If you’re looking to make healthier food choices and save money in the process then meal prepping might be for you.
I’ve been prepping my meals for well over a decade and have learnt a thing or two along the way.
So I wanted to show how I prep for the week and share some insights that should help others get started.
What you’ll need:
For lunch and dinners, you’ll need a good number of large food containers. I’ve been using these for 6+ years and they’re still in great condition.
For breakfast and snacks, you’ll need to have some small food containers. Again, I’ve been using these containers for 6+ years and they show very little wear.
When starting, it’s perfectly fine to use what you already have – if you have plastic containers, use those.
1. Plan your meals
First things first, you need a plan. And by plan, I mean a meal plan.
Now your meal plan is going to depend on how many people you’re cooking for:
You
You and your partner
Your entire family
Whichever the case, use this to decide how many meals you’re going to cook and how many servings.
Lunch and dinner
Here’s an example of what I’d look to cook for the week:
Breakfast
For breakfast, my go-to is overnight oats or granola.
With enough food containers you can easily meal prep the dry ingredients for overnight oats for the entire week (that’s what I do).
I often do some variations of these two recipes:
You can create a simple base of oats, chia seeds, flax seeds and cinnamon and top with whatever you fancy when it comes to eating.
Snacks
If you’re anything like me, this one’s not to be forgotten. You need to consider the things you’re going to eat around your meals – snacks!
For me, this will include some unhealthier options like; chocolate, crisps, crackers etc. but largely consist of healthier options like:
Nuts
Every day I have a mixture of different nuts, usually consisting of cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios and Brazil nuts – it’s a great way to increase the number of "plants" in your diet which has so many health benefits.
Protein powder
Vivolife has been my protein powder of choice for 3+ years, having tried cheaper plant-based protein powders it’s worth spending a little bit extra and it’s still ~2.5x cheaper than a coffee per serving.
Coffee beans
I absolutely love these coffee beans from Rave. Whenever you open the bag you can immediately smell the coffee – and I’m not the only one to have said how great they smell (and taste).
Don’t feel like you have to plan everything you’re going to eat for the week, allow some flexibility to eat something you’re craving.
2. Create a shopping list
With your meals to hand, add all the ingredients, you need to a list.
This could be a paper list, a note-taking app or a dedicated shopping list app.
I prefer using an app, so I can remove the items I’ve added to my basket as I go through the shop.
A shopping list is a surefire way to save money and avoid unhealthier foods as you’re more likely to stick to the things on your list.
3. Check what you have
Once you’ve created your shopping list, check your cupboards, fridge etc. for ingredients you might already have.
This will stop you from buying excess food that’ll either get thrown away or fill up your cupboards to be forgotten about.
4. Go shopping
This one doesn’t need much explaining, go to the shop and buy what you need.
My approach is; to go to my main supermarket (Aldi) to do the bulk of my shopping.
If there’s anything that I can’t get from Aldi, I’ll then head on over to Morrisons to get any remaining bits.
Don’t go shopping when you’re hungry, this will help prevent you from impulse buying food because you’re hungry.
5. Tidy your kitchen
The idea of tidying your kitchen just as you are about to mess it up sounds a little counterintuitive – but don’t skip this step (especially if you have a small kitchen like me).
Make sure your counters are clear so you have space to work
Wash up any dirty pots, pans, utensils etc. so they’re ready when you need them
Organise your kitchen so you know where to look for a tin opener, colander, grater etc.
All of this will make the cooking process far less stressful.
6. Time to cook
When it comes to cooking, there’s one rule I have and that’s to avoid multi-tasking.
That means:
Not trying to cook multiple meals at once
Avoid doing prep work whilst cooking the meal
Here’s how I approach cooking instead:
Figure out what meal I’m going to cook
Get all of the ingredients ready on the counter
Chop up any veggies etc. that are needed for the recipe
Blend/mix any sauces that are needed
By having everything ready, it means I’m not running around trying to do 10 things at once, whilst my onions are burning because I haven’t chopped up the carrots yet (maybe you’ve been there).
I’ll go through this process for up to two recipes on a Sunday – opting for more time-consuming recipes now and saving easier, quicker meals for later in the week.
You can also prepare parts of a meal, such as chopping up veggies or preparing a filling/sauce that can be used later in the week.
7. Prepare “extras”
The hard work is over, but don’t stop here.
Now it’s time for the easy bit, prepare breakfast and snacks.
For me, this means:
Prepare dry ingredients for overnight oats (up to 8 containers)
Prepare mixed nuts and multivitamins (up to 4 containers)
Prepare protein shakes (up to 3 servings with different containers)
Grind coffee for the following day
This way I’ve fully prepared for at least 2 days into the week.
If you’re new to meal prepping, don’t feel pressure to do everything all at once, instead try preparing your breakfasts or snacks for the week and build from there.
