How many times have you said “I should start meal-prepping” and then never do? Or you do it one week, maybe even two, and then life gets in the way and it’s an easy excuse to not do all that work on a Sunday night when you want to be snuggled up with Netflix?
I get it. Being proactive takes planning, and it can feel like more work in the moment, even if you logically know it saves you time and aggravation later in the week.
I know one woman who will be on top of meal prep, rockin’ it, loving how much it reduces her frustration and streamlines her workweek. Then something happens, she falls off the wagon, and even though she knows exactly what she needs to do to get back on the wagon it still feels like a Herculean task.
Then, after much crying and whining, she drags herself back up on that wagon and she’s all smiles again! I’ve watched her go through this cycle countless times over the years. What I think is awesome is how she keeps getting back up there and doesn’t give up.
Why does she keep getting back on the meal prep wagon? Because it really does make her life, her relationships, and her mood that much better.
With her story in mind, are you ready to do this?
INVENTORY
Take a written inventory of your pantry and fridge (this definitely helps keep things organized and decluttered, too.) Every week. I know! This sounds so time consuming and irritating. But it’s totally worth it.
An inventory gives you an idea of what you already have on hand when you’re deciding to prep for the week, and it saves you tons of money because you won’t be buying duplicates at the grocery store.
PLAN
Now you get to decide what the heck it is you’re going to make this week. Are you prepping lunches as well as dinners? Or only one or the other? Consider bento boxes for lunches as the compartments allow you to get your protein, veggies, and maybe a little treat into a nice controlled container.
Keep a board in Pinterest for easy prep-ahead recipes and meal ideas.
1. Decide what you’re going to be making.
2. Make a grocery list.
3. Actually take that list to the store with you.
4. Shop and prep on separate days.
Come on, you know you’ve made lists that you’ve left on the counter when you headed to the store and then had no idea what you were supposed to buy so you got 50% stuff you needed, 50% stuff you didn’t need, and totally forgot to get the most important 50% of that list.
These days I use the list in my phone where I can check off the things I’ve gotten. Or I order my groceries from the comfort of my own home with my pantry right in front of me. Always use a system that works best for your mind and life.
Here are a few ideas to consider when planning:
Things to buy:
Family packs of meat in bulk to marinate in freezer bags - one recipe, multiple freezer meals.
Pre-chopped veggies and fruit.
Pre-cooked frozen grilled chicken to add to premixed salads for lunch.
Other pre-cooked proteins.
If your job simply doesn’t give you time (like an ER nurse) to eat things that need heating up, buy lunch stuff that’s grab-and-go.
Meals:
Plan on a crockpot day to reduce attention needed to cooking.
It’s okay to have an order-out day!
Create seasonal (or quarterly) meal lists so you don’t have to brainstorm a meal plan each week.
Meal plan with a calendar in front of you! Choose recipes that fit your schedule.
Try some theme days. Everyone knows about Taco Tuesday, brainstorm some other ideas with your family.
PREP HACKS
There are a lot of ways to prepare meals ahead of time. You have to figure out what works best for you. Sundays seem like days that make sense as they’re right before the beginning of the school week and traditional work week. But if you work a shift that has you off on Wednesdays every week, there’s no rule that says you can’t prep that day.
If doing all of the prep at one time is overwhelming, break it up into more do-able chunks. Maybe you start marinades on Friday to be cooked on Sunday. Maybe you do all the chopping Sunday morning, and any prep cooking Sunday night (and maybe Sunday is order in night.)
Here are a few hints for prep:
Put all the food for each meal in a separate basket when you get home from the grocery store.
Prep all veggies and fruits so they are ready to grab and eat or cook.
Prep snacks along with meals.
Spend one afternoon prepping multiple bags of 2-3 recipes to put in the freezer.
Use a manual chopper to speed up that tedious process.
Shred cheese ahead of time.
Chop up all the veggies for dinner and even for the next day early on when you have energy.
Prep dinner at breakfast/lunch.
Prep ingredients, not full meals.
Always keep chopped onions and peppers on hand
Get the kids in on the fun!
COOKING
When possible, cook your protein ahead of time. Cooked ground beef, shredded chicken or pork, or any other proteins usually freeze really well. Portion them out into freezer bags or containers. Make sure you write the date you cook them on their containers so they don’t get lost in the freezer.
The same thing goes for cooked veggies. You can do a big batch of roasted vegetables at one time, portion them out, freeze them, and then thaw and add to a variety of meals in the future, like soups and stir fries.
Cooking hints:
When dinner is cooking, use that time to:
wash dishes
prep breakfast, like smoothie packs: Zip lock bags with smoothie ingredients that are easy to grab and bled.
Cook once, eat twice. Repurpose leftovers into another meal.
Always cook 2-3x more than you will eat.
Freeze containers of left overs for ready-to-heat individual meals.
Easy wins:
Chop up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken for multiple meals.
Meatballs freeze great and can be heated up in the air frier.
Cook a big batch of pasta and dress it up differently for a couple of meals.
GOOD LUCK!
I’ve found that every family does meal prep differently so it’s up to you to come up with your own groove.
Big family? Get them in on the fun. They can learn cooking basics from a pretty early age so they can be making full meals by the time their teens!
Live on your own? Great! Spend a weekend making a bunch of stuff to freeze and use to mix together over the coming days or weeks for easy meals.
Can’t stand the idea of prepping an entire week at once? No problem, prep the night before if you’re a night person, or get up a little early to prep in the morning if that’s more your jam.
In the end it’s about whatever makes your life easier. A little pre-planning goes a long way!
Ditch Your Sh*t: Decluttering Your Mindset to Declutter Your Home available for pre-sale now and everywhere books are sold October 7, 2025.