What is meal prep

Depending on your schedule, the meals you prefer to prep ahead, and your cooking style, one or a combination of these meal-prep methods may work best for you:.

Make-ahead meals: For those with little time to prepare meals during the week, cooking complete meals in advance to be reheated at mealtimes like a pot of soup or a casserole makes for super fast weeknight dinners. For example, doubling a chili recipe or steaming extra rice to freeze and use in the next three to six months.

Individually portioned meals: Those with specific health goals or looking for the convenience of grab-and-go meals may choose to prepare foods and portion them into individual servings.

Think overnight oats portioned into single-serving containers, and mason jar salads. Ready-to-cook ingredients: If you prefer to cook meals right before serving, prepping ingredients e. Once you've decided on the type s of meal prep you'd benefit most from, spend a few minutes creating a simple game plan to keep you organized.

Consider the following as you write a menu and prep plan:. Choose meal s to prep: Are you looking to streamline your morning routine? Prepping smoothie packs cuts down on time spent on breakfast.

If busy evenings limit time to cook during the week, consider make-ahead dinners that can be easily reheated. Write your menu: When planning your menu and prep, rely on some tried and true recipes that you've cooked before, with one or two new recipes thrown in. Keeping things simple will help save you time.

Build meals around seasonal produce for best flavor and value-think butternut squash in the fall and ripe summer tomatoes. If you're not sure where to start, a batch of brown rice, a few chicken breasts and a tray of roasted vegetables are easily assembled into everything from rice bowls to fried rice to salads. Schedule your prep: Setting aside some time for actually prepping is important!

Consider meal prepping on the same day you shop and write a realistic prep plan. It may not be reasonable to cook five meals in an hour, but you may have time to prep certain ingredients for the recipes. And if you like a challenge, set a timer to keep you on task! With your menu planned, it's time to build a shopping list. Glassware is the safest solution of all, as long as you plan on enjoying your meal cold and can handle it carefully. We recommend avoiding reusable plastic containers and plastic bags whenever possible.

Aside from carcinogenic BPA, even BPA-free plastics can contain estrogenic chemicals that leach into your food and mess with your hormones. The bottom line: Glass or stainless storage containers are your friends. Avoid storing food in plastic whenever you can, and keep plastic out of the microwave whenever possible. Take stock of what you need for those recipes, plus any missing essentials you need like spices or Grass-Fed Ghee , and make your grocery list.

A shopping list also has the added bonus of making your online order or trip to the grocery store faster and more efficient. See our suggested meal prep recipes below for inspiration:. One easy thing you can do to plan your week for success: Prep your snacks ahead of time. Make your own or stock up on the snacks you love, like Bulletproof Collagen Protein Bars.

Schedule one to two days per week to prep your meals. Using a sheet pan to roast big batches of food can also cut down on prep time.

This is where kitchen appliances like the Instant Pot or Air Fryer can come in handy, along with the tried and true slow cooker aka Crock-Pot. If it works better for your schedule to cook on Monday and again on Thursday, go for it.

The best meal prep schedule is the one that works for you. There are no hard-and-fast rules for how long your food will stay fresh. The safety of your prepared meals depends a lot on your refrigerator, how you packed it and the quality of your ingredients. Use divided containers to avoid cross-contamination or flavor contamination , and pack wet food separate from dry food. Use ice packs to keep cold dishes cold, and pre-warmed insulated containers to keep hot foods hot in your lunch box.

And of course, clean your hands and produce before you cook. Most meal prep meals will last between three to five days in the fridge. Prepping the exact same meal for the whole week can save a lot of time—but it also gets boring. If you get tired of eating the same meals over and over, make small tweaks to your meal prep to make each dish a little different.

For example, swap in different veggies, sauces or garnishes for each container to keep things interesting. Alternatively, you can prep and freeze multiple recipes ahead of time.

Then, thaw one or two containers in the refrigerator every day so you can enjoy different dishes throughout the week. The key to easy meal prep is start simple. Make one-pot recipes or focus on one main dish. Avoid the temptation to spend a whole day cooking elaborate meals. Too many recipes can complicate your meal prep fast, and you may not want to do it again if it was too hard the first time. Meal prepping can also make it easier to eat healthier and lose weight , if that's your goal since the menu gets set in advance.

You're less likely to choose a not-so-great option when you've already have a healthy dinner at home, ready to go. Since meal prepping can involve eating the same dish or types of food a few days in a row, it's not for people who prize variety and freshness above all else.

Getting kids on board with eating "leftovers" can also pose a challenge, especially if you're making accommodations for different dietary restrictions or palettes. To avoid monotony, use different spices, dressings, or condiments to flavor your meals — or plan on freezing your prepped food for dinner another week.

Before you do anything, you're going to want to stock up on reusable, airtight food storage containers that will make your prepared ingredients or meals stay fresh longer and taste better by locking bacteria and odors out. We love these crystal clear containers with removable dividers that allow you to customize your lunch.

The salad box come with portions you can remove and microwave, and a separate cup for dressing to keep greens fresh. One size does not always fit all, and PackIt knows that. Their bento boxes have removable dividers so you can adjust the sections exactly how you'd like. Storage space is a nightmare for most people. These containers from Joseph Joseph nest, so while the set includes a wide variety of large sizes, they won't take up a lot of space in your cabinet.

Snack prepping is just as important as meal prepping, and these Twist n' Lock Storage Jars make it super easy. We love their narrow, stacking design that easily fits into our bags. Pyrex is known for its long-lasting durability. The glass containers can be frozen, refrigerated, microwaved and put in the oven and dishwasher. This variety set includes a size for just about everything.

Plus, they stack and transport easily. No more soggy granola or overly thickened oatmeal here. These breakfast bowls keep ingredients separate so you can enjoy them when you're ready. Just looking at these meal prep containers make us want to start meal prepping. They're made of glass with silicone protection, and can go in the oven, microwave, and dishwasher. The air-tight lids are leakproof and interchangeable. We love how versatile Ball jars are.

They take up minimal space and can be reused over and over again for anything from soups to layered salads. This container is great for kids, or portion control! It features two layers and a smaller container that fits inside one of the layers to keep foods from touching.

Once you have your meal-prepping gear, you may want to download a meal prep app that will help you keep your plan organized and make shopping and cooking a snap by curating recipes and grocery lists for you. AnyList's Autocomplete feature suggests common items as you type, and then intuitively organizes them into categories. Share lists easily via email with as many people as you want — any changes will sync instantly. Get it for free for iOS or Android. Use personalized recipe suggestions based on dietary restrictions and even food preferences to build your menu for the week.