Meal Prep and How to Get Started – Help Center

Meal prepping is the process of planning, preparing, and portioning your meals ahead of time—typically for a day, several days, or even a full week. It can involve anything from chopping vegetables and cooking proteins in advance to fully assembling complete meals that are ready to heat and eat.

By dedicating a block of time to meal prepping, you make your daily eating routine much easier, saving you the effort of cooking from scratch every day.

How Meal Prepping can Save you Time

Reduces Daily Cooking Effort: Rather than spending time cooking each meal individually, you do most of the cooking just once. This consolidates the time you invest in the kitchen, freeing up your busy weekdays for other activities.
Streamlines Grocery Shopping: With meal prepping, you shop with a clear plan and ingredient list, which saves you time wandering aisles and helps avoid multiple small trips to the store.
Minimizes Decision Fatigue: Deciding what to eat can be surprisingly time-consuming. Meal prepping removes the daily question of “What’s for dinner?” by having meals ready to go.
Decreases Cleanup Time: Since you prepare multiple meals at once, you reduce the number of times you dirty pots, pans, and dishes throughout the week.
Supports Consistent Eating Habits: Having meals prepared in advance helps you stick to your healthy eating goals, reducing last-minute resorting to fast food or unhealthy snacks—both of which can waste time and energy.

Getting Started with Meal Prepping

Start small by prepping components like grains, proteins, or chopped veggies.
Use clear, reusable containers to portion meals and keep ingredients fresh.
Pick recipes that store well and reheat easily, such as casseroles, salads, stir-fries, or soups.
Plan your prep day according to your schedule. Many people find weekends ideal for prepping meals for the upcoming week.

By adopting meal prepping, you’ll discover a more organized, efficient way to enjoy nutritious meals without the stress of cooking every day.