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I used to loathe meal prep day. It would literally take me hours in the kitchen to accomplish such a simple task. I recently switched up my approach to meal prepping and it helped me cut down the process to just under an hour! I always have people asking me how I meal prep, what I cook, how much I cook etc., so I wanted to take some time to share this information with you all….read on and enjoy!
Step 1: Have a plan
Before you go to the food store and aimlessly walk around (I’ve done this too many times) take a minute and think about what you want to eat for the week. Once you know what you want to eat, start to figure out how much you want to eat. I used to just go with a food list thinking I’d be good to go, but I often found that I never came home with the right quantities of food. For example, I know that I need exactly 1.5 pounds of ground turkey to make all my lunches for the week. The more you meal prep, the better you’ll get at planning out your shopping trip.
Step 2: Stick to the basics
I highly suggest sticking to the basics when bulk cooking for the week. I always aim to have some form of meat, with a vegetable and carbohydrate source. For example, think chicken, sweet potatoes and broccoli (See image below: chicken, sweet potato and broccoli is one of my favorite lunch combinations – especially when seasoned with Mrs. Dash or Kernel Seasons. See link at the bottom of the page to check them out!). Sticking to the basics, especially if you’re new to meal prepping will help from feeling completely overwhelmed with the process.
Step 3: Plan out cook times
When I meal prep, I like to see how much food I can cook at once. If I plan on baking chicken, I make sure to bake my sweet potatoes at the same time. Same thing with stove top cooking, if I’m cooking quinoa, I’m cooking my ground turkey at the same time. Lining up your cooking to overlap, can really help you cut down on overall time.
Step 4: Maximize your cook times
I like to make the most of my cook times by starting to clean up the prep areas. I also like to get all of my Tupperware and food scale ready to go for when all of my food is done.
Step 5: Weigh out and portion your food
Once your food is ready, it’s time to weigh it out. If this is your first time weighing and portioning out food it may seem a little tedious, but I promise with practice it gets easier.
Step 6: Clean up any remaining cooking supplies
You made it through your meal prep, don’t get lazy (like me) and leave all the dishes for later because I promise you won’t want to do them. Once your dishes are done, you’re meal prep is done.
All in all, your meal prep should take less than one hour. Follow these steps and don’t overthink it! What’s your favorite go to meal prep strategy? Comment below and let us know!
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