Say goodbye to last-minute take-aways and hello to yummy and stress-free meals all week long! These tips will save you time and money (and your sanity) when you learn how to meal prep like a pro.
Prepare for your weekly meal-prep day
Planning your meals is just as crucial as cooking your dishes. Over the weekend, take out your calendar to see what is on your (and your family’s) schedule for the week to come. Are there any after-school activities planned? How busy are your days? Will everyone be home for dinner? By looking at everyone’s schedule, you’ll be able to gauge how many dishes you need to avoid wastage.
Then, raid your fridge, freezer and pantry to see what ingredients you already have on hand. By taking stock of what you already have, you can drastically cut your grocery budget and avoid overspending and waste by buying unnecessary items.
Build a menu
Build an easy-to-cook menu that uses minimal ingredients but can still pack a punch when it comes to flavour and nutrition. Start off with the base protein (animal protein or beans), vegetables, leafy greens, and some carbs (like rice). Then you can add all the fun things that make it interesting and yummy to eat. Remember to use easy recipes that you already know and plan different meals with similar ingredients to make your menu more budget friendly.
“Begin with recipes you know really well. If you have a repertoire of four or five recipes that you know how to execute, you’ll always be able to make a reliable, tasty meal. Each week I would suggest that you try to learn a new one – that way, the longer you do this, the more recipes you have at your fingertips. With more recipes under your belt, you can really start to mix and match them each week,” explains chef Dan Marek, director of plant-based culinary and content development at Rouxbe Online Culinary School.
Stock up on storage containers
After all your delicious meal prep, make sure that you have enough containers (and fridge and freezer space) to store your meals for the week. Opt for clear containers so you can easily see what is in each one. “I love my reusable containers because they stack really well and make your fridge easy to manoeuvre,” says Marek. “And if they’re clear, you can see what you have going on inside them. I typically put the prepped ingredients in the front and the completed dishes behind those, so I don’t lose track of what I still need to use during the week.”
Use all your food scraps
What do you do with all the food scraps? “Keep all of your veggie scraps (especially onion skins and ends, carrot skins, celery hearts, and garlic skins) to make a simple homemade veggie broth,” advises Hong. “Or when you see berries about to go bad, freeze them for smoothies or make a homemade jam,” says Kristen Hong, author of Fridge Love and creator of the Hello Nutritarian wellness blog.