今天是国庆假期的最后一天，大家的“秋膘”贴的怎么样了，目标达成了吗？????

“每逢佳节胖三斤”的假期后，关于健康饮食和减脂的话题总会被提上议程。

所以，今天的Buzzword我们就来聊聊, 前几年在社交媒体上很火的Meal Prep备餐这个概念.

Now this is a very simple phrase.

“Meal” is just the three meals we have every day, “prep” is short for preparation.

This is a quite popular trend on social media in recent years, especially before the pandemic.

Meal prep

Meal prepping is the concept of preparing whole meals or dishes ahead of schedule.

So instead of cooking the food and eating it straight away, you would prepare the food or the meal beforehand to eat it later.

For example, you would spend some time on weekends to prepare for your meals for the following week.

备餐的概念其实很简单, 比如说你在周末花多一点时间, 把下面几天或者一周的饭食都准备好；

然后到每天要吃的时候, 只用简单的加热或者加工就可以吃了。

Now this is particularly popular amongst busy people because it can save a lot of time.

And having pre-prepared meals on hand can also reduce portion size and help you reach your nutrition goals.

除了可以省时间, 很多提前备餐的人也觉得这样可以更好地控制自己的portion, 就每一顿吃的分量；

并且可以更好的做到营养的均衡, 因为可以提前计算.

This way when you're super busy or when you come home exhausted from work, you're less likely to order or eat junk food.

Meal prepping is actually not a new thing. There has long been a strong culture around meal prepping，with numerous online communities,

like Instagram accounts, Facebook groups, dedicated to documenting the process by sharing recipes, hacks, and even the best food containers.

不管是国内还是国外, 在各种的社交媒体上, 你都可以看到很多关于meal preps的社群或者是账号；

他们会分享recipes 菜谱, hacks一些备餐的小窍门, 甚至包括the best food containers, 会去推荐一些保存食物的容器.

Though meal prepping is a topic that thrives online all year-long for a select group, it gets an extra boost of attention at the start of every new year,

as many more people make resolutions to eat healthier or spend less money dining out.

特别是每年到了新年伊始, 大家都开始立flag的时候, 也会有更多的人为了健康或者省钱去关注meal prep.

Personally, I had experience in the past doing meal prep for a few months even.

So let's take a look at some different ways to meal prep. These are pretty hands-on tips.

You may think that cooking meals for the week ahead will consume a large chunk of your weekend.

However, because they are various ways to meal prep, you don't have to stand in the kitchen for an entire Sunday afternoon.

Everyone can find a suitable meal prep style.

The most popular ways to Meal-Prep :

Make-ahead meals:

These are full meals cooked in advance which can be refrigerated and reheated at mealtimes.

This is particularly handy for dinnertime meals.

最常见的一种可能是make-ahead meals, 那就是全餐直接做好, 然后放到冰箱里, 要吃的时候直接拿出来, 热了就可以吃.

Batch cooking: 批量烹制.

Making large batches of a specific recipe, then splitting it into individual portions to be frozen and eaten over the next few months.

These make for popular warm lunch or dinner options.

For example, I probably do batch cooking if I'm cooking things like curry or stew.

比如我做炖菜或者是咖喱的时候, 就可能会煮一大锅, 然后把它分批冻起来.

Individually portioned meals:

Preparing fresh meals and portioning them into individual grab-and-go portions to be refrigerated and eaten over the next few days.

This is particularly handy for quick lunches.

这种就是小分量的简餐, 一般用来做一个轻量午餐会比较好.

Ready-to-cook ingredients:

So instead of cooking the whole meal, you just prepping the ingredients for specific meals ahead of time.

So for example, you will prepared the meat, cut the vegetable, and this will cut down on cooking time in the kitchen.

其实有点现在预制菜那个概念, 只不过是你自己做的预制菜, 而不是直接买现成的预制菜.

Now after figuring out all these ways to meal prep, then you can mix and match depending on your own circumstances to determine whatever suits you best.

Picking storage containers

Now since we're talking about hands on practical tips, we're gonna finish off with a few more tips on picking the right storage containers.

最后咱们再分享几个关于食物容器的小贴士.

Airtight containers for ready-to-cook ingredients，气密型的用来装预制菜原料的这些容器.

Washable, reusable silicone baggies and stainless-steel containers are great for keeping ingredients crisp and foods fresh.

BPA-free microwavable containers: 可以进微波炉的安全容器.

Pyrex glassware or collapsible silicone containers are some good options.

Freezer-safe containers: 可以放进冷冻室的容器.

These will limit freezer burn and nutrient losses.

它们可以防止食材在低温的环境下被冻伤, 最大程度的保存营养.

Wide-mouth mason jars are ideal, but you have to leave some space so food can expand as it freezes.

Leak-proof, compartmentalized containers: 防漏的, 分隔的这种食物容器, 比如说bento boxes日式的这种便当盒.

These are great for lunches or meals which require ingredients to be mixed at the last minute.

特别适合那种吃之前才需要把各种食物和酱料拌在一起的餐食, 最大限度保存美味.

And of course, when you're buying containers, you also have to think about if they’re stackable and similarly shaped.

This will help optimize the space in your refrigerator, freezer, or workbag.

So there you go some practical tips if you decide to meal prep.

Now let's move on the sample sentence.

例句示范

Example 1：

-Meal-prep can help with portion control and budget cutting in the long run.