7 Steps to Speed Up Your Meal Prep for the Week

Meal prepping is quite popular these days but it can feel intimidating if you haven’t tried it. The good news is that there’s no right or wrong way to meal prep for the week. One size doesn’t fit all. Everyone has different approaches to cooking and their weekly diet. But I will say this: since my husband and I have started meal prepping consistently, we’ve experienced some pretty incredible benefits. And we’re also a lot less ‘hangry’  on weeknights because we know there’s a pre-cooked, delicious meal waiting for us at home! 🙂

Meal Prep for the Week: What Are the Benefits?

There are many benefits to meal prepping. First, you’ll have a healthier diet because you’re in control of all the ingredients you’re ultimately eating. You’ll save money because you won’t be eating out as much or ordering take-out, expenses that can add up quickly. Another benefit that isn’t as obvious is the reduction of stress. If you’re rushing home from work and don’t know what you or your family are going to eat for dinner, that can be extremely stressful. Meal prepping takes the anxiety out of dinnertime because your food is either already made or fully prepped. Meal prepping does take some time out of your Sunday, but on the flip side, you’ll have more free time on weeknights. Lastly, if you start cooking consistently every week, your cooking skills will improve. All of this seems like a win-win in my book!

However, if you’re new to meal planning, it will be challenging when you first start. I won’t sugar coat this part but I’m telling you so you don’t get discouraged. While meal prepping has a lot of positive benefits, it also takes time. Even though I’m an experienced cook, the first few times I meal prepped, I was frustrated with how long it took to prepare everything. I felt like I lost half my Sunday, precious time when you work long hours during the week. In hindsight, I realized that like most things, there’s a learning curve. It takes time to find your rhythm and for the tasks to become habitual.

So will meal prep be challenging and time-consuming when you start? Yes. Will it feel a bit frustrating? Yes. But once you crack the code, you’ll get to enjoy all the benefits of meal prepping. And with the 7 tips below, you’ll be saving time before you know it.

7 Tips to Help You Save Time With Your Meal Prep:

Whether you’re new to this or you’ve been doing it for a while and are looking for some new hacks, below are 7 tips that will save you time with your meal prep for the week.

1. Plan your meals/recipes out before you go grocery shopping so you know exactly what to buy.
2. Pre-cut all of your veggies and herbs for the week even if you’re not cooking everything on Sunday.
3. Cook your food in order from what takes the longest to the least amount of time.
4. Double up on a recipe and freeze half of it for the following week.
5. Stick with a couple of recipes to start. Once you get into a rhythm with your weekly meal prep, add new recipes to the mix.
6. Don’t experiment with homemade ravioli! Save adventurous recipes for when you have more time.
7. Listen to music or a podcast to make the time go by faster.

My Recommendations for Meal Prepping:

There are a few things I cook every week because the ingredients can serve as both a side or a main dish. I always make a batch of brown rice, but I cook it with chicken stock and/or bone broth for added nutrition and flavor. I also cook black lentils with a vegetable bouillon cube. (Lentils are also great for breakfast with scrambled eggs and sauteed spinach.) I roast a bunch of veggies too and mix it up each week so I don’t get bored. All of these work as a side dish or you can quickly create a main dish – a veggie bowl with a fried egg (add lentils or black beans for more protein) and avocado for healthy fat. Finish it off with a drizzle of tahini or liquid aminos, an all-purpose, gluten-free seasoning, and you have a well-balanced meal.

I cook things in an order that is the most time-efficient. Start the rice first because it takes 45 minutes. Pre-heat the oven for the veggies and throw in the ones that take the longest first (usually sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts). Ten minutes later, add the other veggies, (cauliflower, broccoli, green beans). For seasoning the veggies and many other meal prep tips I love Inspirazlied. Everything gets coated with olive oil with salt and pepper. In addition, use paprika for sweet potatoes, garlic powder for broccoli, balsamic vinegar for Brussels sprouts, cumin for heirloom carrots and liquid aminos or soy sauce for green beans.

In addition to everything above, I also cook one full recipe and prep for another recipe later in the week. For example, I’ll make chicken tikka masala or Moroccan chicken in the slow cooker (that would start first, obviously!) and chop all of the vegetables and herbs for a turkey or beef bolognese later in the week. This amount of food is more than enough for my husband and me for dinner Sunday through Friday.

I hope these tips help you with your meal prep for the week. My husband and I are so glad that we’ve jumped on the bandwagon of this trend because there’s nothing like a home-cooked meal after a long day at work. All it takes is a few minutes to heat up and dinner is served.

Now I’d love to hear from you. Do you meal prep every week? If so, what recipes do you recommend? And if you have any other time-saving hacks, please share in the comments below.

If you’re looking for an easy breakfast recipe, click here.

Bon Appetit!