Meal prep for the week, broken into 6 small steps
Meal prep sounds like a whole Sunday of cooking, which is exactly why it doesn't happen. A simpler version works better: two dishes, cooked in parallel, for a few days.
The goal isn't seven perfect boxes. It's that on Wednesday night, there's already food in the fridge.
Start here · under 2 minutes
Get out your containers and count them.
Under two minutes. Now you know how many portions to make.
The rest of the steps
- Step 2:
Pick two simple recipes.
A grain plus a protein plus a vegetable is enough. Repeat favorites.
- Step 3:
Make a shopping list for both.
Group it by store section.
- Step 4:
Shop or order the ingredients.
Pickup or delivery saves energy for cooking.
- Step 5:
Cook both at once.
Rice in a pot while the vegetables roast in the oven. About an hour, not an afternoon.
- Step 6:
Portion into containers right away.
Label the ones going in the freezer with the date.
Why this one stalls
It combines planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning into one big block, and it's hard to find a free afternoon for all of them.
If you get stuck
Start smaller: just cook a big batch of rice or pasta for the week. Half a meal ready is still a meal you don't have to plan.
What “done” looks like
Meals for at least three days in the fridge.
These steps follow the same rules as the method in our task breakdown guide: the first step is physical and takes under two minutes, and every step after it is something you can see yourself doing. Got a head full of other things too? Start with a brain dump.