Meal Prep for Beginners - How to Get Started
Meal prep for beginners doesn’t have to be an overwhelming, time-consuming task. Does the idea of meal prepping send you into a stressed-out frenzy?! It’s not surprising considering the immense amount of information out there. Meal prep simply means preparing your meals in advance and storing them in your freezer or fridge for easy access when you're ready to eat. Meal prep doesn’t have to be as intimidating or complicated as it seems. This beginner's guide to meal prep offers the best tips and tricks on how to get started with meal prep for beginners.
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What is Meal Prepping?
Have you ever made a lovely dinner and then packed up the leftovers to enjoy for lunch the next day? If yes, then you're already on the right path for meal prepping!
Meal prepping is cooking bulk meals and recipes, then portioning them out into smaller meals to enjoy throughout the week. Typically, meal prep is the act of preparing anywhere between 3 to 7 days’ worth of food, which can be for all three meals - breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or just one meal, such as lunches.
Benefits of Meal Prep
Preparing your meals in advance offers many benefits, including:
Saves time. You don't have to scramble to find meals when you're hungry or spend time cooking each day when you've already cooked for the week.
Saves money. You'll greatly reduce your food expenses if you prepare your food at home instead of eating out.
Improves your health. You have complete control over what you eat when you prepare it and can use fresh, minimally processed foods.
Reduces waste.
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Meal prepping is convenient and efficient and helps you eat healthy ingredients while reducing food waste. The U.S. discards more food than any other country in the world, nearly 80 billion pounds every single year, which is 219 pounds of waste per person. Consciously choosing, planning and preparing your meals can ensure you eat them, reducing food waste.
Plus, meal prep for beginners can reduce the temptation of eating out, helping you stay on track with your nutrition and your budget. Meal prep allows you to save a lot of time and effort while enjoying home-cooked, fresh meals without the daily stress and mental load of figuring out what to eat.
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Also, if you’re following a weight maintenance, weight loss, or muscle-building program, preparing your meals in advance can help you get in all the nutrients you need without consuming too many empty calories. You can pack more nutrients into your diet when you use fresh ingredients, with salads, soups, snacks, and meals that suit your tastes and fitness goals.
Can Anybody Meal Prep?
The short answer is yes! Anyone can prepare meals, but it is especially helpful for people who live busy lives and want to enjoy nutritious food while prioritizing practicality and convenience. For meal prep for beginners, you will have to be open to repeating meals and be okay with leftovers. Some people struggle with the textures of leftovers, so be mindful of this when you make your selections and don’t choose foods you don’t want to eat as leftovers.
You can prepare meals as a single person, couples, or entire family, so long as you make big enough portions. Meal prepping is ideal for runners, too. Nutrition is, of course, a huge part of being an athlete, as refueling and energy are vital. Following a running plan can be time-consuming enough, and meal prepping takes away the additional stress of cooking.
What You Need to Get Started
To get started with meal prep for beginners, you will need some food containers. If you have a large family and intend to food prep, be sure to invest in plenty of containers. You will want to collect a large selection, and if you can, get glass ones to increase sustainability and be more environmentally friendly. You should aim for divided glass containers with separate compartments. Metal bento box-style containers are also great.
Best Foods for Meal Prep
When you’re doing meal prep for beginners, you want to choose foods that will not easily perish or become soggy and bland after a few days in the fridge.
Some of the best foods for meal prepping include:
Cooked grains such as quinoa, rice, farro, or couscous
Whole grains such as oatmeal for overnight oats
Cooked pasta
Greek yogurt
Beans
Tofu
Boiled Eggs
Lean meat such as chicken breasts or turkey
Roasted vegetables such as broccoli, sweet potatoes, and asparagus
Fresh veggies such as celery, carrots, peas, spinach, bell peppers, kale,
Fresh or frozen fruit, such as apples, oranges, berries, and bananas
Nuts like almonds, peanuts, cashews, etc.
Seeds like chia and flax
Hard cheese such as swiss, parmesan, and gouda
On the other hand, foods that are best avoided when food prepping include:
Highly processed snack foods and desserts
Soft cheeses, butter
Fried food
Crackers/chips
When your food is stored correctly in airtight containers, the majority of vegetables will stay fresh for at least two to three days in the refrigerator. Heartier vegetables, like chopped carrots or winter squash, will stay fresh for about four days. Cooked vegetables, most grains, and recipes with eggs should be eaten within three to four days. Also, be sure to reheat meats sufficiently.
Check out our Healthy Recipes section for easy and healthy meal prep recipes.
How To Meal Prep for Beginners
When you’re learning how to meal prep for beginners, take it slow. Like any new habit, if you dive in too hard and fast, you risk falling off quickly, due to being overwhelmed.
So, start small with meal prepping and get into this new routine slowly. Consider meal prepping as a formula that is easy to follow. Depending on your dietary needs, and how much you work out, you should include the lean protein of your choice, a whole grain of your choice, and finally, fruits and vegetables. You can get creative with sauces (which should always be kept separate in a little jar), nuts, seeds, croutons, and other tasty toppings.
To make your life easy, write out your food plan. When planning your meal prep, go for healthy recipes that you really like and have made before. Craft your meals around seasonal produce for the best flavor and the most bang for your buck.
If you need ideas, check out our wide selection of healthy recipes, such as Blueberry Protein Pancakes and Healthy Baked Salmon.
Stocking Up for Meal Prep
Once you have your menu planned and set, it's time to make your grocery lists. However, before sprinting to the grocery store, shop the inventory in your kitchen first. Oftentimes, items like beans or grains get pushed to the back of the pantry and you don't need to rush out and buy more.
At the grocery store, do your best to stay focused and on track. If you can budget for it, you may wish to arrange delivery for your groceries to save you time and effort of being in the aisles of the store, especially if you find the store stressful. Some grocery stores offer this option for free.
Schedule your prep! Pick a time for prepping, which can be the same day you shop or the same day you write your prep. It may not be possible to cook five meals in an hour, but you may be able to tackle a specific aspect of the recipes, like grilling your protein or creating a batch of overnight oats.
Top Tips For Meal Prepping
Here are my top tips for meal prep for beginners:
Start with one meal. Don't bombard yourself trying to do too much. Instead focus on either breakfasts, lunches, or healthy dinners to start. Keep it simple.
Pick a day to do your meal prepping. Sunday and Wednesday are popular choices.
Invest in good containers. Choose durable storage containers that you can reuse.
Try new recipes for additional tips and tricks and to expand your palate.
Get a journal for prepping your recipes and shopping lists.
Stock up on spices. Seasonings go a long way to make your healthy meals tasty.
Use healthy fats. Olive oil is a great staple for healthy cooking and can replace less healthy options like butter and canola oil. Avocado oil is also a healthy option for cooking.
Keep track of your favorite recipes. Bookmark them or print them out so you can pull them out when needed.
Do not shop when you are hungry. This one is timeless and will save you a lot of money and prevent wasted food from overbuying.
Use a slow cooker as a time saver.
Add variety to your menu by switching up your grains, proteins, and vegetables.
Happy Prepping!
Meal planning and meal preparation is an accessible and efficient method to cook healthy food choices while budgeting your time and money. While it may appear overwhelming at the start, there are a variety of ways you can create a sustainable meal-planning habit that works for your life!
Happy prepping to you, and bon appetit!
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Marissa Del Mistro is a writer, editor, and always on the hunt for the perfect workout. Marissa absolutely loves trail running, dancing, and cycling. When she’s not writing, Marissa loves cooking, podcasts, traveling and exploring her home in the beautiful unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ nations.
