How to Meal Prep for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

Meal prep is not a food trend. It comes in many different forms, and you get to decide what it looks like for you. This may change over time as you evolve in your methods and figure out what is important. 

The standard version of meal prepping that we see is where the next four days of meals are made ahead of time in one batch. This is great because it takes all thought away from you and keeps things simple. If you’re anything like me, however, I cannot stand eating dry chicken any more than two days in a row. Whilst I’m happy repeating meals, freshness is an absolute must. 

To achieve this, all you need is to set aside time and put in some effort. This is a beginner’s guide on how to prepare meals that teaches you everything you need to know about make-ahead, healthy meals, plus friendly approaches that you can take to ensure your food stays fresh and nutritious.

So let’s kick it off - what is meal prep?

Sometimes meal prep is about creating a plan, other times it’s cooking a few meals ahead to save time for your future self. It can even mean prepping ingredients that can be thrown into dishes easily. While single batch is the most common meal prep method, there are multiple options depending on your timing, schedule, and dietary needs.

Different types of meal prep approached include: 

• Full make-ahead meals: you cook an entire meal and store it in your fridge or freezer ready to cook the next day or later in the week.

• Batch cooking but freezing half and eating only a few portions that week. This is a great method used for soups, mashed sweet potato, and bolognese.

• Preparing your food and portion it in single serving containers to last 2-3 days.

• Ingredient prep: for those who like to cook things like stir fry or fajitas. You can prep parts of the recipe like making salads, chopping veggies, mixing spices, or marinading meat in advance to save time when you’re ready to cook.

Why should you meal prep?

Learning how to meal prep will help you to save time in the long run (upfront investment to save you time later in the week), but it also saves money and reduces waste by stopping you going to the local takeaway spot several times a week. Seeing what goes into your food can also be perfect for anyone who wants to track their health goals. If you have a hectic schedule it can take away additional thought that goes into deciding what’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s already there written out and the ingredients bought or prepped, which takes the pressure off in the moment.

When you meal prep it’s also easier to portion control and focus on healthy recipes that align with your goals and the lifestyle you want to lead, avoiding mid-week slumps where eating pizza sounds so much better than cooking (you may still have those moments which is totally ok). To reap all the benefits of meal prep, you just need a meal plan, containers to store your food, and dedicated time to plan, cook, and portion your meals. An hour or two on a Sunday is a great way to set you up for the week - you can even start planning ahead on Friday to get your shopping ready for Sunday! 

It gets easier with time - especially if you keep to just a few options you can have for breakfast. It simplifies your thinking as you always have go-to options that are easily stored in the fridge, cupboard or freezer.

Is meal prep for everyone?

Meal prepping is relevant to every single one of us. There is no right way (although most will dispute that), but you need to trial and error the different approaches to truly know what works for you. It’s about being open-minded to try out new methods, being creative, but also keeping it as simple and efficient as possible, especially with the busy schedules and fast-paced lives we lead.

It’s also about getting to know food: some foods like dressed salads or cut avocados don’t hold up well for days in the fridge. Most meal preppers solve this issue by cooking a main ingredient like a chicken breast and portioning out ingredients to go with it - you can leave some ingredients separate until you want to use them. There’s nothing worse than soggy lettuce!

Another great way to approach meal prepping is by preparing a variety of ingredients that make cooking easier and faster. For example, with my protein shakes I always have my protein powder, chia seeds, and cacao in the cupboard ready, with my fruits already prepped in a large container in the freezer, ready to just grab and add to the blender. An old client of mine used to prep shakes by making freezer bags or containers with all the ingredients, so all she had to do was take one out, empty it into the blend, add the protein powder, and it was ready to go. 

Pro tip: Meal prep looks different for everyone. Some people like only Monday to Wednesday planned out, others the first five days, and some prep meals for the first couple of days and then the ingredients for the rest of the week. One hack I love is to make extra portions, like adding a chicken breast when making dinner and then lunch is sorted for the next day.

What foods can I use when I prepare meals?

You can prepare any food that holds up well in storage and tastes palatable to you after a few days in the refrigerator. Cooked meat, roasted veggies (a favourite of mine), soups, and sauces are all good. But it’s important to remember that you can’t prepare everything.

If you’re new to meal prep, think about how you’ll reheat food. Will you only have access to a microwave at mealtime, or can you use a stovetop or oven? Consider recipes that you can enjoy cold or gently reheat so you don’t risk damaging fats and proteins in your food. If you will be using a microwave, double check it will hold up, and be especially careful reheating meat and rice. Start with simple meals and food preparation - stick to what you know, what you find easy, then repeat. Once you have that nailed, try introducing a new recipe. 

How to get started: 

Get High-Quality Food Storage Containers

Use quality food storage containers to keep prepared food hot or cold. Thermal, stainless steel containers are often airtight (and leak-proof!) and can be the ideal solution for keeping food warm or chilled. They also come in a convenient variety of sizes and there are more environmentally friendly options like glass. I recommend avoiding reusable plastic containers and plastic bags whenever possible. Aside from carcinogenic BPA, even BPA-free plastics can contain estrogenic chemicals that leach into your food and mess with your hormones. If you heat these plastics in the microwave, they may leach compounds into your food. It’s good to be informed about what you’re storing and heating your food in.

Choose Recipes and Build Your Own Menu

I always suggest keeping to just a couple of options for your breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks for the first month of getting to grips with prep, and refining your systems and Sunday prepping sessions (or whatever day you choose). This keeps it super simple and you know that you’re getting enough protein and veggies. You can then look at altering the taste and flavours through spices, herbs, sauces, or different toppings. Keep taking stock of what you need for the recipes and what you always need in the cupboard.

Need some inspiration for meal prep? Some of my favourite meals, which are easy to make and tasty, include: fajitas, roast chicken and veggies, tuna salad, chicken cashew nut stir fry.

Schedule Time for Meal Prep

This is super important. You can’t meal prep without prep time, so find a day and time you can show up to do it. Of course, plans may change so you also need to be flexible and switch it up, but make sure it gets done. Schedule one or two days (an hour is a good base time to start) per week to prep your meals. If you can multitask a little (use your oven and stove top to prep more than one food at once, for example), you’ll cut down on time even more. I like to prepare my lunches for the next couple of days whilst I’m waiting for dinner to cook. A roast chicken and veggies can take an hour, so within that time I can meal prep everything else. This is where kitchen appliances like the Instant Pot or Air Fryer can come in handy, along with the tried and true slow cooker (aka Crock-Pot).

While many people meal prep for the week on Sundays, there’s no single rule. If it works better for your schedule to cook on Monday and again on Thursday, go for it. The best meal prep schedule is the one that works for you.

Meal Prep Safely

There are no hard-and-fast rules for how long your food will stay fresh. The safety of your prepared meals is dependent on your refrigerator, how you packed it, the quality of your ingredients, and the types of meals you’re cooking, which comes with trial and error.

Start with the FDA’s guidelines for fridge and freezer storage to inform how long you can store prepared foods, and practice common sense when you pack food to make it last longer.

Use divided containers to avoid cross-contamination (or flavor contamination), and pack wet food separate from dry food. Use ice packs to keep cold dishes cold, and pre-warmed insulated containers to keep hot foods hot in your lunch box. And of course, clean your hands and produce before you cook.

Most meal prep meals will last between three to five days in the fridge (this comes down to preference). If you want to prep meals for the whole week without using the freezer, you’ll want to schedule two days a week to do so (such as Sunday and Wednesday) to keep food as fresh as possible.

Should I meal prep if I don’t like eating the same thing everyday?

Prepping the exact same meal for the whole week can save a lot of time—but it also gets boring. If you get tired of eating the same meals over and over, make small tweaks to your meal prep to make each dish a little different.

For example, swap in different veggies, sauces or garnishes for each container to keep things interesting. It can be as simple as switching up feta for halloumi, or chicken for fish, or roasted veggies for a fresh salad.

Alternatively, you can prep and freeze multiple recipes ahead of time. Then, thaw one or two containers in the refrigerator every day so you can enjoy different meals throughout the week.

HOW TO MEAL PREP: AVOIDING COMMON MISTAKES

KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid

The key to easy meal prep is to start simple. Make one-pot recipes like stir fry, chilli con carne, curry, or focus on one main dish. Avoid the temptation to spend a whole day cooking elaborate meals. Too many recipes can complicate your meal prep fast, and may put you off making it again. Try making just one recipe ahead of time, then meal prep additional dishes when you get comfortable.

Prepare Balanced Meals

Depending on your diet and health goals, plan meals that will keep you satisfied. It’s easy to make a big bowl of chili for lunch, but it wouldn’t serve as a complete meal so get some veggies in there or on the side (think: eat the rainbow). Make sure you get enough of the right food groups to fill out your macros. 

Cook Recipes You Will Actually Eat

This is a super easy one to miss when you’re creating convenience and it's super important to keep building a good relationship with food. Make sure you have flavours in there you enjoy so that you actually eat it. As long as your meal prep dishes are balanced, you don’t need to branch out of your comfort zone. For beginners, make recipes you know you’ll love—anything less could result in wasted food (and wasted time).

Once meal prepping becomes second nature, you’ll have at least a few go-to recipes you can turn to in a pinch, which is how you evolve into a space where it doesn’t always demand as much thought.

Make Enough Food

It sounds obvious, but make sure you prep enough food to fit your plan. Keep your schedule in mind: Events like work lunches and happy hours can interfere with mealtime. Do you truly need to prep a week’s worth of meals, or just enough for a few days at a time? What snacks do you need to carry at hand with you? Do you have back-to-back meetings that day? What’s easy to consume on the go? Make sure to have your schedule and portion sizes in mind when meal prepping. You’ll be able to refine this more and more over time. 

The bottom line: Prepping your meals ahead of time can be a convenient way to encourage better eating habits, more mindfulness, making better choices for future you, make a busy life easier, and help you meet your overall health goals. As long as you have the right ingredients, enough storage containers, and a little patience, you can create delicious, nutritious dishes in advance so you can focus your attention and effort on accomplishing everything on your to-do list. Follow these tips and avoid the all-too-common mistakes and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a meal prep pro!

Need meal prep ideas that’ll keep you on your keto path? If you join the Beyond Strong Method you’ll get access to a full library of recipes and more help with your nutritional understanding.

Book in a call to find out more how 1-1 online coaching works and become a boss babe with your meal prep. Book your call here.