How to Meal Prep 101 (2024)

How to Meal Prep 101 breaks down not only “what” it is but also “why” you want to meal prep for your family. I can’t wait to show you how to save time, money and reduce the stress in your life.

Have you been thinking about taking the plunge to start meal prepping? Starting out can be a little bit intimidating, but that is why I have developed this How To Meal Prep 101 for you!

It’s the ultimate guide on meal prepping and planning. You will be amazed by what implementing a few tips and tricks can do for you and your family.

I am so excited to share with you because I know it will change the way you cook. It did for me!

Let’s get started.

🍽️ Why You Should Do It

There are many reasons why this is important and worth it.

Time Saver | The time saved on hectic evenings and saving money are the biggest reasons why I do it. I never felt like I had time to put a healthy meal on the table when I was running kids to sports practice and band. This helped me think ahead and put good meals together when I didn’t have a lot of time.

Dieting | But, if you are trying to stick to a certain diet, calorie intake, or eating plan, it’s so much easier when you have the time to plan out your meals.

Skip Frozen Dinners | Skip those frozen dinners at the grocery store that are loaded with preservatives, and opt for healthy homemade options instead.

Simplify Dinners with Minimal Effort | Imagine coming home after one of those days when nothing goes right. You dread the idea of cooking, so you order a pizza instead. This is such a common practice for so many of us. I bet some of these tips will have you put a healthier meal on the table in less time than ordering a pizza!

I’m not saying you’ll never want to order a pizza again, but once you see and experience what meal prepping has to offer, you are going to want it less and less.

🍴How To Start

Starting out may seem a little bit overwhelming, but the process gets easier and easier the more you do it.

You will be a pro before you know it and will see that every second is worth what you are putting in. Here are some tips for you to get started:

1. Start Off Small

Because it is new to you, the first few times you try this may be a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry. You’ll find it gets much easier with a bit of practice.

For the first week or two, just start off prepping two or three meals. Then, you can eventually work your way up to preparing a week at a time or even a month.Or consider just prepping breakfasts and that is all. It takes time to build the habit and it’s best to start where you can gain the most success.

Practicing and starting small will keep you focused on the end game, and you’ll be less likely to give up. Stick with it because it is so worth it.

2. Organization is Key

Whether you write everything down, type it up on the computer, or add it to your calendar, it’s vital to have everything planned out. Figure out how many meals you need, how many they will serve, and prepare. When you are just starting out, this could take an hour of your time per week. Once you get going, you should be able to have this done in less than 15 minutes. The best news is, do this for a long time, learn what meals are easier to meal prep, and you’ll be close to five minutes a week!

Look up recipes and add them to a list. Using recipes that share common ingredients will save you even more time. Start stockpiling your family’s favorite recipes and recipes that WORK for you in a Menu/Recipe Binder to cut back on time spent researching later.

Hint: If you use a menu binder and write down which recipes you are making, you can make notes on the recipes themselves. Mine is loaded with comments like “Family Loved This” and “Leave out Avocados next time.” This will help you plan for the next time you make it as it fits into your recipe rotation.

Look through grocery flyers and plan your meals around what is on sale and cross check with your coupon binder. If they have a great sale on chicken, buy several packages and turn them into all sorts of meals. Start by cooking and shredding chicken in your Instant Pot (or even oven or slow cooker) to make burrito bowls, wraps, sandwiches, stuffed avocados, enchiladas, tacos, taco soups – you get the idea. When it’s on sale, make it a “chicken week” for your family.

Once you have a game plan in place, then it’s time to move on to the next stage.

Stick to a plan by marking off a specific day of the week to meal prep. It’s a great way to stay motivated if you know that every Sunday afternoon is spent meal planning and prepping. It’s easy to get the rest of the family on board too.

3. Gather Ingredients

Take an inventory of the food, ingredients, and seasonings you already have in the house. Use the ingredients you already have to your advantage and save money. Download the free Refrigerator, Pantry and Freezer Inventory sheets to get you started.

There is no need to spend extra money when you already have things ready to use. This is where some of your money-saving starts, and it’s the perfect time to take advantage of it.

Hint: Go through your pantry and see what food is about to expire and plan your recipe selection around those items. I HATE wasting money and throwing away food that I bought, but just never used is the ultimate in waste. Pet Peeve Over!

Go through each of the recipes and make a master list of the foods that you need to buy on your grocery list. I have a free printable one on the link for you to use. Again, you will want to organize this, so you are less likely to forget or miss anything.

4. Label Everything

There is nothing more frustrating than finding a bunch of mystery meals in your freezer or fridge.

Not knowing what something is makes you more likely to waste it. Use our free printable labels and write what it is, any cooking or reheating notes, and the date it was made.

5. Storage Options

You’ve planned all these meals, bought ingredients, and cooked everything, but where are you going to keep it all?

Each food you are making is going to be a little bit different and may need different options for storage. Here are some of my favorite options.

• Mason Jars – They are ideal for foods like salads or dressings. If you make a salad, put the dressing on the bottom, followed by crunchy veggies like carrots, then lettuce, meats, and cheeses. Give it a shake, and you have a meal on the go. This is fantastic for taking to lunch at work too.
• Plastic Containers With Lids – You can buy very inexpensive plastic containers that come with tight-fitting lids without spending a fortune. They are typically very sturdy and can be used over and over again. If you buy microwave-safe containers, you can heat the food up in them.
• Ziploc Bags – Pour soups and stews in bags (after they have cooled, of course). Get freezer safe bags for anything you are planning to freeze. Only fill them ⅔ full and lay them flat on a sheet pan to freeze. Once frozen, you can move them to make room.
• Glass Storage Containers – If you are planning to stick with meal prepping, it makes sense to have some high-quality storage containers on hand. There are many glass containers that are made, so they are durable and can withstand being cooled or frozen.

We cover all TEN of our favorite Meal Prep Containers here to give you tons of options.

6. Use Various Cooking Methods

The last thing you want to do is only cook with one technique at a time. You would spend a lot of time just waiting around for it to be over when you could be using several methods simultaneously.

Use recipes that call for Slow Cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, oven methods, stovetop, and anything else you can think of. Put the appliances to work for you. It’s a big time saver as as you can cook something in the Instant Pot and the same time as a the slow cooker and air fryer.You get the idea!

Meal Prep vs. Freezer Prep vs Meal Planning

Let’s dive in a little bit and talk about the differences between the meal prepping, freezer prepping, and meal planning.

• Meal Prepping – When you are meal prepping, you aren’t necessarily working on freezer meals. You are going to be cooking meats, chopping veggies, and assembling meals. The foods can be eaten fresh like salads or can be heated up. Some of them are pre-cooked and just need to be warmed while others are actually cooked when you are ready to eat it. Meal prepping is just the act of preparing as many steps as possible ahead of time to save you time later.
  • Prepping the Chickpea Orzo Salad lunches would be cutting up the greens, making the dressings and the orzo. This should take about 10 minutes to prep 4 lunches for the week.
  • Whipping up 4 Parfait Yogurt Breakfasts will only take 5 minutes to get Monday-Thursday done. Scooping up container (or Instant Pot or Crockpot Yogurt) and adding the granola + fruit for the perfect healthy grab and go breakfast on the run.
  • Consider boiling some pasta while you are chopping to make your own Homemade Lean Cuisines for the freezer to pull out for work from home lunches or to take into the office. If doing this alone with no other meal preparations going on, this will take 20 minutes to make 4 lunches. If you make this one AT THE SAME TIME as other prepping, it is about 5 minutes to pour, drain and seal up the container.
• Freezer Prepping – When you are freezer prepping, you doing all the things listed above, but all of the foods will go in the freezer. You can make dump and go meals that simply get poured into the crockpot, or you will have complete meals that just need to be defrosted and warmed up. There are so many freezer options whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner.
• Meal Planning – This is when you are actively PLANNING your meals for the week or month. So you are technically “meal planning” your meal prep lunches, if that makes sense. It helps you figure out what days you are going to be busy, when you have time to prep the food, etc. This Vegetarian Meal Plan for a five day period is a great example. There are lots of meal plan printables to get you started on weekly and monthly plans. I also like to use blank calendars to meal plan so I can compare my personal calendar to the menus I am trying to make.

⏲️ Time To Get Started

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to get started. This is what you have been working towards, and it feels great to be at this stage.

I am going to take a few moments to break down a couple of meal ideas for you to get you started. Then adapt then to your home menu binder so it is easier to build on what your family already loves to eat.

Keep in mind, these are simply ideas, but there are TONS of meal prepping and planning options out there to choose from.

• Breakfast Burritos – This is one of the most simple and basic meal prepping ideas ever. Begin by scrambling the eggs, cooking meats, and veggies. After each ingredient is cooked, place scoops of filling on warmed tortilla shells. Sprinkle with cheese and roll them up. Wrap each one in plastic wrap, then place them in a Ziploc bag. You can store them in the fridge or the freezer. They are good in the fridge for five days and good in the freezer for 2-3 months.
• Overnight Oats – We meal prep overnight oats all the time. They are so easy and taste fantastic! Simply add oats to a container or mason jar. Then add in a liquid like almond milk, regular milk, or even yogurt. Mix in fruits or even chocolate chips. Give them a stir, and you have an excellent breakfast waiting for you.
• Slow Cooker Burrito Bowls – This is one of the best meals we use to meal prep. If you click on the link, you’ll get a lot of helpful information, but I wanted to break it down here for you. First, cook chicken, spices, and salsa in the slow cooker. This is an excellent opportunity if you are cooking chicken for many meals to do it at once, then divide it up. Cook the rice ahead of time and have it in the fridge. Assemble to burrito bowls, and they are ready to grab quickly. Add any toppings you want like extra salsa, sour cream, cheese, or veggies.

I call this a “tool box” because everything that I mention to use I have already made up to help you through your Meal Prepping journey!

If you think “I don’t need all of that….” think again. If there is a way to save even five minutes, I have tried it out. I love to skim away time, if I can.

This is the best way I have found to successfully get this done.I would love yo hear your ideas in the comments below!

Printables

• Meal Plan Printable – when creating your week’s meals, jot them down on the printable each week and you and your family will have an idea of what is coming each night.

Do you have a command center or do you have magnets on the fridge? It doesn’t matter, post it so you can see what is coming next.

Inventories

• While you are choosing your meals, make sure to use the Refrigerator Inventory, Pantry Inventory and Freezer Inventory worksheets. Think about this as cash already spent! Use what you have in your house before going to buy more!

It’s a sunk cost so let’s use everything you can before you buy more. Try to see if you can base any meals off of those inventory items.

No, you aren’t taking an inventory every week but every other is do-able if you keep on top of it. If are past the beginner level of meal planning, you can jump to the Monthly Meal Plan printable!

Shopping List

• Shopping List – You’ve made your plan and made the inventory of your kitchen, the next tool you need is your Shopping List.

Print this one out and let’s start matching the recipes you chose above. Try not to bring family members with you when you shop as they tend to gather, you get frustrated and lose focus.

Once you come home from the store, pull everything out on the counter and start prepping the meals that you planned on your Meal Plan Printable or Calendar.

This is a job that saves your family time and money and needs to be treated as such and not as a family outing.

Recipes

The options are endless and these are just a few ideas we use on a regular basis. Check these out for more inspiration on where to get started:

Breakfast Ideas

• Breakfast Parfait Meal Prep – Start your day off right with these incredible breakfast parfaits. They even make great snacks, and the kids love them too.
• Vegetarian Meal Prep Breakfasts – Kickstart the day with these yummy and easy to make breakfast bowls. Pack this one for an easy lunch alternative as well.
• Easy Baked Oatmeal Cups – These freezer friendly oatmeal cups are so healthy and yet delicious. Change out the fruit for an incredibly versatile breakfast. (We love these for kids snacks as well!)
• Baked Eggs in a Muffin Tin – this is a super simple $2 breakfast fix that you can use time and time again. We love this reader favorite and you will too! Eat these alone or on toast or bagel to add variety.
• Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats – You are going to love making these five minute prep overnight oats on Sundays. You can make four days worth for pennies but they taste like a million bucks. Again, this is another versatile recipe that you can swap out the milk options and fruit. We have over a dozen overnight oats recipes that you can choose from, but once you learn the tricks of the trade, you can make these out of just about anything for a great start to the day.
• Breakfast Freezer Sandwich – Those that need a hearty breakfast on the run, these are perfect to meal prep and stash in the freezer all wrapped up and ready to go.
• 20 Breakfast Freezer Meals – Use your freezer for breakfast meal prep! These will satisfy the whole family and this list is going to make everyone happy to have homemade breakfast!
• Mason Jar Smoothies – These are 100% made ahead of time and frozen. Simply take them out the night before for the perfect smoothie ready to go.

Lunch Ideas

• Best Meal Prep Lunches – You don’t need to throw away money on expensive take out lunches anymore!
• Chickpea Orzo Salad – This easy and tasty meal prep lunch is quick to make on Sunday for a week’s worth of lunches that you will look forward to.
• Freezer Pasta Meals – Wait until you see how simple these are for a $0.24 lunch! These are great for everyone in your family!

Dinner Ideas

• 10 Meatless Meal Prep Ideas – Save even more money by having a few meatless meals on hand.
• Epic Roasted Meditteranean Vegetables – You can meal prep these veggies and serve them with several different meals. They are delicious too.
• Honey Balsamic Chicken and Veggies – This sheet pan meal is ideal when you are planning and prepping. You are going to want to add it to your list of yummy dinner ideas.

Snack Ideas

• 59 Cent Smoothie Packs – I love this as it can be an afternoon/after school snack or it can be a quick and fresh breakfast.
• 24 Cent Freezer Pasta Meals – Mentioned above in lunches, but think of this as a middle school/high school after school snack before sports/activities. They can quickly microwave this one and be on the go in minutes.
• How to Freeze Pancakes – Another great snack idea for kids (breakfast too!) that they can take from the freezer and zap in the microwave or toaster for a quick and easy snack.
• Mason Jar Smoothies – Take these out early in the morning and they will be well on their way to defrosting by after school for a quick and refreshing snack for the kids as they get off the bus.

FAQ

Check Out These Printables To Simplify