A Meal-Planning Momma Shares Her Best Tips for Mastering Your Meals
If you want to meal prep like a boss, you have to know going in that meal prepping is kind of messy. I make a huge mess when I meal prep!
When you know this important fact going in, it’s easier to avoid getting yourself upset about having a lot of dishes while you’re prepping. *BONUS* In fact, when you meal prep multiple meals at a time, you end up doing less dishes during the week. That’s a total win in my books.
Download my free meal planning template pack today!
Before you can master meal prepping, it is important to have a plan in place. It doesn’t have to be a full blown mega month long meal plan or anything, but you do need to know what meals you are planning on making and give thought to snacks too. I have quite few meal planning resources here and here that you can check out and definitely download the meal planning template pack too!
Meal Prep Like a Boss!
Meal Prep Steps to Success
Click to open a weekly meal plan and read the steps I take to prepare! Review your plan for the week ahead and determine how many fruits, veggies, and other types of food group you will be eating from that week.
Meal Prep Step 1: Start with snacks
Plan for 1-2 snacks a day, usually one at mid morning and another between lunch and dinner. That’s 7-14 snacks to start meal prepping. Plan for clean eating snacks that satisfy your hunger and give you energy when you need it. If you’re going to have fruit 5 days a week for one snack and veggies for the other snack, make sure you have enough of each on your grocery list! Two hard boiled eggs make a great protein snack! Hard boil 8-10 eggs and you’re set for 4-5 of your snacks!
Meal Prep Step 2: Prep & Portion Snacks
Now that your snacks are decided, prepare your fruit snacks in advance by portioning them out into containers or small reusable food storage bags. Same goes for veggies – peel and cut your cucumbers or cut and portion some celery stalks.
Meal Prep Step 3: Prepping Side Dishes
Check your plan for common ingredients across recipes. How many recipes need diced onions or peppers? Grab your cauliflower and broccoli and get started with the pre-prepping. It’s not always necessary to meal prep every single main meal and side dish in advance, but it is helpful to have all the veggies pre-prepped! Slice and dice the onions and peppers and cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets. Roasting veggies on a sheet pan with some sausage slices is an easy one pan meal!
Meal Prep Step 4: Main Meal
As much as you can, plan for component meals. Meals you can switch out ingredients for to make different dishes without a lot of extra prep work. For instance, prepare taco meat that you can use for taco salad, taco night, quesadillas or bell pepper nachos! Prepare grilled chicken for a salad, a stir fry or delicious greek chicken lettuce wraps.
Meal Prep Step 5: Review the Meal Plan
Now that you have your snacks ready, side dishes organized a few main meals cooking, it’s time to review the meal plan and make sure you have your refrigerator organized to match for at least the first 3 days. Then hang that meal plan on the refrigerator and stick to it! Scroll down to see my best meal prepped fridge photo so far!
Meal Prep Success!
I would love, love, love to see your meal prep photos! Send me one to be featured on my social media pages!
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