How to Get Started Meal Prepping
Meal prepping offers lots of practical benefits that make everyday life easier, healthier, and more affordable. In this post, I’ll show that it’s easy to get started with meal prepping.
In short, meal prepping gives you more control over your time, budget, and health.
Why should you consider meal prepping?
Saves time – Cooking in batches means you spend less time in the kitchen during the week. You only need to reheat meals instead of starting from scratch every day. You can take that time to be with family, rest or try something new.
Saves money – Planning helps you buy only what you need, which reduces impulse purchases and food waste. You’re also less likely to spend on takeaways or convenience foods. Over the months, those savings will add up.
Encourages healthier eating – When meals are ready to go, you’re more likely to stick to balanced, nutritious options instead of grabbing something quick and unhealthy.
Reduces stress – Knowing what you’ll eat each day removes the daily decision-making and last-minute rush to cook. No last-minute panic buying or going to the shop.
Reduces the number of decisions – Prepping meals in advance allows you to reduce any decision fatigue as it reduces your choices of what to eat, when and where to buy it.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to get started
Plan your meals
- Choose 3–5 recipes you enjoy. Pick the ones you can easily store or heat up.
- Check what’s already in your fridge and cupboards to avoid buying duplicates. That will help you save money and cut down waste.
Make sure you have the cooking equipment needed
- Food scales
- Sheet baking trays
- Large pans
- Cooking tools
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Meal containers
- Space in the fridge or freezer
Make a shopping list
- Write down all the ingredients you’ll need for the prep.
- Sort items by category (tins, dairy, meal, etc.) to make shopping quicker.
- Try to stick to your list to avoid any impulse buys.
Pick a prep day
- Choose one or two days a week to cook (maybe Sunday to begin the week and Wednesday to refresh midweek).
- Set aside a few hours to cook, portion, and store your meals. (and clean lots of pots and pans!)
Cook in batches
- Prepare your ingredients in bulk — chop vegetables, cook grains, etc.
- Use frozen vegetables to save time and waste.
- Use flexible ingredients that can be mixed and matched for variety.
Store properly
- Store your prepped meals with airtight containers, BPA-free plastic or foil trays.
- Make sure you have more than enough meal containers, you don’t want to cook the food and then realise that you can’t store them!
- Label each container with the date and what’s inside. This way, you use the oldest first and reduce food waste.
- Keep meals in the fridge for up to 3/4 days or use your freezer for longer storage.
- Ensure your fridge is 5°C or below and your freezer is at -18°C or below. Buy a food thermometer to check the temperature.
Reheat and rotate
- Reheat meals safely at the right temperature. Make sure it’s hot all the way through.
- You should only reheat foods once to avoid food poisoning.
- Rotate your meals to keep things interesting. Keep adding recipes as you get more comfortable/confident to have more of a choice.
Start small
- Start with a clean kitchen where everything is in its place. This will help your brain keep up with doing something new without stressing about where you have put something!
- Begin with prepping just lunches or dinners for a few days to build your confidence.
- Start with the meals that you are familiar with and then gradually try new ones. Definitely don’t start with something you have never tried. If you don’t like what you have made, it will knock your confidence.
- Once you become comfortable, try planning meals for the whole week or include snacks.
Ideas of meals to prep
- Curry’s and Chilli’s.
- Pies like chicken, cheese and onion, meat and potato.
- Shepherd’s pie and cottage pie.
- Soups like vegetable, lentil, chicken and minestrone.
- My favourites: Lasagne and Bolognese!
These meals are good for prepping because they freeze well up to three months. Use airtight containers to keep flavours locked in. Label dates so nothing sits too long. Thaw in the fridge to stay safe. Reheat to piping hot. Save hours midweek, eat healthier, and skip takeaway costs. Pick your favourites and start to stock your freezer.
The link below goes to the BBC Good Food. It has over 90 recipes in the category “batch cooking” if you need to find some inspiration for your meals.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/batch-cooking-recipes
Found this useful? Share this post with your friends and family! Please let me know in the comments section what meals you make in bulk and freeze well.
