Meal Prep 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Prepping and Portioning Meals
Meal prepping is the hottest food trend lately, and frankly, I couldn’t be happier! I’ve been meal prepping for years simply because it’s a great way to save time, money, and reduce waste in the kitchen. But there are still so many people who haven’t had the meal prep “Aha!” moment, so I wanted to help people grasp the concept or get over the intimidation to give it a try.
Meal Prepping
Meal prepping is the act of preparing a meal or recipe, then portioning it out to create grab-and-go meals for later
- Generally refers to preparing 3-7 days worth of food at a time
- Think of it like packing lunches for the week all at once
What Do I Need?
Container sets
- Ziploc bags
- Pyrex containers
- Metal bento box style containers (if you’re packing a cold meal and don’t need to reheat it in a microwave)
- Fold top sandwich bags or zip top bags
Why Meal Prep?
Meal prepping is convenient, efficient, reduces waste, and reduces temptation to eat outside your plan
- When cooking every day is out of the question, meal prepping allows you to still eat home-cooked meals without having to dedicate time each day to preparation
How To Start Meal Prepping
Start SMALL
- Pack up leftovers from dinner one night and take them for lunch the next day
- Pick one recipe to prep for the week ahead
- Prep only three days
- Once you get a hang of one recipe or meal, you can try two or three
Who is Meal Prepping For?
Meal prepping is not for everyone
- It is good for people who value convenience and efficiency more than variety
- Having control over what you eat, or maximizing your time or budget is more valuable to you than eating something different every day
- Only do meal prepping for yourself or one person.
Meal Prep Formulas
When deciding which foods to meal prep, pick out one of the following: Basic, Low Carb, Vegetarian, or Legume + Grain + Vegetable
Ready to Get Started
Check out our Meal Prep Category for lots of meal prep inspo
What Can I Meal Prep?
Foods that work well for meal prepping include: cooked grains & pasta, cooked beans cooked meat, roasted vegetables, whole fruit, whole nuts & seeds, cheese sauces and dips, etc.
- Items that don’t usually meal prep well include: softer fruits and vegetables (lettuce, berries, and cut fruit) and crunchy items like fried food, crackers, or chips.
How Long Do Meal Preps Stay “Good”?
As food is stored in the refrigerator it begins a slow decline in quality
- Always begin with the refrigeration guidelines set by the FDA, and then evaluate them against your own preferences
- Don’t prep more than four days worth at a time because by that fifth day the food is usually too limp and lifeless to enjoy
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