Ready to Meal Plan? Here’s the Exciting, Imperfect Way to Start!

Meal Prep Basics:
These are the BASICS of meal prepping. When it comes to meal planning, I’m all about starting simple. I’m that person who just needs to know the easiest way to do something. Meal planning 101, if you will. If you already have a meal plan that works for you—great! If not, I hope you can find a few things here that’ll help.

One thing I can assure you: there’s only one thing worse than meal prepping—and that’s not meal prepping. Trust me. You don’t want to be in the kitchen every day, cooking different things. Meal prep isn’t supposed to make life harder. It’s supposed to make it easier.

Also, I just want to add that meal prepping saves money and helps prevent you from eating out.

Step 1: Containers Matter
I’m starting to move away from plastic containers and investing in more glass options. HOWEVER, sometimes you just have to use what you have, and that is perfectly okay! I’ll link one of my favorite glass container sets here. I love the Snapware ones—those lids snap on nice and easy & it keeps the food nice and fresh. (I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you)

Step 2: Prep Day = Time Saver
You definitely need a prep day. Yes, it takes some effort up front, but it will save you tons of time later. You’ll need to decide: what day will you get groceries? I used to prep right after I went grocery shopping, but for me personally, it works better to get groceries before my prep day because it ended up being just too much in one day. For example, I meal prep on Mondays. But this won’t be true for everyone. My husband works remotely, so I don’t need to pack his meals on Sunday or Monday. If he wasn’t remote, I’d probably need to prep his meals by Sunday. I know Sundays may be ideal for most, but for me, Sundays are a rest day for my family and me, and I don’t want Sundays consumed by being in the kitchen. Just something to think about!

I also like grocery shopping on Fridays for the upcoming week, but I know that can throw off budgets for some people. It’s totally fine to do things in stages—get what you need for meal prep first, then the rest later.

Step 3: How Long Are You Meal Prepping For?
I would write out meal ideas for one week- I used to plan out meal ideas for an entire month, but honestly, that’s just not realistic for me. I’ve found that prepping for one week works best, and I can reset each week.

Step 4: Make Big Batches of Simple, Versatile Foods
(KEEP this SIMPLE. Don’t overcomplicate!) If you checked out my post on eating diligently with one cheat meal, this actually ties in so well when it comes to keeping your meal prep days simple yet delicious. You want to be thinking: “Grains, proteins, veggies.”

I’ll break down exactly what I prep every week, and hopefully, it’ll give you some inspiration for your own routine.

Step 5: Maximize Your Kitchen
Use your kitchen to your advantage. If you have an oven, stove, or even an Instant Pot, use these. Something can be cooking in the oven while something else is in the Instant Pot, and you can still cook on the stove. (Does this sound overwhelming? It can be, but it doesn’t have to be). We’re not talking about a huge time commitment, just small strategic moves that can actually save you hours in the kitchen. You’re utilizing what you have. You won’t do this perfectly the first time—or the 77th time—but it will become second nature.

Step 6: Prep Grab-and-Go Snacks
It will be so easy for you to snack on random things OR not eat at all and feel fatigued if even your grab-and-go snack options aren’t prepped. (There are things that don’t need to be prepped, of course, that are helpful to have in your pantry, but there ARE so many things you can have made on hand). I’ll give ideas as we keep talking.

Step 7: Keep a Grocery List
Write down what you might need for the upcoming week as you think of it. I like to use grocery pickup for convenience, but sometimes I’ll go inside depending on the day or what it is that I am needing. Whatever works for you!

Here’s What I Prep Every Week and Why It Works for Me:
Chicken: I marinate it Sunday night (takes just minutes) and toss it on the pan the next day. I use chicken breasts (or thighs) with a simple marinade (there are several you can choose from but here is my go to): honey, coconut aminos, garlic powder, salt/pepper, lemon, butter, thyme, basil, cayenne, and oregano. I eyeball the seasonings (use what you have). Then I cook the chicken however I like—grilled, pan-seared, or baked. I like keeping chicken versatile. It can go on salads, in casseroles, tacos, bowls, soups, pastas, etc.

Sweet Potatoes: If you don’t like them, maybe you haven’t had them the right way ;D I cut and dice them, put a little olive oil on them, and the perfect (to me, at least) seasoning I’ve figured out has been: nutmeg, chili powder, black pepper, sea salt, paprika, and garlic powder. I don’t measure, I just eyeball it. I toss it in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes usually depending on how crispy I want them. These are especially good with our eggs at breakfast. I love the sweetness of the nutmeg but the spice of the other flavors. Works well.

Rice: I make cilantro lime rice twice a week, usually Mondays and Thursdays. Here’s the recipe: chopped cilantro (handful), two limes, a tablespoon of olive oil, and some salt. I cook my rice in chicken broth (remember, the rice will taste like what it is absorbed in). If I don’t have broth, I just use water it’s fine. I cook 3 cups of rice on both days because we eat a lot of rice in our house, but adjust based on what your family needs.

Shred Block of Cheese: Does shredding cheese count as meal prep? For me, yes. It saves us money, and I always know it’s ready for whatever meal we want to add it to. Sometimes we buy pre-shredded cheese too but it varies.

Bread: I’ve been slacking on this lately, but we love to have sourdough bread (doesn’t have to be sourdough) but you should try making your own bread if you haven’t! It’s fun and saves money. But also, do what you want. It’s great to have bread with our breakfast, a nice sandwich, etc.

Ground Beef: I personally cook 4 packs of ground beef. I know how many ounces my husband and I need every day for our protein, so 4 packs usually works for us to start off the week, since we also have chicken available. This will vary based on what you need. You’ll learn this as you go and figure out what works for your needs and your family. Beef and sweet potatoes are a favorite combo, but REMEMBER, you can add beef to several different meals if it’s already cooked: tacos & burritos, stir-fries, bowls (beef-rice bowls), pasta dishes, chilis & soups, burgers & patties, breakfast dishes (beef & eggs, etc.).

Steak: Sometimes I batch prep steak, though we prefer it fresh. However, cooking steak in the Ninja Instant Pot on air fryer mode has been a game-changer! I cook it at 390°F for 11 minutes, depending on how you like it. If you’re prepping it ahead of time, cook it to about medium-rare, because it’ll cook a little more when you reheat it.

Overnight Oats: I prep a jar for each day of the week. This includes protein oats, chia seeds, honey, peanut butter, cinnamon, and protein powder. (Add what will make you enjoy it and actually eat it. There are several recipes you can find out there). This is so helpful to just grab out of the fridge. Here are my favorite jars.

Extra Things: Boil eggs for salads, snacks, or breakfast. Pre-chop veggies for quick use throughout the week. I also cut up strawberries for overnight oats or just as a snack. My 6-month-old sweetie loves sweet potatoes, so I prep a batch for her too.

Real life meal prep:
Even after doing this for a while, I still mess up quite a bit. Here’s what happened literally this week:

Forget a Main Ingredient: You get everything prepped and realize halfway through you’re missing the one ingredient that would’ve made the dish. We still loved it. THAT was a close one.

Multiple Trips to the Store: You go to the store thinking you only need a few things, then you forget things each grocery trip for the third time and now the cashier knows you by name.

Dry Chicken: Batch cooking chicken is great, until you dry it out in the oven. Still edible—but lesson learned. I am pretty sure it is going to happen again.

Try New Recipes and Miss Essentials: You get creative and try a new recipe, but forget an essential ingredient. It happens—just roll with it as you cry on the inside.

Forget the Laundry: Meanwhile, laundry’s been sitting in the washer all day, probably mildewing. It happens. Time to rewash. Oh and then rewash it after the second rewash because you keep forgetting.

The Dry Chicken Pot Pie: not the pot pie.. ): It didn’t come out perfect, but my husband still had three servings. So I’m still calling that a win.

Broke the Dishwasher: In the chaos of the kitchen, you’ll eventually break the dishwasher 😀 it’s fine, everything’s fine..

So there you have it—meal prepping doesn’t have to be perfect and you can definitely overdo it like I did. Start simple, and you’ll get better at it each week. The important part is doing it. Even on the days you feel like you’ve messed up, you’re still learning and making it work.

Blessings <3