Meal Prepping & Batch Cooking Guide

Why Meal Prep?

Meal prepping offers convenience, efficiency, waste reduction, and safeguarding against straying from your plan, be it a specific nutritional goal or budget. This skill becomes a lifeline when daily cooking may be too difficult because it ensures the enjoyment of homemade meals without the daily preparation hassle. Yes, there is an initial time commitment for planning and preparing, but it does end up paying off in time savings throughout the week.

Starting the practice of meal prepping translates to consistent eating. The ability to plan in advance helps you stick to your longer-term intentions for yourself. Not to mention it also reduces the need for constant willpower, as decisions are pre-made and implemented.

Moreover, meal prepping delivers cost savings by curbing unnecessary takeout expenses and the chance to take advantage of bulk purchasing opportunities.

Additionally, meal prepping contributes to reducing food waste, as a clear plan ensures the efficient use of purchased ingredients, averting the all-too-familiar scenario of discovering forgotten, spoiled items in the refrigerator.

Who is best suited for meal prepping?

As you continue through this guide, you will find that meal preparation can work for just about anyone. Many automatically dismiss meal prepping with the thought of what is commonly known as meal prep, saying that they dislike leftovers, or they crave different things daily. But that is not the only way to do meal preparation. Continue on to see if there might be a type of meal preparation that may work for you.

The goal here is to fill a need. That need might be to save you time throughout the week, help you have more control over your nutrition, and save you money from your budget by avoiding convenience. So it goes like these are things that you find yourself having, a type of meal prepping might be suited for you.

Types of Meal Preparation

Depending on your schedule, your preference for prepping meals in advance, and your cooking style, one (or a combination) of the following meal-prep approaches might suit you best:

Ready-to-cook Ingredients: If you prefer cooking meals just before serving, preparing ingredients in advance (e.g., chopping onions and peppers for chili) reduces kitchen time, which can be especially beneficial on hectic weeknights.
Make-ahead Meals: For individuals with limited time during the week, preparing complete meals in advance for reheating at mealtimes provides quick and convenient dinners. This can be a great practice for preparing for downtime, like a recovery from surgery, or in preparation for postnatal life!
Individually Portioned Meal Prep: If you need the convenience of grab-and-go meals, you may opt to prep foods and divide them into individual servings. Consider both cooked and no-cook options here. Bento boxes or “adult lunchables” can definitely fit! Not only is this convenient, but it also guarantees the ability to get specific nutritional goals from each meal without additional thought throughout the week.
Batch Cooking or Freezing: Batch cooking involves preparing multiple servings of various components for other meals, which can then be portioned and frozen for later use in the coming weeks. For instance, cooking multiple components to use throughout the week, or cooking extra rice to freeze for use over the next three to six months.

General Plan & Stocking Up

Readying recipes

Once you’ve chosen your preferred meal-prep method for the week ahead, organize and combine recipes. You can choose whatever you want here. I will say that over time. My husband and I have realized that there are certain recipes that we love that are better for different means of meal prep. Some are better as make-ahead meals and others are better with ready-to-cook ingredients prepped so that we can have a fresh meal that night. The only way to find this out is to explore it.

As you will see below, our practice only holds us to any particular meal prep for a couple of days and that is because of this factor. We can make it through 2 to 3 days of not-so-great meal prep but we cannot make it 4 to 5. Give yourself some room to explore this as you begin to meal prep and venture into batch cooking.

You may find over time that it might just be easier to pick up a rotisserie chicken on your way home and put it into some containers for the week ahead. And that is OK. This is about finding ways to prepare you for the week that you can still enjoy and helps you reach the goals that you have each week.

When you are debating recipes, some of the components are kept better in containers when they are made ahead. Good options for meal prep include cooked grains, pasta, beans, meat, roasted and hearty fresh vegetables, whole fruits, nuts, seeds, cheese, and sauces. Also, look to keep it simple and incorporate seasonal produce for optimal flavor and value. On the flip side, softer fruits and veggies like lettuce and berries, along with crunchy items such as fried food, crackers, or chips, usually don’t hold up well in meal prep.

MY Storage Containers

Before you go, any further, familiarize yourself with the refrigeration & freezer storage guidelines set by the FDA. Whenever we’re going to store food for a good amount of time, we want to make sure that we understand the length of time that this food can be stored and still be OK for us to consume later.

Container Selection

Choose containers based on the type of meal prep. For soups and stews, opt for freezer-safe containers or glass jars. Airtight containers work well for chicken and rice, while salads can be stored in containers with tight-fitting lids, such as mason jars.

My containers

Schedule Time for Shopping & Prep

Now that you’re ready, schedule dedicated shopping & prep time. This is important because there are so many times when we will set up a time to shop and not prep but then we are tired from the shopping trip or we don’t feel like prepping afterward or we don’t have time. This can lead to those different ingredients, sitting in the fridge and going to waste because we have now added another obstacle to our week instead of helping ourselves by front-loading some of the work. It’s ideal to have these times back to back. First, you shop, then you chop, so be sure to set realistic goals for what can be achieved in the amount of time that you have available.

Make a grocery list

Finally, make your grocery list. You will need to inventory your kitchen first. You may want to consider stocking up on pantry staples like dried herbs, spices, and whole grains to help for moments of meal prep failures.

If you need help with the grocery side, check out this here: Healthy Grocery Shopping on a Budget.

Quick References to help

Ready-To-Cook Ingredients

This is the plan for those who really enjoy fresh cooked meals each night, but just need a little bit of time shaved off of their preparation time.

First you shop, then you chop

After shopping, move right into your meal-prepping method & plan. This is where we go back to the thought of first you shop and then you chop. The goal of this plan is to prepare things now to save you time later. You’ll be able to take these different ingredients and just put them into each night’s meal and shave off a lot of your preparation time.

Consider the following:

Optimize your time by starting with foods with longer cooking times and preparing ingredients that will be cooked first.
If you are doing ready-to-cook Ingredients, chop and store well in airtight containers for 2-3 days and heartier ones for at least 4 days.

Crockpot Freezer Bags

Another avenue here that you can always dive into with ready-to-cook ingredients is bagging them up in freezer bags to be able to jump into a crockpot throughout the week. This kind of dips in to make ahead meals a little bit but you’re just chopping and prepping things to be able to dump into the crockpot or the instant pot.

We have done this before to see how well it would work when our schedules were a little bit more challenging, but we still wanted a freshly cooked meal each night. This did put some limitations on the type of meals that we could have but it did the trick for the obstacle that was in place.

Although I will say… Trying to remember to set the crockpot in the morning might be one of the biggest hurdles I have had in my first world problem adulthood 😂

Needs

Storage Containers: Opt for glass, plastic, or gallon-sized freezer bags. Freezer bags can be laid flat to save space, and for Instant Pot use, round containers are recommended.
Vacuum Sealer & bags: While optional, a vacuum sealer can extend meal life and prevent freezer burn. We have also used this as an option to seal our meats and later cook in our sous vide.
Labels and/or Sharpie: Essential for labeling your food to avoid confusion in the freezer.

For food safety when using a crockpot, defrost any freezer meal with meat before slow cooking. Once thawed, transfer the contents to the slow cooker and cook according to the recipe.

NOTE: The Instant Pot allows cooking from frozen, but freezer bags may not be the best option here. You may be better off with round containers to fit the frozen meal.

Make-Ahead Meals

This means of meal prepping allows you to have fully cooked meals, ready to be reheated when needed. This is a great practice for later nights are expected to be later like long days in the office due to end-of-month reports, kids having an extracurricular practice that goes late, or when your partner is not the main cook of the house and needs something easy to help prepare a meal for the family. These are just some examples, but really just about anybody can use this.

When the plan is to make meals ahead of time, you simply start preparing the ingredients as per the recipes. Depending on the recipe, you may need to cook some of the ingredients before preparing it in the baking dish or whatever may be necessary. Cook the meal as needed. Allow to cool and then store in the refrigerator for reheating later.

My baking dishes

Freezing Full Meals

This can be a great practice for preparing for downtime, like a recovery from surgery, or in preparation for postnatal life! BUT it has its own challenge of avoiding freezer burn.

Here are tips to minimize air exposure:

For freezer bags, squeeze out air to prevent freezer burn, and consider vacuum sealing for added effectiveness.
When using containers with lids, fill them to the brim, leaving minimal space to prevent freezer burn. Be aware that liquids may expand slightly when frozen.
Prioritize consuming older meals first to minimize the risk of freezer burn. Arrange newer meals at the back and older ones at the front for easy tracking. Additionally, label and date items, aiming to consume frozen foods within 3-6 months to maintain quality.

Sample recipes

Individually Portioned Meal Prep

This is the best prep option if you need the convenience of grab-and-go meals. This might also be something that you find helpful when you are in a calorie deficit and trying to manage your exposure to options and decisions.

For the individually portioned meal prep, cook the recipe as per the recipe and portion it out into small airtight containers. Or, if you have the availability of enough containers and recipes, that will help this option, you can create your individual meal prep within each container and cook those separately in one batch.

Storing Meal Prep for a Week

Refrigeration: Use airtight containers for fridge storage to maintain freshness.
Labeling: Label containers with the meal’s name, preparation date, and expiration date. Include reheating instructions for convenience.
First-In, First-Out (FIFO) System: Follow a FIFO system to prioritize consuming meals based on their preparation date. This ensures freshness and prevents forgetting items at the back of the fridge or freezer.

Cooked Meal prep Sample recipes:

Sample Recipes in SINGLE-SERVE containers:

Full No-Cook sample recipes:

Batch Cooking Meal Components

Batch cooking involves preparing multiple servings of various components for other meals, which can then be portioned and frozen for later use in the coming weeks. For instance, cooking multiple components to use throughout the week, or cooking extra rice to freeze for use over the next three to six months.

Select Your Meal Components

Meal components refer to sets of ingredients that you’ll incorporate into your weekly meals. Picture pre-prepared batches like chicken, rice, baked tofu, roasted potatoes, or roasted vegetables. These meal components offer versatility in daily use based on your preferences. You might use them in a specific recipe one evening or mix and match them for various healthy and easy-to-prepare meals spontaneously.

When you are choosing meal components to batch cook, consider the food items you regularly reach for daily and those with versatile applications. If you have a meal plan in place, think of common items that complement, and inject variety and enjoyment into your week.

Determine The Quantity You Require

How frequently do you plan to utilize the meal component?

For instance, if you intend to include chicken breast in your lunch salad and use it in multiple dinners, consider doubling or even tripling the usual amount.

Start Cooking

Once you’ve finalized your recipe selections and thought about your quantity needs, it’s time to get cooking!

Storing food Prep for building meals for a Week

Refrigeration: Use airtight containers for fridge storage to maintain freshness. Make sure the meat is cooled to room temperature before refrigerating it.
Labeling: Label containers with the food’s name, preparation date, and expiration date.

Building meals during the week with batch prepped components

More found here: Recipe & Meal Ideas

My Practice: Batch Cooking & Doubling Up

Here we are at how my husband and I most commonly use meal preparation to help us throughout our week. As I mentioned above, we tend to like to only have meals for about three to maybe four days to help with the freshness. Also, we do tend to get tired of some foods after a few days. Our way through has been meal prepping two different times throughout the week.

Sunday’s Meal Components & Batch Cooking

I am finishing typing this, just as I finished our Sunday meal component and batch cooking. This week we decided to do a roasted sheet pan of stoplight bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and mini potatoes. We kept it simple by using olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper as our seasoning. Our chicken did not defrost in time for us to be able to put it into the crockpot so we did pick up a rotisserie chicken to divide into our containers.

Batch storage or individually portioned meal prep

Recently, we have been keeping our breakfasts pretty simple with grab-and-go yogurt, protein shakes, and fruit. The meal prep is serving as our lunch. Today we decided to individually portion our meal prep after looking at our schedule for the week. We will have the availability to cook dinners each night.

There are weeks when we decide to also batch prep a large amount of protein so that we can easily add it to a handful of different meals. We did this in the previous week by cooking a ham. We utilized the ham for sandwiches, one night, made baked potato and ham soup another night, and had a more traditional ham dinner the first night.

Sample Protein recipes for the crockpot:

sample Sheet pan recipes for vegetables:

Wednesday’s Doubling Up

Whatever we are having for Wednesday’s dinner, I double the recipe. I usually try to make this recipe something that is more protein-based and has some sort of veggie with it. This is what holds us over until we get to the weekend again.