How to cook more often: A guide for busy athletes

In a recent poll on Instagram, I asked what the biggest barrier to cooking more often is. The winner, by a landslide, was a lack of time. So, I decided to write a piece on how to save time in the kitchen as a busy athlete.

First, why is it beneficial to cook more often?

1. Cooking yourself can lead to choosing more nutrient-dense, whole food choices because you get to choose ingredients yourself.
2. Cooking yourself saves you money. Preparing meals in bulk and avoiding the costs of production of ready-made meals are more cost-effective than buying prepared foods.
3. Cooking can be a great way to spend time with loved ones.

Here is a guide for busy athletes on how to cook more often:

1. Plan and prepare!
   This might seem basic, but the best way to save time in the kitchen is making sure you have an idea of what your weekly meals are going to look at and ensuring that the ingredients required to make these meals are available in the house. For tips to save money when heading to the grocery store and a FREE downloadable grocery list, click here. Set out one day a week where you will invest about 1 – 2hours to plan and prepare healthy meals and snacks. See it as an investment that will pay of greatly in the form of improved energy, health, and quality of life.
2. Breakfast:
   Set out your breakfast the night before to make sure you have a nutritious, grab-and-go breakfast option available during the morning rush. This can be something like overnight oats, toast with peanut butter and banana, or even making some hard-boiled eggs at the beginning of the week and keeping them in the fridge for a quick, quality protein source in the morning.
3. Snacks:
   Plan and portion out your snacks over the weekend. Portion out a handful of nuts and put in a plastic Ziploc bag to have with some fruit during the day at work or school, cut up a few snack veggies like cucumber, carrots and celery on a Saturday or Sunday for a grab-and-go snack high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.
4. Lunch:
   Make an extra portion of dinners and have that as a lunch the next day.
5. Dinner:
   Batch prep some staples, for example brown nice, potatoes, lean cuts of meat and/or stews or soups. For some people, portioning out foods into meal prep containers work well. Personally, I prefer having larger containers with rice, meat and veggies prepared in my fridge and then mixing and matching during the week to provide some variety.
6. Use the time in the kitchen as a time to spend time with loved ones, listen to a good podcast or even watch an episode of your favorite series, instead of doing those tasks separately.
   This way, you will be hitting two birds with one stone.
7. Set yourself up for success by investing in some quality storage containers.
   

Quick cooking methods

• Microwaving vegetables and even starches like potatoes can save some time when compared to baking in the oven or frying foods.
• Taking out frozen foods in the morning before work or school can save time spent on defrosting foods.
• Baking foods in an oven can save some time, because you don’t have to be in the kitchen during the entire time – pop in some veggies and a protein source, set a timer and use the time to either catch up on cleaning tasks or do a little bit of work.

Like most habits, cooking more often might be a little out of your comfort zone at the beginning. But this is a powerful way to ELEVATE your health and performance and changing your mindset from “I don’t have time!” to “How can I have time?” will help you to identify areas in your life where you can save time to make space for this new habit. In the end, what seems like a sacrifice at first, will become a way for you to invest in your own health and performance.

Want some ideas for quick meals and recipes for busy athletes? I found some nice websites that can give you a place to start:

Budget Friendly Meals for Athletes

Keep ELEVATING.