Every Sunday you will find me in my kitchen preparing for the week. I find that Sunday meal prep helps in choosing healthier meals daily and keeps me on track.

One way to make sure you eat well and control what you eat is to prepare your own food. You have more control of how much you eat and how something is prepared when you do it for yourself.

Imagine if all of your meals were already prepared so that you didn’t have to go out for lunch or worry about dinner? You can do this by putting in a few hours on Sundays in order to plan and prep all of your meals for the week.

Tips to help you with your Sunday meal prep

Set aside prep time

You will need to plan, shop and prepare meals. Block off time to make your list, hit the store and for cooking on Sunday.

Decide on the frequency of meals

Can you eat the same meal every day or do you want something different? This will determine how many and which recipes you will choose. I eat six times a day so I prep three of my six meals ahead of time. I typically cook breakfast and dinner fresh every day with an added shake to round out six meals.

One of my favorite meal prep breakfasts are egg muffins. You can do so much with egg muffins including meats and vegetables.

Choose recipes with overlapping ingredients to cut costs and waste

Most protein can be used in several dishes to save time. This week I used ground turkey in two different dishes – taco salad and spaghetti squash with turkey meat sauce.

Make a grocery list and go shopping

Go to the store with a list to prevent the spontaneous purchase of impulse foods that you did not intend or need to buy.

It all starts in the grocery store. It’s a place I do enjoy because I have seen the impact food has on my physique.

Meal prepping takes place in the kitchen, but it begins in the grocery store. Watch three of my meal prep tips for a successful shopping trip to set you up for meal prep success.

Plan meals and snacks

Plan meals to include vegetables, lean protein and also portions of whole grains. Don’t neglect fruit. Fruit is great for breakfast and snacking.

Go for snacks that contain a little fat, protein and carbohydrates. Carrot sticks and hummus, apples and peanut butter and pita chips with guacamole are all very satisfying. Make sure to pay attention to serving size.

Have all the necessary tools at hand

Make sure you have knives, pans, roasting dishes, storage containers, cutting boards, freezer bags and all of the other gadgets you will need to prepare and portion your meals.

There’s nothing like being in the middle of your Sunday meal prep and realize you don’t have everything you need.

Package individual portions in separate containers for easy grab and go eating

Label containers and snack bags with what’s inside and/or what day of the week you want to eat it. You can write on the container lids or put some sticky on them. You also can do the same for individual plastic snack bags.

Your meals and snacks can be ready to go with a little planning and preparation. If your goal is to lose weight, maintain your current weight, become healthier or spend less time in the kitchen during the week, you can do that. Incorporate these tips into your routine and you’ll reach your personal goals.

What are some of your go-to Sunday meal prep tips?