The BEST Meal Prep/Batch Prep Tips!

It's Fall, and in my world, Fall always feels like it goes hand in hand with meal prep. Making easy but delicious and healthy recipes in the slow cooker, oven, or on a sheet pan just feels like the beginning of the comforting dishes season. And getting to our goals :)

Meal prep/batch prep:

I rely on both meal prepping and batch cooking to make sure I love what I am eating and am hitting my goals! Meal prep is when you source recipes that you enjoy and help you hit your macros, and make that specific recipe to eat during the week. Batch prep involves making a batch of something so you can mix and match pre-cooked/prepped ingredients to create meals.

I have found that I can't manage a whole meal prep—it's too many recipes, too many pots and pans, and too much prep. I always go in with good intentions but abandon ship only a few weeks in because I'm just SO overwhelmed!

I've found that the strategy that works best for me is to choose 2-3 recipes (mostly dinners) and then 2-3 proteins, fats, and carbs for the week that I will pick up from the store and prep. I prep them by cooking the proteins, chopping the fruit and veg, and steaming/baking the carbs. Once cooled, storing them in glass containers. That way, breakfast can be as simple as Greek yogurt with some chia seeds and pre-cut fruit with some nuts. Lunch can be some pre-baked salmon with pre-baked zucchini slices. I'd just add a bed of greens and a little citrus dressing to complete the meal. For dinner, that's when I’d enlist one of the recipes and plan to have leftovers. Even this can be SUPER SIMPLE! This crockpot recipe is a perfect example of a hands-off, high-protein, comforting meal that will keep you eating well and keep it simple!

With this strategy, you can still have fully put-together meals. I can appreciate that mix-and-match meals sometimes feel a little lacking (invest in some spices! They make a world of difference, dried or fresh!) The few recipes you make for your meal prep can still be pretty hands-off with easy cleanup.

When to shop and prep?

Most people shop and prep on the weekends for their meal prep. Totally get it—makes sense if you want to start the week with meals and ingredients... unless you do it on Wednesday each week! And here is why and why it’s worked for me.

A lot of the time, people get bored with their meal prep and batch prep even if they are eating things they like. It can just get repetitive and boring, and then before you know it, you're DoorDashing. But if you shop and prep on Wednesday, you can eat your meal prep and prepped ingredients through Friday, have Saturday and Sunday to enjoy a few meals out (mindful meals, of course, where you're still choosing protein and produce as the stars on your plate!), and then come Monday, you're already ready to go with the second half of your meal prep. And added bonus—you’re not bored of your food because you got a little break over the weekend. You saved money because you didn't cave to eating out more times during the week out of boredom, and none of your meal prep went to waste because it got eaten, not shoved to the back of the fridge :) **Final note on that—you can freeze your meal prep if you find that over the weekend things don’t hold up. On the day you prep, let everything cool, split it in half, freeze one half, and use the other half for your prepped food until the weekend. Then, pull out your prepped meals and ingredients Sunday night!**

Oh, and hey—you also get to your results more effectively with the same amount of time spent, along with some potential other upsides.

I know it’s possibly challenging to shop and cook on a Wednesday, but it’s something to consider for inspiration. It’s a solution that may be unconventional for those who have tried to stay on a structure but find that an entire week of eating the same things just doesn’t suit their needs or lifestyle. This unconventional approach may work for you and make finding a way to shop on Wednesdays a priority!

Viewing Prepping as an Investment vs. a Task:

I'm always honest about the parts of living a healthy lifestyle or achieving a specific goal that are tedious—prepping is one of those things! But there are ways to make it easier, and you get better and more refined in your own process the more you do it. My meal prep looks vastly different from a decade ago, but I really did just keep at it and dialed in over time. For the last few years, I really do feel like my entire process of prep takes 2 hours a week now—and that covers most of my meals during the week. It takes time, but there is a way to integrate this into your life so it’s not just a repetitive task but an investment that honors your time and energy, while also supporting your health, goals, and longevity!