How to Meal Prep Like a Pro {with easy tips and recipes!}

Sometimes getting back into the swing of things can be BUSY. Which means that you probably don’t have a lot of time for cooking. The solution? More efficient meal prep! Don’t let meal prep get you overwhelmed.

It’s easy to forgo wholesome eating when schedules become busy. And even though you set out to have nutritious meals prepared, the practicality of meal prep gets pushed further and further down the list. Let’s face it, no one wants to spend their entire Sunday making and prepping meals for the week, even if it does make life easier.

But I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to! Meal prep doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With these tips and tricks, we’ll show you how to prep like a pro!

How to Meal Prep Like a Pro

#1. Shop and Prep

Don’t come home from the grocery store and throw everything in the fridge. Instead, wash all of your produce and then prepare what’s needed. You can even keep onions or garlic chopped on hand.

Having ready-to-go prepared veggies in the fridge or freezer makes creating meals and snacks so easy. Stir fry is one of the easiest dinner ideas around for a reason (have you tried our Colorful Vegetarian Wild Rice Stir Fry yet?). Plus, having already sliced fruits and vegetables will make it more likely that you and your family will grab a wholesome snack on-the-go.

#2. Cook in batches

The easiest thing you can do meal prep is to batch cook, meaning make large amounts of a meal or component of a meal and then spread it out throughout the week. Making wild rice? Make double what you need. That way you just need to heat it up next time around. The same goes for noodles, legumes, or beans.

You can also batch book entire meals. Our Whole30 Cacao Beef Chili is a great recipe for making in a batch and eating throughout the week!

#3. Use Your Freezer

Instead of batch cooking and eating throughout the week, you can freeze leftover meals for a later date. Soups and stews freeze exceptionally well, like this Hearty Paleo Beef & Mushroom Stew.

You can also freeze leftover sauces, like Chard & Hemp Heart Pesto. Did you also know you can freeze rice? Check out our guide on How to Freeze Rice to make your meals simpler! If you have leftovers from your meal, like these Simple Hawaiian Meatballs, freeze them and reheat them for a different meal later!

If using your freezer for easy meal prep sounds like it’s right for you, check out our post about An Easy Freezer Cooking Method for Everyone that will give you all the tips and tricks for freezer cooking!

#4. Get Versatile

Get creative and use one recipe for multiple meals. For example, make some spiced ground beef and use it in tacos, burrito bowls, and salads. Or make this homemade pesto and use it in pesto pizza, pesto pasta salad, or as a spread on a grilled veggie wrap.

Try to think of ways that you can use your components in multiple ways throughout the week. It will feel like a different meal, even if some of the components are the same!

The same goes for ingredients. If you purchase cilantro at the grocery store for Paleo Brazilian Fish Stew, try to find another recipe that uses cilantro in it (We highly suggest this Family-Style Pad Thai!) – You get the idea. Plan ahead and try not to make it too complicated!

#5. Meal Prep Snacks, Too!

Yes, you need to prepare snacks, too! By preparing wholesome snack options for your family, you will be prepared to succeed with your meal plan! It’s easy to grab the nearest processed food item while you’re at work and hungry. Instead, prepare fresh cut fruit or vegetables to take along, pack a wholesome Keto Protein Bistro Box, or make a batch of this Chocolate Cherry Snack Mix for when you need something chocolatey and sweet. Your kids will love these Almond Butter Berry Snack Wraps for an after-school treat. All of these snacks are so simple and can be prepared ahead!

Not all snacks have to be homemade, though. Wholesome snacks, like Wildly Organic Nuts, Wildly Organic Trail Mix, Wildly Organic Popcorn, and Wildly Organic Dried Mango Slices are all favorites in our house. Keeping a variety of prepared and homemade snacks on hand will keep your week simple and your family nourished!

#6. Don’t Forget Breakfast

Sometimes it’s easy to forget breakfast. With the right preparation, breakfast doesn’t have to be a busy shuffle while you hurriedly eat a toaster pastry. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Prepare easy make-ahead options, like DIY Make-Ahead Smoothie Pucks, Make-Ahead Vegetarian Egg Bake, or Coconut Pecan Overnight Oats. You can also keeps breakfast meals in the freezer that are easy to just reheat on-the-go, like this Mini Crustless Quiches with Sausage recipe.

#7. When in Doubt, Keep it Simple

The trick to meal prep isn’t hours in the kitchen, it’s simplicity. There’s no need to re-invent the wheel. If you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking every meal for the week… don’t! Find a better system.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating the same meal two days in a row (or three as we do in my house often). Limit yourself to one extravagant meal in the kitchen a week. Focus on easy meals that can be made in under 30 minutes, only require one sheet pan, or can be easily frozen.

Even a simple Vegan Charcuterie Board can make a simple and wholesome dinner for the family. Plus, it’s great for using up leftover vegetables, too!

Don’t let the thought of meal prep get you down. Keep it simple, stick to the basics and have recipes on hand that are quick to whip up and can be used for multiple meals.

What are some ways you’ve learned How to Meal Prep Like a Pro?

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