Meal prepping has become increasingly popular over the last few years. To some it intimidates; to others it liberates. Meal prepping is simply the act of taking a few hours to prep several meals in advance. Some prepare meals for the upcoming week while others create meals that can be frozen and eaten at a later time. For the purpose of this article, we’ll be focusing on weekly meal prep to help take the guesswork out of what’s for lunch or dinner. Let’s begin!

Brainstorm Meal Ideas

The key to meal prepping is to have a plan. Start your meal prepping with ideas on what you want to make. If you are at a loss, start by Googling “meal prep ideas” or search on Pinterest for inspiration. You can even find a library of healthy recipes here on our website. Jot down ideas you like and categorize your list into breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don’t feel like you have to do all three — if you only want to prep lunch or dinner, go for it! Also, keep it simple. Try to plan for a well-rounded meal: protein, vegetables/fruit and a whole grain. By taking some time to write down what meals you are going to prep, you will take the guesswork out of your planning. 

Map Out Meals

Now that you know what you want to prep, take a look at the calendar. Each day during the week, write down what meal you’ll be eating. This will help you figure out quantities for your grocery shopping. Also, it will help you figure out what to cook and when. Remember, leftovers are a cook’s best friend! 

Make a List & Go Grocery Shopping

You have brainstormed and planned meals, now it’s time to get shopping! Look at the menu you have drafted and write down the ingredients you need. Create different columns for categories to help shorten your time at the grocery store. Start with these categories, adjust as needed and then go shopping:

• Fresh Produce
• Dairy
• Meat/Poultry/Seafood
• Deli
• Frozen
• Inner Aisles – Condiments, Canned, Bread

Tip: The following foods are great for meal prepping:

Carbs: Brown Rice, Quinoa, Lentils, Legumes, Whole Wheat Pasta

Protein: Chicken, Turkey, Lean Ground Beef/Steak, Tuna, Eggs, Fish

Veggies: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Spinach, Spring Mix, Green Beans, Asparagus, Cucumbers, Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Mushrooms, Carrots, Bell Peppers, Sweet Potato (Carb), Spaghetti Squash (Carb)

Prep for Preppin’

Cleaning out your refrigerator before you go to the grocery store is ideal. If you need to do it after, no worries — just do it before you start unloading.

Once you start unloading groceries, set aside the items you need for your meal prep. Wash and chop your produce as needed. Measure out ingredients. Get out your cooking appliances and supplies and get your meal prep containers ready.

Start Cooking!

You have a plan, your grocery shopping is done and you’re ready to get cooking! Set aside about three hours on your meal prep day — Saturday or Sunday suggested. Then, consider another 1.5 hours mid-week. Don’t forget to have fun! Turn on your favorite music channel or podcast and enjoy your ‘alone’ time. 

Don’t be afraid to mess up — sometimes the best meals are made when something didn’t go as planned. As you prep more and more, you’ll start to have favorite meals you rotate. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Slow cooker chicken for salad toppings, tacos, BBQ chicken sandwiches
• Protein bowls: Roasted vegetables and your choice of protein with brown rice
• Salads: Greens, chopped vegetables, protein of choice, hard-boiled eggs, black beans, dressing
• Soups and chili

Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!” Start simple and grow your meal plans little by little. The more you meal prep, the easier it will be. Have fun while cooking and feel good about the fact that you are creating healthy, delicious meals for you and your loved ones.

For delicious, healthy recipes, visit our recipes page, and for more meal prepping tips, read “Meal Prep Like a Pro.”

Getting back to school means a change in routine for most busy families, and the last question you want to hear at the end of the day is, “What’s for dinner?” Instead of heading to the drive-through or heating up a store-bought frozen meal, you can put together some quick, healthy meals with just a little bit of planning. Consider the following tips to help you meal prep like a pro!

Create a Weekly Menu

Planning your meals in advance will not only help you put together your grocery list but also help you get organized for the week. When creating your meal plan, keep it simple! Start with dinner and then consider lunches and breakfast. You can simply Google “meal prep tips” to find videos, websites and apps for ideas. For about $15 a month, yourdinnerisplanned.com will create meal plans and grocery lists for five meals a week for you! Or, check out the app Prepear that also allows you to search recipes, create menus and grocery lists. The VEBA Resource Center always has healthy and delicious recipes for when you need a little inspiration.

Grocery Shop In Person or Online

After you’ve created your meal plan for the week, create your grocery list. To save time and money, make a list and stick to it. Grouping items together like dairy, frozen, deli, etc…will help keep you organized and minimize your time either in the aisle or online. Consider pre-cut produce, bagged salad, chopped or sliced meat and poultry to save time in the kitchen. If you’re shopping online, save your orders so the next time you login to shop, you can just reorder as needed.

Once your grocery shopping is done (or your groceries are delivered), before you put everything away, set aside the items that you would need to prep for dinners. Then, wash, chop, dice, and slice your vegetables, fruit and protein to get them ready for the week’s meals. You can store them in plastic bags or air-tight containers until you need them during the week. 

Bulk or Batch Cook

Instead of cooking every night, try cooking in bulk! Double batch your meals to make enough for leftovers, hot lunches or make-ahead freezer meals. Always consider how you can reuse ingredients throughout the week to make life that much simpler. For example, leftover grilled chicken is the perfect ingredient for next-day quesadillas or a Taco Tuesday. Cooking in bulk is also a great way to incorporate hot lunches for your kids. The morning of, simply reheat leftovers from the night before, store in an air-tight thermos and then send your kids to school with a hot lunch! If you find that you’re in a bind after a long day, there’s nothing better than reaching into the freezer and pulling out a homemade meal that just needs to be popped into the oven!

Another popular meal prep hack is to batch cook. Slightly different than bulk cooking, batch cooking is when you cook ingredients to be used in different meals throughout the week. After you have done your grocery shopping and prepped your ingredients for the week, take the next step and devote a couple more hours to batch cooking. You might use the crock pot to cook a couple of pounds of chicken, steam quinoa or brown rice, roast a couple of trays of vegetables — all to be used throughout the week!  Start with your most difficult meal of the week and then work from there. Don’t forget about lunch and breakfast! Batch cooking is a perfect way to prep protein and vegetable bowls or egg muffins and breakfast burritos.

Meal-Prep Must Haves

The key to making meal prepping as easy as possible is to have the right supplies. Here’s what we suggest having on hand:

• Quality air-tight storage like Tupperware®
• One knife
• Silicone spatula
• Mixing bowl
• Saute pan
• Large pot
• Large baking sheet
• Slow cooker or Crock-Pot®
• Blender/Ninja/Vitamix
• Timer
• Digital Scale
• Wide mouth peeler
• 2-3 hours

Meal prepping can save you time, money and your sanity! Incorporating these simple hacks will keep you organized, your family fed and your pocketbook happy. For inspiration and recipe ideas, visit the VEBA Resource Center’s Recipe Library.