The concept of prepping meals in advance can be daunting for busy dancers. Add the unspoken pressures of picture-perfect meals from social feeds and you’ve got a recipe for meal-prep avoidance. But meal prep can be a vital tool for balanced nutrition—even for dancers navigating the busiest of schedules.

While Ashley Murphy-Wilson was growing up, her grandmother, Ella Bowers, owned a restaurant in their hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, and taught The Washington Ballet dancer how to cook. “She’s still teaching me!” Murphy-Wilson says with a laugh. Big family meals were Southern soul food and pure decadence: fried chicken, fried fish, collard greens, sweet potato […]