We, Two Regular People, Tried Meal Prepping And Here's What Happened

Nothing could prepare us for the gas.

Rebecca Hendin / Laura Gallant / BuzzFeed

Meal prepping has become pretty popular over the last year, with pictures of people's neatly lined Tupperware constantly popping up all over Instagram.

Instagram: @punisher845

But you don't have to be a gymgoer to meal prep. Meal prepping can save you time and money, while making sure you eat more ~healthily~.

We – Remee and Gena – both spend far too much money on eating out, while constantly complaining that we eat like shit. So we decided to try meal prepping ourselves, by batch-cooking some ingredients and eating it for five days in a row.

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We were prepared to prepare; however, what we were not prepared to do was eat chicken and steamed vegetables for a week. We are not about that life.

So we each came up with something reasonably healthy (and that wouldn't make us cry) to cook in bulk, ordered our ingredients online, and then gave ourselves Sunday afternoon to get prepping for the week ahead.

Remee's Meal Prep

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What I cooked: Spiced chickpeas, kidney beans, and roast sweet potato. I used one portion to make a curry and another for a chilli. The rest was added to other ingredients to form meals.

How long it took to prep: 1–1.5 hours. The bulk of the time was waiting for the sweet potato to roast, so I pretty much did everything while watching The Good Wife.

Cost: £13 – that's for my batch cook AND all the yummy toppings/sides like feta and avocado. If I really did eat all of these meals, I'd be saving at least £20!

Gena's Meal Prep

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What I cooked: Turkey mince. Half as bolognese, half as chilli.

How long it took to prep: I cooked both portions of mince at the same time, so it took me an hour, including boiling the spaghetti for my first meal the next day. The method for preparing both the bolognese and the chilli was essentially the same – I just added chilli con carne seasoning and some kidney beans to the chilli.

Cost: A mere £20 for a week's worth of ingredients. How hard can it *really* be to eat the same thing for five days if it means saving money?

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Remee

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Were you looking forward to eating it? Hell yeah, this was some brunch-worthy shit.

Convenience: I was off work today so all I had to so was toss Tupperware 1 into a pan with some spices, crack two eggs in it, and serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Literally five minutes of my time was taken.

Taste: Pretty damn yummy, and it felt healthy and balanced, much better than the egg mayo baguette I'd normally buy.

Gena

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Were you looking forward to eating it? My love for spaghetti bolognese is everlasting, so yes.

Convenience: Having already prepared the night before, it was very handy to just grab the Tupperware and go.

Taste factor: Unfortunately, I was tempted by the endless bags of tortilla chips in the office and ended up eating them instead. But I ate the spag bol when I got home and it was fabulous.

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Remee

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Were you looking forward to eating it? It looked pretty gourmet, and even my colleague commented on how delicious it looked (she even nicked a bite!).

Convenience: Back at work today, and it was so good to just open the fridge, grab Tupperware 2, and head to work! It only took a minute to assemble (adding some feta and avocado).

Taste factor: It tasted great and was surprisingly filling. But was it filling me with false hope????

Gena

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Were you looking forward to eating it? Yes, especially because there were no tortilla chips to distract me.

Convenience: Having already made the chilli, all I needed to do was put hot water on my couscous to prepare it and I was good to go.

Taste: It was tasty, but most importantly it was filling, which meant I didn’t need my regular cheeky trip to the snack room.

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Remee

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Were you looking forward to eating it? OK, so the reason why I had been full eating these meals is because I was being filled with FUCKING GAS! I was so farty and poopy and now I had to eat chilli. BEAN CHILLI! I couldn’t face having it for lunch (my body was not ready), and luckily we get free lunch on Wednesdays, so I decided to have it for dinner instead.

Convenience: By the time 7pm rolled around, I was ready to eat it, mainly because I was tired and couldn’t be arsed to cook, so Tupperware 3 definitely came to the rescue – all I had to do was heat it up and serve it with some yoghurt and a squeeze of lime.

Taste: It tasted perfectly fine, but I was very conscious of the hideous and toxic gases that were building inside me. I felt like a ticking time bomb.

Gena

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Were you looking forward to eating it? Much as they did with Remee, the beans in my chilli were starting to take their toll on my bowels, and I feared if I ate them for lunch at work my body would totally reject them. It was also at this point that I started to complain tirelessly about the fact I was SO SICK of eating the same shit every goddamn day.

Convenience: What could be easier than shoving some mince in a bun?

Taste: I was beginning to regret my choice of turkey mince, and as I sat down to eat my sloppy joe for dinner, my stomach voiced its disapproval too. Very loudly, may I add.

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Remee

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Were you looking forward to eating it? I decided to have the salad again, mainly because I had lots of feta and spinach knocking about and it did taste bloody good on Tuesday, so what did I have to lose? My bowel function and sense of dignity, I suppose.

Convenience: Again, it felt so easy just pulling Tupperware 4 out of the fridge and not having to worry about buying anything or eating something super unhealthy.

Taste: There was less spice in this mix than the bean chilli and hash, so I wasn’t expecting to have any toxic poos, but I did still feel gassy, so it was hard to enjoy it like I did on Tuesday.

Gena

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Were you looking forward to eating it? I’m not usually a huge fan of potato unless it’s, you know, fried, but I was pleasantly surprised with the way my meal turned out!

Convenience: I woke up half an hour earlier than usual to prepare the mash, which I was fine with on this occasion, but I'm not sure I'd always be so willing.

Taste: It was a satisfying lunch, and I was pretty happy I’d saved money on something I’d usually pay £6 or £7 for on the outside.

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Remee

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Were you looking forward to eating it? Why the fuck did I save bean and egg curry for the last day? Am I insane? Have I gone insane?

Convenience: I had to boil the eggs the night before, so just an extra five minutes for prep.

Taste: Guys, I can't – I just can't talk about this. I need to go to the toilet.

Gena

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Were you looking forward to eating it? Welp, RIP to my new positive attitude from yesterday because by this day I never wanted to see, smell, or taste another portion of turkey mince again, let alone a fucking kidney bean.

Convenience: I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to prepare my lunch on this day. All I had to do was stuff my peppers with the pre-made chilli, top with cheese and stick it in the over.

Taste: So simple and filling. Unfortunately I was filled with more beans, but in theory, excellent lunch.

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Remee: OK, listen. This whole idea is great and it saves you time and money and is probably much better for you healthwise, BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT BATCH-COOK BEANS!

Eating essentially the same thing wasn't that monotonous because I think I did a good job at making different meals out of it. BUT it either just takes some getting used to or you just can't really eat beans for five days in a row. Not if you want to keep your friends, lover, or job. If I did this again, which I probably will considering it took minimal effort on a lazy Sunday and made my life so much easier in the week, I would prepare for 3–4 meals, not 5. I'd allow myself a day off to treat myself and break the repetition. I would also not use beans. So many beans.

Gena: I can't deny it: There's something about preparing your meals beforehand that really makes you feel like you have your shit together. I loved the fact I could just grab my meals and go, and that with just an hour on Sunday, I could save so many hours of effort throughout the week.

However, a vital thing I learned about eating the same thing for five days is the importance of lying to yourself. You have to tell yourself, "No, I'm not eating the same thing for the third time in a row, coupled with a different carb. This is new and fresh and novel!" Otherwise, you're likely to lose the will to live. Additionally, do NOT choose a meal that means you have to eat kidney beans for three days straight. I'm sure I'm a couple pounds down after how many times I visited the toilet.

All in all, we would do it all again, but some time in the distant, beanless future.

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