This post shows you how to meal prep for the week with step by step photos. Tips, recipes and strategies to help you find a system that works for you!
What is meal prep?
In simplified terms, meal prep is the act of preparing meals or meal components ahead of time, and storing in the fridge or freezer.
By putting in the effort ahead of time, this makes getting meals on the table simple and efficient later on when you may be short on time.
Some ways you can meal prep:
Reheat Meals Assemble Ahead Ingredient prep Buffet Style Batch Prep
- reheat meals- fully cooked meals you simply need to reheat.
- assemble ahead meals- assemble ingredients ahead (don't cook), then freeze for later.
- ingredient prep/portioning things out- no cooking required, simply chopping and portioning things out.
- buffet style- prep ingredients ahead and mix and match to create different combinations.
- batch prep- cook a single ingredient ahead and base several meals around it.
Click for more details on Meal Prep Strategies
What are the benefits of meal prep?
- save money- because you're not wasting ingredients or buying your lunch
- save time- prepping components or whole meals ahead means less time cooking during the week
- reduce your stress- one less thing for you to worry about all week
- eat healthier- it's hard to argue with convenience. Meal prep really takes willpower out of the equation!
Meal prep containers
Having a set of dependable meal prep containers is important, because it can help keep your food fresh and reheat it evenly.
Here are my five faves:
2 cup container 6 cup container Pint jars Stasher bag Freezer bag
- Snapware 2 cup glass storage containers- durable, freezer, microwave and dishwasher friendly, and are great for pre-cooked meals
- 6 cup glass storage containers - great for snacks or chopped veggies
- pint size mason jars- great for storing veggies, overnight oats, parfaits etc
- sandwich Stasher bags- great for chicken marinades, energy bites, smaller freezer meals and more.
- gallon size freezer bags -great for freezer meals
Further reading: The Best Meal Prep Containers for a more detailed post on the best meal prep containers I've found
Keeping it simple to start
It's easy to get overwhelmed if you do too many things at once in the kitchen. I recommend that you pick just one meal to start.
Pick the meal that gives you the most grief. Focus on that meal. Even prepping just one meal ahead will give you the benefits of meal prepping. I promise!
For me, that was breakfasts. I prepped my breakfasts for the week at first, then I started adding in lunches, and finally snacks.
Here are four tips for food prep beginners:
- Keep it simple- like we discussed above, just picking one meal that pains you and focussing on that will prevent you from getting overwhelmed, and you will still feel the benefits of meal prepping!
- Schedule it- write it on your calendar. Block off time. Make it as difficult as possible to make excuses.
- Use dependable recipes- it might not be the right time to try a crazy new recipe. Using recipes you know are easy and tasty is a great base to start off of.
- Have fun and reward yourself- I like to crank up the music and have fun when I'm prepping. And it doesn't hurt to bribe yourself with a coffee or a bit of chocolate, right?
STEP ONE: Make a meal plan
Even if you don't prep your meals ahead, having a plan is an easy way to save time and reduce stress.
- I start by writing out our dinners, since we eat something different each night.
- Next, I add in breakfast and lunches. We often eat the same thing 3-4 days in a row for breakfast and lunch, so they are easier to fill in.
- And last but not least, I pick some healthy snacks.
Further reading: How to Write a Meal Plan (+ printable planner) for more details on how I decide what to cook each day OR watch the video below for my strategy
STEP TWO: make a shopping list and get your groceries
First, I go through my meal plan and write in ingredients that we need beside the menu item. Then I write up a shopping list. I use Evernote for this, which is an app that synchs between my phone and computer. I love that I can make check lists because I get great pleasure in checking things off my list.
Further reading- check out 5 Free Meal Planning Apps that I use, in case you're interested!
Get shopping- If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend ordering your groceries online. Not only does it save you time, but you are less likely to impulse buy, and will end up with exactly what you need for cooking.
STEP THREE: start prepping!
You have your meal plan, you have your groceries, you've got this! Remember to pick one meal and focus on that to start.
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There are SO many different ways you can meal prep. Let's discuss some strategies.
Strategies
Guess what? You DO NOT need to prep full meals. Small steps like cooking a batch of rice, chopping some veggies, or tossing some chicken in the slow cooker are going to help you out BIG TIME during the work week, I promise.
Let's run through some meal prep strategies. You can pick one (or more than one) that works for you and run with that. These are just ideas, and you don't have to use all of these strategies!
1. Buffet style meal prep
A lot of people enjoy prepping their veggies, protein and carbs ahead, then using them for easy meals. This is great for tacos, salads and that sort of thing. You can also prep a big portion of protein and use that as a base for several meals through the week.
Some ideas:
- chop or spiralize your veggies
- roast up vegetables or potatoes in some seasoning (here are 7 spice blends you can use!)
- shake together vinaigrettes, sauces, etc
- cook up grains, pasta, quinoa, rice
2. Batch cooking
Cook up a big batch of something and enjoy it through the week. You can base several meals around a big batch of protein!
- Some ideas:
- soups, stews
- cook a whole chicken
- cook a big batch of chicken in the slow cooker
- cook up some perfect black beans or legumes in the Instant Pot
3. Portion things out
Whether it is an entire meal or just a component, portioning out is one of the most important steps of meal prep because it means you can just grab your meal and go.
- Some ideas:
- trail mix
- hummus or dip portions, with veggies for dipping
- overnight oats
- smoothie packs
4. Assembleย meals (don't cook)
This is typically done with freezer meals, but you can often store in the fridge as well. By assembling your meals ahead, when it comes time to cook, you simply need to dump them in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, and press the button!
5. Pre-cooked meals
This is my approach for breakfasts and lunches, and is perfect for meals that you don't have time to prep on the days you will eat. All you need to do is grab them from the fridge, re-heat if necessary, and enjoy!
- Some ideas:
- breakfast: egg muffins, steel cut oats, breakfast sandwiches
- lunch: stir fries, sheet pan meals, jar salads
- dinner: any dinner that can be re-heated. Soups, stews, stir fries, and curries are all good bets.
Pick one of these strategies and get started. You can refine the process over time and find what works best for you.
For my family, I pick a combination of pre-cooked meals (breakfasts & lunches), portioned out snacks, and freezer slow cooker or Instant Pot meals (dinners).
STEP FOUR- Prepping multiple meals at once
Once you've mastered prepping one or a few meals at once, you can get more advanced and prep multiple at a time!
- make a plan
- clear your calendar
- gather all your ingredients
- set up an assembly line
- get prepping!
- reward yourself!
Need some help with this step? Check out the following meal prep plans, which come with a video prep tutorial and printable shopping list:
You really do!
The benefits of meal prep are so worth the effort. You will save yourself time and money. You will feel less stress. You will eat healthier. Just remember this if you start to feel the resistance (the one that tells you you'd rather watch Netflix).
Feel free to leave a comment with any questions you might have. I love sharing the meal prep love and I'm here to help!
XO
Violeta says
You can watch Netflix while preparing! ๐
Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Haha, Violeta, that's my kind of tip. Great way to find time to watch the new season of Stranger Things ๐
Carolyn says
I am a caregiver to two ladies that have health issues. One is a diabetic, one has MS and has to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. I need to learn to prepare a week's worth of meals for these ladies so that all they have to do is pop their meals in the microwave to re-heat, or pull lunch or breakfast out of the fridge. Can you give me suggestions on how to start, and typically what do people charge for prepared meals?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Carolyn, thanks for your question. I am the wrong person to ask about what people charge, but my site does offer some meal prep plans with printable shopping lists. For reheat meals, it can be handy to choose freezer-friendly options. Here's one of the tutorials- https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/freezer-friendly-lunches/
Isabelle says
I've been getting into meal prepping very recently, since I got more tired of thinking about what to cook for this day. The only thing I used to prep were my overnight oats (I need to try your recipe on that as well) and chia pudding. Thanks for your ideas on where to start and which containers could be helpful - I will buy some new ones soon! I love your recipes, I have been browsing through them a lot lately. I will let you know after I tried out some of your recipes soon and let you know what I think. ๐
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Isabelle, glad that you found these ideas helpful! Can't wait to hear what you think of our meal prep recipes, please be sure to let us know how they turn out once you make some of them. Thanks for leaving a review!
Neha Uppal says
Hi Denise,
Thanks for this! I am planning to start a small food business from home, basically just sandwiches and salads. However, I am finding it a bit challenging as to how to prep my vegs due to which I am confused if I should offer the whole menu everyday!! Else I would simply go with 2-3 sandwiches per day but that wouldn't work either. What do you suggest?
Denise Bustard says
Hi, Neha! I'm sorry, I'm confused by your question. Could you please clarify what your question is?
Neha says
O my bad! I just meant to ask how to prep the Vegetables? Chop and freeze or chop at that v moment? Latter would be tedious and too time consuming I guess?
Samantha says
I like your tip "buffet style meal prep", and "prep but don't cook". I am an avid sufferer of something called Avoidant Restrictive Food Disorder, it basically means when I have mental blocks around food, I get anxious, clam up and often can't swallow new colours/textures/smells/etc., so as you may guess, I have a VERY limited food palate. I am working with a mental health therapist on letting go of that anxiety that surrounds food so that I can introduce a healthier more colorful diet and as I call it "eat normal!". I find it overwhelming to work all day and come home and want to figure out how to introduce, make, cook this new vegetable that I may not have any experience with. I found some of these tips helpful because I enjoy finding recipes and having some of the buffet style meal prep done or the prep but don't cook, may help me to keep pushing through on this journey even after a full work day.
Denise says
Hi Samantha! That sounds very challenging. I hope that the buffet style meal prep can help you out with this! Stay safe!
Cheryl says
This is the best article I've seen on prepping meals. I'm very new to this concept although I do prep our breakfasts I just never knew how to go about the other meals. I will be trying them out now thanks to your article. Thank you. My overnight oats is a little different I use Greek yoghurt and the same ingredents, the yoghurt makes it very creamy.
Denise says
Hi Cheryl! I'm so happy you found this post helpful. I hope you find some good 'strategies' to prep some other meals ahead! Through experimentation, you can find the best system for you.
Sabrina Addams says
I loved that you recommended preparing a large portion of protein to use in various ways throughout the week. I recently took on more hours at work and am finding that I have less time than usual to cook. Buying from a meal prep delivery service may be the best option for me in my busy schedule.
Mark says
nicely written article. Great tips. Really helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Sara says
Nice article. Got some new tips from you. Thanks for sharing
Steven says
Great instruction. Thank you for share.
Denise says
So happy you found it helpful!
Lynn Anderson says
I read on a Keto recipe site that your site was helpful for finding Keto substitutes for recipes, but from what I've seen so far on your site (as a newby here), I didn't find anything like that. What am I missing?
Denise says
Hi Lynn! That's kind of strange that someone would send you to me...I do have *some* keto-friendly recipes, and have a low carb round-up post here: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/low-carb-meal-prep-recipes/ . Do you think they meant Life Made Sweeter? She is on keto!
Simone David says
Awesome content here! i love all your plans, tips, and strategies how in dept you go into it. i don't have discipline to eat the same thing over and over again, but i got a general idea of what i should do now. thanks
Denise says
Thanks Simone! You definitely don't need to eat the same thing every day! Here's three strategies to avoid this: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/variety-meal-prep/
Leslie says
You say the lunches should be stored a max of 4 days. So, how do you prep for a 5-day work week if I fall short one day with the meal prep? Are all of the recipes only for 4 days? This makes the prep really difficult.
Denise says
Hi Leslie! There are a few ways around this. 1. you can plan for leftovers by cooking a big dinner mid-week. 2. I like to stock up my freezer with some freezable lunch options like this. and 3. some people do a second meal prep session mid-week, but personally I am not up for it. LOL! Hope this helps!
Eric Swindle says
I am so. Happy to have found you. As a very recent widow, I have spent the last month eating strangely and not too healthy as I had lost my appitite, but made a menu and went shopping today. I love your recipes!
Denise says
Hi Eric! I'm happy you've found some recipes you enjoy. Let me know if you ever have any recipe requests!
Nathalie | Want for Wellness says
Thank you so much for writing this article! Itโs the first Iโve ran into that inspired me to action and which was clear on actually not getting food poisoning from keeping things too long in the fridge!
Denise says
Glad you found it helpful!
Guadalupe Lindo says
There are a couple tips that make it easier to take advantage of frozen items. First, flat-freezing; and second, fast defrosting.
Flat-freezing implies portioning food and then freezing it on a flat surface, to later stack the portions in the freezer. This allows you to defrost the exact number of portions you need at any one moment.
Fast defrosting is easily achieved by using the best temperature conducting metal, aluminum. All you need to do is to lay flat-frozen food on a flat heavy-gauge aluminum surface, such as the bottom of a skillet or a grill, turn it over after a half hour, and wait an additional half hour.
Denise says
Great tips, but question about your defrosting method, are you placing plastic bags on the grill? That sounds a bit risky!
Sarah says
Hi there, I must say after spending a ton of time on pinterest looking for post-baby freezer meal prep recipes I am so thankful I came across your website! It is all here. Thanks for the variety of healthy freezer and regular meal prep ideas. I want to try them all!!
Denise says
Thank you so much, Sarah, I'm glad you've found some recipe ideas!
Alexis Oles says
Thank you so much for this. I have a 2 and 3 year old, work full time, my husband has been deployed for 4 months and I am pretty into trying to eat healthy. I still manage to cook all 3 meals for me and my littles (including packing bento box lunches everyday). However, to stay this stresses me out is an understatement. So I keep toying with meal prepping and this week I simply washed all the berries I bought (3 kinds) and made 5 separate containers to grab for the kids snack and like you said, even that made a huge difference. So I have been reading everything about meal prepping and YES was feeling overwhelmed and didnโt know where to start. So first, I bought my containers because that is fun and then I started looking for some healthy meals that appealed to me.. I ran into your Pinterest post for chickpea Buddha bowls and Greek Chicken wraps and picked that to start and wrote it all down. Then I saw at the bottom I could join your blog, got this email with the link and I love it. You really helped give me ideas and a start and with all the links and recipes I am moving full steam ahead with this. Awesome job! Thanks again!!
Denise says
Hi Alexis! You have a LOT on your plate! Meal prep can seem so overwhelming but I think you are on the right track. Once you start and try a few things you can find what does and doesn't work for you and it gets so much easier. I am so happy you have found my site useful! Let me know if you ever have a recipe request!
Julia at Home on 129 Acres says
I love how encouraging this post is. Your tips and flexible approach are inspiring. As a new mom, I'm trying to do a better job of planning and prepping meals, and your site has been a great resource. Before bรฉbรฉ arrived, I managed to fill the freezer with a selection of meals (we had your enchilada stuffed sweet potatoes tonight). My technique was to make a big batch of whatever we were having that night for dinner. We had one serving of it, and I froze the rest. I'm hoping to continue that now that my daughter is here. My husband and I share the cooking and actually have our assigned week nights that we're responsible for (weekends are a team effort). Not having to think about seven dinners is a huge relief, and that's a tip I'd give to people starting meal prep. Pick one meal, as you suggest, but also pick one (or two) days initially. Another thing that's been working for me is aiming to cook one meal from scratch every week and then mine my freezer stash for the other. Thanks for the great recipes and helpful tips.
Denise says
Those are great tips! Thank you for sharing what works for you, Julia! It is so hard to write a post like this because it's going to be different for each person. I just want to encourage people to try and experiment a bit...we are still experimenting at our house!