Meal prep is the shortened phrase meaning meal preparation. Having meals prepared in advance ready to be popped in the microwave when you’re hungry for them. Less food waste than buying ingredients for different meals every day. More cost effective than ordering food to be delivered or meal plan services. And most convenient for cooking for one. 

​Between different classes every day, clubs, internships, jobs, or worse, job hunting, the last thing you want to do when you finally get home is cook. Much less three times a day. Meal prepping allows you to batch cook once a week and have meals available in ready-to-go, portioned containers. Personally, I grocery shopped on Wednesday or Thursday (before the weekend when everyone thinks to go and stock is picked over, but after the new week’s truck has had a chance to replenish the shelves on Monday). My groceries would then be ready to go for meal prep day which I chose to be on Sundays. Grocery shopping and cooking on the same day was simply too much work, but find what works for you. No matter what routine you boil down to, make sure it’s just that, a routine. Something you can get in the habit of doing in preparation for each week ahead to make life easier for future you. 

Plan: I typically think of two meals a week to prepare. This allows for variety between lunch and dinner and enough food to be sustaining without being excessive. I make a list of the ingredients needed for the two meals as well as any miscellaneous kitchen staples in my phone that I take to the grocery store to make the shopping trip cost and time efficient. I try to think of meals with minimal and versatile ingredients. This helps to keep the grocery cost low and allow for bulk ingredients to be used in multiple recipes.  

Cook: Prepare the meals you have planned. If shopping in advance, make sure to refrigerate or freeze the purchased ingredients as appropriately required until ready to use. If you have frozen products such as meat, make sure to refrigerate the night before intended use to thaw. 

Save: In microwave- and dishwasher-safe plastic or glass containers, portion out single servings of the prepared meal. Put these dishes in the fridge ready to be microwaved (if necessary) and eaten on demand. Most recipes on this site will yield 4-6 servings. I typically refrigerate meals that will be eaten in 3-4 days and freeze any remaining portions to be thawed and consumed later in the week.