Sticking to a healthy-ish diet usually means clocking in a few hours of meal prep (shout out to Sundays), but let's be real: The whole cook, assemble, repeat thing can lead to burnout.
Sammi Brondo, RD and author of The Essential Vegetable Cookbook isn't totally on board with the meal-prep game either. (Don't you feel relieved, already?) "I’m not really into meal prep and I don’t love spending hours of time in the kitchen," she explains. "The key for me is to keep my kitchen stocked with items that are easy to prepare and help me feel good."
Her ingredient must-haves, you ask? "I love legumes like beans and chickpeas," Brondo says. "They’re cheap, they’re shelf-stable, and they have a ton of protein and fiber, and they can really pair with anything to help make an easy meal in no time." Brondo usually matches these fibrous ingredients with pre-cooked brown rice or quinoa for DIY grain bowls to last all week.
The other must-be-in-fridge-at-all times in Brondo's household is Lactaid milk, whether that's drinking a straight glass or adding it to smoothies or recipes. "I love milk but as we get older it gets harder to digest and my husband has always been lactose intolerant," she says. "We both love Lactaid because it makes it easy to still drink milk just without the lactose."
With just a few (affordable and simple) items to add to your grocery haul, you might just be able to cancel your meal-prep Sundays, too.
Watch the video above for a full look at what Brondo keeps stocked in her kitchen to keep meal prep to a minimum.
Sponsored by Lactaid
