5 Easy Steps to Meal Prep
A great way to ensure that you’re getting the nutrition that you need while also saving time, energy, and money is to practice Meal Prep. This involves cooking meals ahead of when you’ll eat them. This allows you to “grab and go” throughout the week. Many of my nutrition coaching clients meal prep every week with recipes that I plan for them, but you can plan for yourself by following my easy 5-step process below.
Step 1: Make a Schedule
First, decide when you’re going to prepare your meals each week and how much time you’re willing to spend in the kitchen. Some people do their meal prep over the weekend so that they won’t have to cook throughout the week. Others like to cook every few days, prepping some dishes over the weekend and cooking a little on weekdays.
Look at your weekly schedule and block out the times you plan to go grocery shopping and cook your meals.
Step 2: Check Your Equipment
Once you have decided on your schedule, take stock of what kitchen equipment you have access to. Many of the recipes in this collection can be cooked on a stovetop, in the oven, or using a slow cooker. Some recipes require no cooking at all and can be prepped cold.
Don’t forget about food storage solutions! Make sure that you have enough storage containers to hold your prepped meals to “grab and go” throughout the week. Some dishes may require you to store some ingredients separately. I recommend having smaller containers or zip-top bags for storing snacks, sauces, and dressings.
You may also want to invest in a sturdy, insulated lunch box or cooler if you plan to take your meals to work or school. Some containers and lunch boxes have separate containers for keeping your food cold or warm–a great option if you don’t have access to a refrigerator or microwave while you’re out and about.
Step 3: Plan Your Meals
Now that you have a plan in place for when you’re going to cook your meals, you’re ready to begin planning your meals.
First, you should decide how many meals and snacks you plan on eating every day. Some people like to have 3 meals and 1 snack each day, whereas others like to have 1 or 2 big meals and several snacks throughout the day.
After you decide how many times you’ll eat throughout the day, divide your calorie and macronutrients goals among your meal and snack times. For example, if you plan on eating 2000 calories in 3 meals every day, plan to have about 670 calories at each meal. If your protein goal is 115 grams per day, then you’ll want each meal to also have about 40 grams of protein.
When selecting recipes, take note of how many servings each recipe makes. Look for recipes that roughly match your per-meal calorie and macronutrient goals.
All the recipes in my guides include nutritional information for each serving. Many online recipes also include nutritional information per serving. When in doubt, you can always enter your meals into a food tracker like MyFitnessPal to get a rough estimate.
I also find it helpful to create a weekly “menu” and assign each serving of every recipe to a specific day and time. This helps to ensure that I have plenty of food for the week and nothing gets wasted!
Step 4: Build Your Grocery List
Once you’ve selected your recipes and created your schedule, you’ll need to compile a grocery list of all the ingredients that you’ll need for your meal prep
I find it helpful to use a spreadsheet to track how much of each ingredient I’ll need over the course of an entire week’s worth of meals and snacks. This allows me to automatically calculate the total for each ingredient–which is especially helpful when multiple recipes use the same ingredient. Once you’ve finished, you’ll have the totals for each recipe ingredient that you’ll need when you go to the grocery store.
I also like to organize my list by food groups and categories of items that are typically in the same aisle. For example, I organize my grocery lists in categories like “Fruits,” “Vegetables,” “Boxed & Canned,” “Fish, Meat, Cheese,” “Condiments & Oils,” etc. This makes it easier to grab all the items I need as I go through the store.
Before you head to the grocery store, don’t forget to check your kitchen for any items you already have at home.
Step 5: Prep & Store Your Meals
Once you have your groceries, it’s just a matter of following your meal prep schedule!
Stick to the schedule you made in Step 1. Treat your schedule prep times as very important appointments—avoid scheduling anything else during those times throughout the week. This will help to establish the habit and make it easier to stick to meal prepping in the future.
After you prepare each meal or snack, divide it into separate serving containers and store it in your refrigerator or freezer. Throughout the week, simply grab and go according to your meal schedule!
Give it a Try!
Try out my 5-Step process for Meal Prep and let me know what you think! You can share your meals on social media and tag me @jaydigains (on Instagram, Facebook, or in my Coaching Corner Discord server).
Learn More
Check out my full Trainer’s Guide to Meal Prep ebook for more detailed tips on meal prep and 150 recipes.
Take the stress out of meal planning with this Trainer’s Guide to Meal Prep! This ebook features step-by-step guidance and templates to help you reach your fitness goals through healthy eating. It’s also packed with over 150 easy-to-make recipes to minimize your time in the kitchen and maximize your gains. Recipes include vegetarian, vegan, and pescatarian options. Get started today!
Written by certified personal trainer & nutrition coach Jayd Harrison.
Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains)
Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains) is a personal trainer and affiliate streamer on Twitch. She has been an active trainer since 2014 and now specializes in comprehensive weight loss coaching. Check out some of Jayd’s coaching videos on Youtube, or join Jayd live on Twitch on Tuesdays & Thursdays 11am EST for a Fit Q&A session.
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