One of the most difficult things for me to do during the day is avoid the drive-thru. I’m a sucker for a good Starbucks ANYTHING with some kind of gluten-free sandwich on the side. Fast + delicious is my jam. BUT. It’s not realistic for my waist OR my wallet if I’m eating out every single day. That’s why I was super thrilled and excited to share my all time favorite hack: how to make a healthy meal in under 10 minutes.
Ideally, whether you’re working on a body aesthetic goal or just trying to eat healthier in general, meal prep would be part of your regular weekly routine. But sometimes we don’t always have that luxury, because #life.
There are a couple staples you should keep on hand every week, and use them as your go-to when you’re short on time. These are items that are basic, but pretty interchangeable, so you can spice things up and still stick within your macros or your flexible dieting lifestyle.
Here’s How to Make a Healthy Meal in Under 10 Minutes
All you need is a good option for rice, veggies, and a protein. The room here for variety is endless. Pretty much ANY combination will work – trust me. Been there, tried it all. You can get fancy and make a Mexican-inspired cuisine, or you can keep it simple. The choice is really up to you.
Now.. Let me be clear really quick in saying that fresh of anything is always best. But we’re being real today, and our reality is that we just don’t always have time to make sure have the freshest produce on hand. No shame.
So.. What I do is I stock up on my favorite steamer packs of veggies. You can’t really go wrong here (unless you’re picking the ones that have more melted cheese inside than they do vegetables). My favorite brands are Birds Eye (I LOVE the plain chopped broccoli and the baby broccoli blend), and Green Giant. No matter the kind you get, you usually can throw them in the microwave for somewhere around 5 minutes total.
Next.. Figure out a protein. I will say it’s easier to have some meats cooked up so that way you can just grab a leftover and warm it up in the microwave. Usually I’ll grill a few chicken breasts and keep them in the fridge on “standby” for lunches throughout the week. You can also use ground turkey, ground chicken, seafood.. You name it. (One of my favorites is making pulled pork in the crock pot).
Last.. The rice. You can also substitute a whole grain pasta, or even a regular or sweet potato, but I personally like to eat my grains earlier in the day. If you look hard enough in your health food section you can find these wonderful microwavable pouches that are ready in 90 seconds. I usually get anywhere from 2-4 servings out of one of the pouches, all depending on my personal macros.
Things to keep in mind
One thing to pay attention to when you’re selecting the rice packs is the ingredient list. Some of those rice packs, even the Uncle Ben’s are full of tons of ingredients that you really don’t need. Opt instead for the packs that only contain rice, and potentially olive oil. If it has added sugar or a ton of ingredients that you can’t pronounce, run.
You’re almost done. All you have to do now is garnish. You can add a drizzle of olive oil if you’d like, or simply sprinkle with your favorite seasonings and you’re ready to eat.
How’s that for efficiency? You may even still have time to do some shopping on your lunch break. That’s a serious win in my book 😉
