Freelance Tips: 5 Meal-Planning Tips for Freelancers
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When you’re overwhelmed with deadlines and documents, a good meal plan can be a lifesaver for freelance proofreaders. That’s because having a meal ready saves you time and hassle, so you can keep focused. In this post, we’ve got five meal planning tips to help:
- Find a plan that suits your needs.
- Plan your grocery shopping.
- Cook in batches and freeze portions.
- Prep staple ingredients in advance.
- Include breakfast, lunch, and snacks in your meal plan.
Following these tips will help you to create a useful and enjoyable meal plan. But why should you bother? Let’s take a look at the reasons you may want to plan your meals as a freelancer.
The Benefits of Meal Planning
Meal planning has several great plusses. A good meal plan will:
- Save time – With the weekly shop out the way and a bunch of meals prepared in advance, you won’t have to spend your midweek evenings in the kitchen or buying groceries.
- Reduce stress – When you’re at your busiest, figuring out what’s for dinner can be a real pain. Having planned or prepped meals ahead of time can put your mind at ease.
- Help you eat well – Whether you’re after more flavor or fewer calories, a solid meal plan can help. And eating well as a freelance proofreader will help you stay productive.
- Save you money – Buying ingredients for specific meals will prevent you from spending money unnecessarily, and buying certain foods in bulk is a cost effective way to eat.
Now. let’s see how you can start planning your meals effectively.
1. Find a Plan That Works for You
A good meal plan won’t look the same for everyone. You’ll need to think about the kinds of meals you’d like to eat through the week and how much prep you’re willing to do in advance.
For example, if you want to maximize your time, prepping all your meals in advance can save you several hours over the course of a week. However, you may find having all your meals set in stone a little boring. In that case, a looser meal plan can leave room for spontaneity.
Experiment by prepping a few meals in your free time and planning some others to prepare when you want them. Gradually, you’ll figure out what kind of meal plan you’re best suited to.
2. Shop with Intent
Having a clear idea of the kinds of meals you’d like for the week ahead can save you from wasting time and money buying things you don’t need. If you already have a list of recipes in mind, you can go ahead and buy the necessary ingredients.
If, however, you’d like to keep things flexible, then whole foods are your best option. Unprocessed meats, vegetarian proteins, and vegetables give you lots of options, so you can prepare whatever you’re in the mood for at the time.
3. Batch Cook and Freeze
When it comes time to cook, preparing a big batch of a meal you like and freezing it in individual portions can save a lot of time and money. Then, when you’re too busy or don’t feel like cooking, you can have a satisfying cooked meal in minutes.
Dishes particularly well suited for this include pasta sauces, chili, stews, soup, and curry. But feel free to get creative! Anything that can be easily frozen in portions will work here.
4. Prep Ingredients
If batch prepping meals in advance seems a little unrealistic, a great in-between is prepping some staple ingredients that you can use in different meals. This reduces the time you’ll spend cooking and keeps your options open, without having to commit to prepping (and eating) the same dish for a long period of time.
For example, roasted vegetables are delicious, and a tray of them in the fridge can help keep your cooking in the week simple. Batch-cooked proteins and tuna, egg, or chicken salads are also a great lunch option for a quick meal during the day.
5. Don’t Forget About Breakfasts, Lunches, and Snacks
While prepping dinner is the most laborious part of meal planning, having your breakfast and lunches sorted in advance can save you time and money without much effort.
Prepping healthy lunches will save you from having to eat expensively (and often unhealthily) while out and about, and making sure you have plenty of whatever you like for breakfast can keep you from running low on gas during any busy mornings.
That’s all our meal planning tips for freelancers. For more great freelance tips, take a look at our advice page. It’s full of useful information to help you work in the modern world.
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