My Favorite Meal Prep Method

My method is ridiculously efficient and has never failed me. Here it is:<br><br>* **Meal prep once a week, and portion out all of your meals.** The only exceptions for me are snacks. I'm a person who loves variety, so I have one day a week (usually Sunday) dedicated to cooking meal prep. I portion everything in to containers so I don't have to think about it during the week. <br>* **Make a variety of staples regularly.** I try to make sure that my meal prep has some variety, but I've also learned what are staples that are healthy, and keep well in the fridge. This lets me get to know what I already have in the fridge, and what I need to make. For example, I know I'll always have to make chicken breasts, so I'll just go ahead and make a few pounds of that every time. Same with rice, beans, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. I also know that these are cheap to make, and won't go bad quickly. It takes out the guesswork, and I just do it every week as if it were brushing my teeth or going to the gym. My favorites are: <br> * Legumes: Black beans, kidney beans, and chicken and rice soup.<br> * Vegetables: Roasted broccoli, roasted asparagus, and roasted carrots.<br> * Roots: Baked sweet potatoes and white potatoes.<br> * Meat: Twice-baked chicken breasts, and stew meat. <br> * Grains: Brown rice, and white rice. <br> * Sauces: Salsa, and Italian dressing. <br>* **Have a rotation of 6-8 weeks.** This is the key to my entire meal prep plan - I have a rotation of 6-8 weeks, and I keep track of them all in my phone's notes app. That way I can go to the store and just look at my phone, and not have to think of what groceries I need. It helps me to put these staples into meals, and takes the guesswork out of it. I'll just go through my weekly grocery shopping trip, and I'll know what to expect, and it will also give me a rough idea of what I'll be eating. I've also started to rotate my groceries by making sure that breakfast gets a little different each week, which helps keep me excited about the week.<br>* **Buy the same groceries every week.** I think this is the most difficult part of meal prep. If I'm making chicken and rice bowls every Wednesday, it gets boring. I've learned to just buy all of the meal prep groceries on the list, even if it's the same stuff every week. Of course, I'll have to skip some things if I have leftovers, but I just try to make sure that I'm buying everything that I need, and not thinking about the repetitiveness. When I want to spice things up, I'll just adjust the rotation.<br>* **Double batches.** I try to never make a single serving of a meal, I'll always double or triple the recipe, and make more than I need. This lets me ensure that I'll have leftovers if I'm in a hurry, and that I'll have food to freeze for the future. I just take the leftovers that I don't think will keep well and freeze them. This has been a lifesaver for me so many times - I'll just take it out of the freezer, throw it in the microwave, and I'm done. It's also very easy to make double batches of food, and it will save you so much time in the long run. <br>* **Buy a slow cooker.** I know this is a very basic piece of advice, but it's very good. I use my slow cooker multiple times a week - I'll throw some meat in there, and come home to find something that's healthy and delicious. It's a very easy way to make double batches, and I don't have to keep an eye on them. I know I'll have leftovers, and I'll be able to have something to freeze for the future. It's just such a convenient method of cooking that it's helped me to not get discouraged, and to cook much more regularly. <br>* **Buy an Instant Pot.** I just bought an Instant Pot and I have to say - it's changed everything for me. It's helped me to make a lot of the staple foods that I mentioned earlier, and it's also been amazing for leftovers. I'll just throw everything in the Instant Pot, and come home to something that's so much better than what I would have had otherwise. I can make a huge batch of chicken and rice in 10 minutes, and I can even sauté with it. <br>* **Buy an air fryer.** I've used my air fryer for countless meal prep sessions, and it's helped me to make so many different foods. It's great for leftovers, and it's also helped me to eat healthier. It's also helped me to make a lot of my staple foods, and to have a lot of variety. I can make chicken, vegetables, potatoes, and countless other foods. <br>* **Freeze leftovers.** I've recently discovered how to freeze leftovers, and it's been a total game-changer. I'll just throw leftovers in a container, and then put them in the freezer. It's helped me to make sure that I'm never wasting food, and that meal prep never goes to waste. It's also helped me to make sure that I have food in case of an emergency. <br>* **Do not meal prep snacks.** I've tried to meal prep snacks in the past, and it's always been a disaster. I just like to buy snacks in stores, or make them as I eat them. I try to make sure that I'm always eating healthy, but I love having the variety of snacks. I know I'll never get bored of meal prep if I can change up my snacks.<br>* **Buy meal prep containers in bulk.** Recently, I realized that I was wasting so much money on meal prep containers. I've started to buy them in bulk, and it's helped me to make sure that I always have enough. It's also helped me to save money, and to make sure that I have containers for leftovers and freezing. <br>* **Have a well-stocked pantry.** This is a no-brainer, but I try to make sure that I always have everything that I need. I'll make sure that I have spices, oils, and condiments. This helps me to make sure that I'm not having to make extra trips to the grocery store, and that I can always make what I need. <br>* **Keep leftovers separate.** I've learned to make sure that I'm keeping leftovers separate from the meal prep. It helps me to make sure that I'm not having to make a mess every week, and that I have healthy leftovers to fall back on. I'll just put leftovers in the fridge, or freeze them, and then I'll know what leftovers I have to use. <br>* **Don't store leftovers for too long.** I've learned to make sure that I'm not storing leftovers for too long. It can make me sick, and it can also make me get bored of meal prep. I try to make sure that I'm using leftovers within 2-3 days, and then freezing the rest. <br>* **Make it fun!** Finally, I try to make meal prep fun. I love to experiment with new recipes, and to try new foods. I've found that if I make meal prep fun, I'll be more excited to do it. It's helped me to make sure that I'm not bored of meal prep, and that I can make it a part of my routine.<br><br>These are my top tips for meal prep! It's helped me to make sure that I'm eating healthy, and that I'm not getting bored of meal prep. It's also helped me to save time, and to make sure that I'm not wasting food or money.