It’s no secret that when you decide to go to law school, you’re also deciding to give up a lot of extra time. It’s an adjustment, but once you discover your own little hacks that buy yourself, say, an extra 20 minutes every day, you’ll find it’s really not that bad. One of my favorite things to do that gives me more time and makes me feel so much more efficient and organized is meal prepping. I feel like meal prep has such a negative connotation to it, and everyone always just thinks of boring foods like chicken and rice, but I guarantee it can be so much more fun than that.
The Schedule
The first step in committing to your meal prep is putting it on your schedule. I talked about this in a previous post, so head there for a deeper dive on calendar management. But in short, making sure you schedule time each week to devote to grocery shopping and meal prepping will help you create those long-term habits that are so important to have during law school.
I usually schedule time to grocery shop on Fridays or Saturday so I have all the supplies I need on Sunday mornings, which is when I meal prep. Bonus points if you have a grocery store within walking distance so you can get some exercise in too; habit stacking is a game changer.
But before you head to your fav grocery store (I loveee Aldi and Trader Joe’s), make sure you aren’t heading in blind. If you’re a Pinterest user like me, make a board dedicated to simple meal prep ideas. Then, when it’s time to shop, you can just pull up one of the recipes and add whatever you need to your list. I’ve already started a board dedicated to this – check it out here! If you don’t use Pinterest, you can find recipes on Google, Instagram, Tik Tok… honestly anywhere.
I tend to choose pretty easy recipes for myself because I don’t like to spend much time cooking. So when Sunday morning rolls around, I’m really only spending an hour max on making my meals for the week. I prefer Sundays because it’s the perfect way to prepare for the week ahead, and I never have too much going on. I get to dedicate that time to me, not my school work, not anybody else, just me.
The Supplies
Alright, you’ve made the time in your schedule to meal prep. What’s next? Making sure you have all the right supplies. I don’t mean the ingredients, I mean the Tupperware, the utensils, the ice packs, you know – the necessities. Having the meals won’t do you any good if you have no way of keeping them fresh and actually bringing them with you to law school.
One thing to think about is if your law school has a fridge and a microwave. My school does, so I can make meals that require heating up. I also don’t have to bring an ice pack because I can just store my food in the fridge until lunchtime. I know this might seem silly, but these are the important things to think about!!
First things first: Tupperware. This is the exact Tupperware I use, and it has never failed me. It’s affordable, it stays secure, it’s dishwasher safe, and it fits nicely into any lunch box or bag. I use this lunch box, which fits the Tupperware perfectly and is super easy to clean. I think there’s some fun colors, but I’m boring and just like the black.
I’d say Tupperware and lunch boxes are the most important, but make sure you grab whatever else you need too. Ice packs, a fork, napkins – you can’t be too prepared.
The Meals
I touched on this already, but it’s crucial that you’re making meals you’re excited to eat! I’ve had weeks where I’m super lazy and just heat up some rice and microwave veggies and throw them into my containers for the week, but when it came time to actually eat them, I wasn’t excited and often times spent money on vending machines or nearby restaurants instead. Don’t let this be you! Make your meal prep actually taste good!
I don’t know what foods you like because I’m not you, but I’ll tell you what works for me. My meal prep is usually pretty balanced. My main meal is always something like vegetables, rice, and some sort of protein (I’ve been on a roasted chickpea kick). I know I just said that this isn’t very exciting, but if you add the right sauce and seasonings, you can make it taste really good. I also always add in something fun. Sometimes this takes the shape of a drink – my favorite being Diet Coke – but sometimes it’s a treat, like candy. Just anything I can do to make myself excited for the meal and also to make sure I feel satisfied after.
I really only meal prep my lunches because my dinners and breakfasts are never too advanced, but do what works for you. I used to prepare overnight oats every night before bed for an easy grab-and-go breakfast that kept me super full and was also delicious. If you hate oatmeal, you could hard boil a bunch of eggs once a week or make and freeze breakfast sandwiches to get the same effect. Honestly half the fun is switching it up. The importance of meal prepping isn’t keeping it the same, it’s the habit of doing it. Get excited about your food, and more importantly, about the time you’ll be saving!
Law Student Balance 