Meal planning is an incredibly healthy, time effective and cost-friendly option to buying take out or purchasing your meals every day. 
Millions of people practice the art of meal planning around the world in a bid to save some dollars and ensure that they always have a fresh and healthy meal ready for them when time is short. Unfortunately, meal planning can also get a little boring if you don’t come up with new ideas to spice your meals up. Today, we have a look at how you can add some simple variety to your meal preparation. Say goodbye to boring tuna and rice, and read on to find out more!
Purchase Some New Kitchen Gadgets
The first way to inject some variety into your meal preparation is to go out and purchase a few new kitchen gadgets. Perhaps you have found a number of interesting recipes but don’t have all the gadgets or appliances that are required to whip up new dishes. Some very helpful kitchen investments include a food processor, blender and rice cooker. Of course, the list doesn’t end there. Depending on your style of cooking and your preferences, the gadgets and appliances you need will differ. One thing is for sure though, with a variety of appliances, you’ll be opening your culinary repertoire up and enabling yourself to think out of the box when it comes to your meal prep.
Prepare 2 Options Simultaneously
When it comes to meal prepping, one mistake many people make is to only prepare one dish. Eating the same thing for 5 days in a week can quickly get boring and result in you turning to take out or deliveries to change things up. This is why we highly recommend making at least 2 different dishes on prep day. Not only will this add a little variety to your weekly meal plan, but it also allows you to practice your culinary skills and try something out of the box. Some easy ideas include cooking up a batch of meat and vegetables, dividing it into two, and seasoning each portion with different sauces, spices and sides.
Source Inspiration From Websites and Magazines
The internet is almost over-crowded with millions of recipes for people to follow. A quick Google search for your favorite meal will lead you to hundreds of recipes and variations of your dish of choice. If you’re looking to add some variety into your meal preparation, we highly recommend browsing through food blogs, recipe websites and magazines in order to source some new inspiration and ideas for your meals. You can even browse through the millions of Youtube recipe videos that now exist in order to find new dishes that will tantalize your tastebuds.
Build On A Different Base
Do you always serve your stir-fries with noodles or rice? If so, the time has come for you to think out of the box and build your meals on a different base. Why not try options such as Black Rice, Quinoa, Barley or Amaranth? If you’re a noodle kind of person, why not expand your variety by purchasing some Rice Noodles, Glass Noodles or Black Bean Spaghetti? With supermarkets now stocking an incredible range of options, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
Take A Trip Around The World
Last but certainly by no means least, one of the best ways to inject some spice into your meals is to take a trip around the world – metaphorically, not literally! Why not try and cook up the dishes of various countries around the world? Instead of sticking to what you know, expand your culinary repertoire by preparing dishes inspired by the Orient, the Wild Wild West and Europe. You’ll be amazed at how simple recreating your favorite foreign meals is and how much you can learn about new cooking techniques, spices and ingredients that you would have never thought of using before!
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Creating some variety with your meal preparation is an incredibly fun way to add some spice to your regular meals and also learn about new techniques, ingredients and cooking methods. We hope that this article has given you a few ideas on how you can inject some pizazz into your weekly meal prep.
More Meal Planning Tips:
- Meal Planning for Working Moms
- 4 Challenges of meal planning for busy moms
- 5 Easy Meal Solutions For Working Moms
- 8 Easy Food Storage Tips To Keep Them Fresh
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