Simplify your meal prep to save time, money, and energy in Your weeks
Have you ever felt burnt out by the amount of time and energy that it can take to feed yourself or your family? You may have found yourself coming home after a long day hungry, tired, short on time, and with nothing ready. Naturally, you are more inclined to order takeout, heat up frozen food, or skip a meal. You may make unhealthier choices not because you want to, but because you aren’t prepared. What if you could make healthy eating an easier option by preparing a little more in advance?
Meal prep has gained popularity over the last few years, and for good reason. Whether your goal is to eat out less, eat cleaner, reduce stress around meals, snack less, save time, or save money, meal prep can be a powerful tool. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be boring, and it doesn’t have to mean spending your entire Sunday in the kitchen.
Life is busy, but it is still important to fuel your body so you can feel your best. Without intentional planning, it’s easy to skip meals or rely on takeout. Skipping meals often leads to energy crashes and sets you up for overeating or poorer choices later. On the flip side, grabbing food on the go can quickly add up in cost and doesn’t always provide the nutrition your body needs.
Of course, meal prep will have its challenges. You may have found yourself saying: “I don’t have time,” “It gets boring and repetitive,” “I don’t know how much food to buy,” and “My plans always change and then food goes bad.” The reality is life is not perfect, and your meal prep system won’t be either. Some weeks you will have plenty of time to prep, and other weeks will be the bare minimum. Sometimes you’ll get tired of a meal after a few days, and sometimes you will buy too much or too little food. However, with a little trial and error you will start to figure out what works for your schedule, preferences, and routine.
The goal is to not perfection, it’s finding a system that makes healthy eating easier.
Where to begin
Step 1: Planning
Before you head to the grocery store, think about your week. How many meals will you need? Are you buying for the whole week or just a few days at a time? Are you shopping for yourself, a partner, or a family? Do you have any dinners out, social events, or busy nights when cooking won’t be realistic?
Next, think about convenience. Which days do you have time to prepare your meals at home? And which days will you need to have your meals already prepped to eat at home, on the road, or at work? Do you have access to a microwave or refrigerator? This helps determine what types of meals make the most sense for your schedule.
If you are prepping for others, you will have more factors to consider here. What does your partner or kids’ schedule look like? What do they have access to? Do they like the same foods as you or will you need to prep something different for them?
After you get the logistics of your week figured out, it’s time for the fun part.: deciding what to eat. This will be unique to you and your preferences, but here are some questions I ask myself:
Do I want the same meals all week or some variety?
What do I want my lunches and dinners to be built around? (rice bowls, salads, roasted veggies, sandwiches, wraps, pasta, tacos, etc.)
What protein sources do I want this week?
What fruits and vegetables sound good and are in season?
Is there a certain cuisine I am craving?
What snacks do I want available?
These questions provide direction for the week. For example, if you are craving Mediterranean, you might build a grain bowl with shawarma seasoned chicken, veggies, and tzatziki. If you want something fresh and cold, you might do a salad or wrap. If you have a hard time predicting what you will want to eat, opt for a few options. Grab some things that will be good for a while, such as rice, canned beans, and frozen vegetables. This gives you options without the added pressure of wasting food.
Step 2: Shopping
Once you know what you want to eat, make a list. This isn’t totally necessary, but going into the store with a plan cansave you both time and money.
One of the tricky parts of meal prep is figuring out how much food to buy. This will take time to figure out and may even vary from week to week. However, here is a general rule of thumb:
2-3 protein sources
2-3 starches or grains
3-5 vegetables
1-3 fruits
1-2 healthy fats or sauces
Any snacks or fun items you may want to enjoy.
Use this as a starting point and adjust based on your household size, appetite, and schedule.
Step 3: Prepping Your Food
There are two main approaches: meal prep and ingredient prep.
Meal prep involves preparing complete meals ahead of time. This may work best for people who don’t mind eating similar meals throughout the week and want to save as much time as possible during busy days.
For example, you might prepare several breakfasts and lunches in containers and cook enough food for multiple dinners.
If you prefer more flexibility and do not mind spending a little extra time cooking in the week, ingredient prep may be a better fit. Instead of preparing complete meals, you prepare individual ingredients such as cooking your grains, washing and chopping vegetables and fruits, and preparing your proteins.
Now, when you go to make a meal, everything is ready to be cooked and you just need to toss it in the oven, on a pan, etc. This allows you to mix and match ingredients throughout the week while still saving time.
Overcoming Obstacles
“I don’t have time”
Meal prep does require some time upfront but can save hours during the week. Considering your typical week, do you have a recurring time block that works for you? Maybe it’s Sunday afternoon, Monday evening, or even Thursday night. It’s also okay to do your shopping one night and then prep the next day.
Treat grocery shopping and meal prep like any other appointment by scheduling it in. Make it a priority so that you can nourish your body with healthy meals each week.
“It gets boring”
You do not have to eat the same meal every day. A few simple changes can make the same ingredients feel completely different. Try switching it up with different seasonings, sauces, cooking methods, or toppings.
For example, rice and chicken can become:
A burrito bowl with beans, corn, bell peppers, cilantro, and lime.
A Greek bowl with cucumbers, tomato, olives, feta, and tzatziki.
A stir-fry with mushroom, broccoli, and soy sauce.
A sweet potato can become:
A sheet pan meal with roasted vegetables and chicken sausage.
A loaded baked potato with ground turkey, avocado, and cottage cheese.
Mashed potatoes with steak and asparagus.
Get creative here! You don’t always need completely different ingredients to create variety.
“Food always goes bad
Freezing extra proteins, vegetables, bread, and prepared meals can reduce waste and give you backup options for busy weeks.
Wrapping up
I hope this helped simplify the meal prepping process for you. The goal here is to make meal prep easier, not perfect. It’s to make healthy eating easier, reduce stress around meals, and save time and money throughout the week.
Start simple, experiment, and find a system that works for your lifestyle. The more you practice, the easier it becomes.
For some meal prep inspiration there are plenty of online resources. I will link a few here:
https://therealfooddietitians.com/meal-prep-ideas/
https://pinchofyum.com/meal-prep-recipes
https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/extra-bytes/budget-friendly-meal-prep
While the trainers at Momentum Fit are not here to prescribe meal plans, we are here to support and educate you along your journey.
