How to Meal Prep for the Week: What You Need to Know to Get Started

When you learn how to meal prep for the week, you can save some cash. You won’t end up buying lunch, because you’ll have a nutritious meal on hand. You’ll also be able to take advantage of sales or get discounts by buying in bulk.

You won’t have to start from scratch every time you get ready to start cooking, so you’ll save time. And because your entire week’s menu is prepared in advance, you won’t have to make extra trips to the store.

Just because you’re not on a diet doesn’t mean you won’t eat healthier once you learn how to meal prep for the week. Remember, you won’t be eating fast food or dinner from boxes; you’ll eat fresher ingredients with fewer preservatives.

Some people prepare their meals for the week and separate and store them into separate portions. It’s a lot like making your own TV dinners or microwave meals, and they're perfect for lunches.

So, invest in a good meal prep bag. These insulated bags will keep your food cold and safe to eat, even if you don’t have access to a fridge.

Another popular method is batch cooking. When you prep for the week, you make big batches of your favorite foods that you can eat throughout the week.

For example, roast an extra-large cut of beef, so you can use it for steak salad, beef hash, or meat pies. Another good choice is a big pot of chili, with chili dogs and taco pie on two other nights.

One technique for meal prep is to cook some of the foods ahead of time for assembly at dinner. When it’s time to eat, just heat the prepared foods and let your family serve themselves.

For example, with pre-cooked taco meat, you can up a taco bar or nachos bar in just a few minutes. And pre-grilled chicken strips make great chef salads, chicken tacos, or fajitas for a stress-free weeknight meal option.

Or bake some personal-sized crusts for a “build your own” pizza night.

Meal kits are now the rage, but the good news is that you can make your own. One way how to meal prep for the week is to assemble all your ingredients to cook later.

This is perfect for your CrockPot or Instant Pot. Just brown the meat, chop the veggies, and measure out the spices. Then store in a freezer bag until you're ready to cook.

If you’re new to meal prep, it might seem overwhelming. But before you get anxious, just remember one thing. You don’t have to meal prep everything or even all at once.

For example, you could choose just to prep one daily meal. If dinner time is your big stressor, just make dinners ahead for the week.

Or, make double batches of family favorites when you do cook. Then you can freeze half for the next week. At least, you'll have a few easy nights off from kitchen duty.

Planning is probably the most time-consuming part of how to meal prep for the week. However, it does get easier, and you’ll quickly learn which dishes work best for you.

First, decide what your reasons are for meal prepping. If you want to save money, you’ll want to look for recipes that utilize inexpensive ingredients. If you have a big family, you’ll want recipes that you can easily double.

If you plan to learn how to meal prep for the week, you’ll have to invest in good storage containers. If you’re cooking to feed a family, you’ll need large freezer containers.

On the other hand, if your reason is to follow a personal food plan, you’re better off investing in individual meal storage containers.

Finally, you’ll need freezer bags to store both cooked and uncooked foods. Especially if you're making family meals, you'll save a lot of storage space by using freezer bags when you can.

If you plan to build your own meal kits, get good quality freezer bags in gallon sizes for family meals. For smaller portions, quart sizes should be adequate.

Even if you’re not trying to save money, it never hurts to look for deals. Check your local grocery store flyers. In general, fruits and vegetables are on sale because they're in season. So, not only will you save money, you'll enjoy better food quality too.

The most important aspect of choosing recipes for meal planning is to look for ones that you can store in the fridge or freezer without losing quality.

If you’ve just learned how to meal prep for the week, start with recipes you already know you enjoy. Family favorites like spaghetti, chili, roast beef, or chicken casserole store easily and won’t lose flavor in the fridge. In fact, many of these dishes taste better when reheated.

However, fresh vegetables and fruits, especially, tend to lose their appeal if they’ve been prepared too far in advance.

But, that doesn’t mean you can’t prep the rest of the meal ahead of time. Just hold off preparing them until you’re ready to eat. You can make a salad or cut up fresh fruit while your prepared meal heats up.

If you’ve got a full pantry, see how you can use them in your menu plan. You may have a cabinet full of food items you picked up on sale. But if you let them expire, then it's no bargain.

So, take a good look into your freezer, fridge, and cabinets to see if their contents spark a meal idea.

Once you know what you’ll be making, write down how much of each ingredient you need to purchase for your shopping list. One of the most important aspects of how to meal prep for the week is making sure you get everything you need.

It can take a while to make so many different meal portions, but remember that you don’t have to do it all at once. If you can only prep three or four dinners at once, you’ll still be ahead of the game.

Another way to reduce your prep time is to make freezer meals. Instead of cooking, storing, and freezing everything at once, put together a few CrockPot meal kits. Then, all you’ll need to do is clean and chop your ingredients and put them in a freezer bag. When it’s time to cook, defrost and put them in the slow-cooker before work.