How to meal prep for a week

How to meal prep for a week

We get it, life is busy. Between running errands, going to work, and entertaining the kids, there’s often not much time left for cooking. Meal prep is the perfect way to buy you some extra time during the week, save money and make healthier food choices.

 

Why meal prep?

Meal prepping means you set aside a dedicated time in your weekly schedule (usually over a weekend) to plan out all your meals, cook them ahead of time and store them in the fridge and freezer, meaning you don’t have to worry about your diet and meals during the week. In doing so, you have more time to spend with your family and friends or to do sports and other hobbies.

What is more, it helps you stay accountable and on track with what you are. When you are being present and thinking ahead about your diet, you automatically opt for healthier options. Our tip: Not only prep breakfast, lunch and dinner ahead of time, but also snacks for in-between.

Research shows that you are less likely to feel stressed and overwhelmed and reach for packeted junk food or sweets to cure your hunger quickly when you prepare your meals in advance.

 

Before starting to meal prep

Meal prepping doesn’t have to be difficult – it can be fun and satisfying once you get into it! To ease you into the meal prep journey, we recommend starting with one meal. For example, if choosing what’s for dinner gives you a headache, start with that one and add lunch and breakfast later, when you feel ready.

Before jumping into Google and scrolling through thousands of recipes, think about the types of foods and cuisines you and your family do and don’t like and what tools you have around to reheat food at work or school. Another thing to think about is your budget and how much you can spend on food per week. This process will help to narrow down the recipes. We have linked some meal prep breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas at the bottom to kick-start your new routine.

 

The right storage containers

As mentioned, meal prep is all about preparing as many meals as possible in advance. A big part of meal prepping is ensuring you have enough storage space and containers to hold the prepared food. Our Cook + range and Daily Range offers various sizes and shapes to suit all your needs and fit all your meals.

From burritos bowls to Bolognese or baked eggs, our Cook+ will help you to prep your favourite dish, heat it up when it’s time, or store it in the fridge or freezer for later in the week. Our Daily range is perfect for on-the-go and carries all your lunches and sneaks without leaking.

 

How to get started

 

Step 1: Plan out your meals

We recommend putting a time in your calendar for researching recipes and nutting out your meal plan for the week. To begin with, stick to recipes you know and like and further progress from there.  Later, this step involves screenshotting or printing out the recipes you like the look of and appeal to your tastebuds.

Once you’ve collected all recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, start distributing them throughout the week on a schedule. Remember that it is ok to eat the same meal three or four times a week. Don’t forget to plan out your snacks too!

 

Step 2: Create a shopping list 

Go through your meal plan and write the ingredients down. Next, tick the items off that you already have in your fridge and pantry and shop the rest in your local supermarket.

 

Step 3: Allocate a time to cook & prep

By now, you know what to cook and have all your ingredients, so you’re ready to go. Depending on how much time you have available, you can batch cook all the meals in advance, or you simply prepare parts of the recipes. For example, chop all the veggies or cook the rice. Don’t worry if you can’t do either of the options. Even having a meal plan ahead of time will make you feel less stressed during the week.

 

Step 4: Store and reward

The last step is to portion out your food and place it into specific containers ready to reheat or freeze. After you’ve done so much hard work, you deserve a reward. Whether it’s a piece of chocolate or some me-time, make sure you look after yourself.

 

Meal prep recipe ideas

 

For breakfast:

 

For lunch:

 

For dinners:

 

So, there you have it, simple and easy steps to meal prep. Give it a go this week!

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