First Quarter Review

We’re one quarter of the way through this meatless year, so let’s take a moment to see where we’re at.

At this point, I no longer crave meat. In fact, I’m gonna say I probably wouldn’t eat any if it was put in front of me. Now, if I was starving… Well, let’s not dally with hypotheticals. Point is, I can’t get over how far I’ve come. I can tell you about the times I decried vegans and veganism, or said I’d never forego meat, but you’ve only got my word for it. From in here (that is to say, in my brain), it’s a whole new world, and that’s difficult – even impossible – to get across to others.

Preparatory School

I see thumbnails for meal prep videos all the time. Many containers of colourful ingredients, carefully arrayed. And nearly every time, I think to myself that that looks like way too much work.

Back when we did Whole30, I was having some trouble wrapping my head around meal planning. Partly, this was because I don’t like locking myself into having a certain dish on a certain day. What if I get to Tuesday and I don’t want whatever the plan says I’m to eat that day? If I don’t have that thing, it throws the whole plan right off the rails. I won’t have the right leftovers to make meals for the rest of the week. It’s kind of a nightmare.

That’s when I came across this more loosely prescribed meal plan. It involves ingredient prep instead of meal prep. There are certain things that are prepared the same way, week over week, then there’s a big pot of something or other that’s eaten over several days. It’s habit building, and doesn’t involve copious amounts of research on a constant hunt for novelty.

So, let me walk you through how I’ve folded this style of preparation into my weekly routine.