
Speaker
Like what I do, and I know spoken about this before, but I'll speak about it again because I just think it's so important. and ah Finding your own version of this. I get up on a Saturday morning before everyone else in my house, it just because I tend to wake before them.
00:15:12
Speaker
And I go downstairs, make myself my lovely little coffee. I have a look in the presses. I get my little meal planner out and I plan what dinners we're going to have for the week ahead. Then turn on my laptop, go to Tesco online, do my weekly grocery shop in the peace and quiet, sipping on my coffee.
00:15:28
Speaker
Then I order all the ingredients that are needed for those meals and then all the bits are needed for breakfast and lunch and yeah know for the kids and all of that. And have my weekly shopping done before we get up and I'm doing anything on a Saturday morning.
00:15:39
Speaker
And it just sets sets you up and then it gets delivered Saturday evening or else Sunday morning. And then we have everything we need for the week ahead. And that's my definition on meal prep that works in my house. Now, some people can't plan a whole week ahead. I just there's I hate having to go to the grocery shop midweek.
00:15:53
Speaker
I'm like, it annoys me. I'm like, I like to just have all the things I need there. And it's one less thing to worry about. Some people prefer to do it kind of day by day or like every couple of days. But if you do it day by day, that's fine.
00:16:05
Speaker
But at least be a day ahead of yourself. If you do like to pop into the shop each time, that's totally fine. and You want to buy the freshest ingredients. I totally get that. Just... Be a day ahead of yourself.
00:16:15
Speaker
Be organized. Give yourself the daily time to plan that then. So always plan your meals in advance. And always, always, always, if you're tracking your calories, track your calories for the day ahead, the night before. Make that habit.
00:16:29
Speaker
Like that is like the most important form of meal prep that you'll ever do. So it's no point in like spending hours cooking all these meals and putting them all into Tupperware. And, you know, being super organized and then everything keeps going to shit because you can't catch yourself and you're not organized and there's no structure to your week or your day.
00:16:45
Speaker
And you're fuck, I'm over my colors again. What happened? Oh, another the day of saying fuck it. Whereas it's if you take away the decision, like you take away the decision fatigue and you're like, this is what we're having for dinner today. And don't get me wrong on my little planner.
00:16:57
Speaker
If we de decide we're supposed to have bolognese one day and curry another day and I want to chop and change it, I will. Like it's just my I just mean these are seven meals we're having for the next week. And I'll move it around as necessary, you know, and i find that works well. So I think with meal prep, it's a about finding what works for you.
00:17:12
Speaker
And if cooking meals ahead really does work for you and you enjoy to do it, do it. If you like to have leftover dinner for lunch, have leftover dinner for lunch. If you like to have a sandwich lunch, have a sandwich, get more protein in it, eat more vegetables on the side with it and just keep it simple. You don't want it to be another chore. You want it to be something that's going to work for you.
00:17:30
Speaker
And think about it with what you can do consistently that's going to pay off. So I think I'm going to leave it at that. I hope that that that episode was not too rambly and that it made sense.
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:17:41
Speaker
And baby Noah was really good through this episode. So I don't even know if you could hear him at all. But yeah, thank you so much for listening. And I will talk to you all on.
00:17:52
Speaker
I just want to say thank you so much for listening to the podcast. And i would just ask for one thing from you, if at all possible, could you make sure that you subscribe to the podcast? It really does make such a difference.
00:18:06
Speaker
If there's a particular episode that you've enjoyed, please do share it in your WhatsApp groups, share it on your stories, tag myself and the guest. in your stories. All of these things really do help to grow the podcast. And obviously, if there's anything you'd like to reflect on, please do leave a comment. It would mean the world to me and I will see you on the next one.