7 Meal Prep Tips That Cut Prep Time in Half!

Meal prepping for the week can help you save both time and money. Use these top 5 tips to simplify the process each week and give yourself a head start to eating right. Meal prepping works for our custom meal plan customers and helps them get set up each week for success. Even if you do not have a custom meal plan, meal prepping can help you set yourself up for nutritional success. Here are some ways to make your meal prep as time efficient as possible.

Top Tips For Meal Prepping

1. Plan Your Meals – You can also just refer to your meal plan if you have one. Writing out all of your meals can help you see if you’re eating a variety of good foods as well as help you in step number two. This will also save you time when you go to figure out what to eat day to day.

2. Grocery List – Construct a grocery list based on the menu that you made. This will help you shop and save money by knowing how much of everything you will need. You won’t purchase more food than you need, and that prevents waste. It will also give you a plan of attack at the grocery store so you don’t wander around, wasting time, and picking up junk and putting it into your cart. As a rule, stick mostly to the outer perimeter of the store because this is where most of the fresh food is stocked.

3. Strategize Your Prep –  Bulk prep your fruits, vegetables, and any fresh produce first, and then move onto any meats. This prevents cross contamination and gives you time to clean your workspace and utensils. Be sure to clean your knives and cutting boards between each use.

4. Measure Your Food – Always use food scales and measuring cups when meal prepping. Just eyeballing things don’t make for good portion sizes. Getting an inexpensive food scale is the best way to do this because it works for meats and produce. It will also make measuring quick and easy.

5. Plan Meal Prep Days – Set aside a day or two in your week and prepare all of your meals at once. You’re already cooking, so you may as well make all of your food. Most people use Sunday, or a combination of Sunday and Wednesday, for meal prepping. This saves you time throughout the rest of the week, as you don’t have to worry about cooking, where your food is coming from or what you will be eating.

6. Pre-Portion – Portion your protein and sides ahead of time, placing each meal in Tupperware. Having everything ready and available helps you reach for the right foods when you’re hungry and saves you time.

7. Freeze Meals – If you want to prep all of your week’s food on Sunday (or whatever day you choose) and your meals are more than 3-4 days, freeze them so that they don’t go bad. Food lasts much longer in the freezer, than it does in the fridge.

You can prep a whole week of lunches, snacks, dinners and even breakfasts using these tips. Remember, depending on your produce you might have to prep fresh produce again mid week, and salads are usually best prepped the day before. These time saving, and money saving tricks will help you as you prepare for your week!

Sometimes, one of the biggest hassles when cooking for yourself is figuring out what food needs to be prepped to ensure you hit your goals. You don’t want to waste food by buying too much or run out mid week because you didn’t get enough and have to run back to the store. The best way to solve this problem is by signing up for a Custom Meal Plan and let us do the planning for you. This way, not only will you be confident you are eating the right foods to get to your goals, but you will know exactly what you need to purchase for the week and exactly what you need to prep in advance.

Our nutritionists lay out each meal plan, specific to you, with the exact amounts of food you need to hit your goals, all while including the foods you want and love to eat. No more guessing. And, even better no more wasted food or money. This time, money, and headache saving option will get you to your goals in the fastest way possible – faster than any diet you’ve ever tried – we promise.