Meal prepping is an easy way to save time preparing meals each week. It’s a great idea for anyone with a busy schedule or for those who like to plan ahead. It is also an effective tool for keeping track of your weight loss goals. Having the “what to eat” question answered already at mealtime helps reduce mindless or impulsive eating.
If you’re new to cooking, it’s important to have the right mindset. It’s easy to get caught up planning part of the process, but when it comes to the preparation part, it can feel like a chore. If this sounds like you, give yourself a break. Don’t fall into the “perfectionist” trap and think you have to prepare and plan for each. single. meal. This can lead to more overwhelm, especially if you’re short on time or not the strongest cook.
The point of meal planning and meal preparation is to save you time and make your life easier, not stress and overwhelm. Always keep that in mind!
To help you get started, here are my top dietitian tips to get you into a healthy meal prep mindset and help you create easy, delicious meals that support your health goals in a sustainable way.
Have a Plan
The first step to preparing meals is to make a meal plan. Knowing which recipes to cook and gathering all the ingredients you need makes meal prep much easier and much more organized.
It is also important to look at your calendar and set reasonable goals for the week. Decide in advance which meals you want to prepare, how much time you have to cook each day, and what your nutritional goals are for each meal.
For example, I like to start my day with an easy-to-assemble, satisfying breakfast that also works for post-workout recovery. My afternoons are busy, so I want lunches that are light, healthy, and easy to grab and eat on the go or at my desk. For dinner, I prefer simple, vegetarian meals full of flavor, fresh produce and nutritious ingredients.
Invest in your equipment
Having the right equipment on hand for cooking is critical to success! A sharp knife, proper storage containers, a few sheet pans and a set of cutting boards are a good start. A slow cooker and a large dutch oven are also nice.
I love to organize my fridge with bins and baskets for loose items and use Mason jars with lids to store salads, soups, sauces and dressings, pre-cooked grains, cut up vegetables and chia pudding. I also like to use two-part glass storage containers to prepare lunches (these are also easy to reheat in the microwave). For freezing meals, like chili or smoothie bags in grab-and-go portions, use zip-top storage bags or freezer containers and some masking tape to date and label the contents.
Healthy food is great, but only if you eat it! By using clear glass containers that you can see inside, you can get excited about grabbing all those healthy ready-to-eat foods!
Create some space
Organizing your fridge and freezer to fit a week’s worth of meals can take some thought, especially if you have a small fridge. This is another reason to plan meals first is so helpful. To keep things organized and organized (and save money), buy only what you need for the week. It also helps to clean out the fridge before you start cooking to make sure nothing is hiding in the back or hasn’t been eaten from last week. It’s also important to clear time in your schedule! Meal prep doesn’t have to take all day, but if it’s a healthy habit you want to keep, so be it do requires you to take the time to shop, wash, chop and cook! If Sunday is too busy for you, choose a weeknight instead. You can also prep for 2-3 days of meals and do a mid-week prep for the remaining days. And if you prepare all your meals ahead of time seem daunting, just go with the one meal that makes you the most busy!
Quick healthy meal preparation: Tips to get you started
OK, now that you’ve gotten your mind set to start prepping your meals each week, here are some helpful tips to quickly get healthy and delicious meals on the table while supporting your weight and wellness goals.
PORTION IT OUT
One advantage of preparing meals is that you can portion out your food before you are ready to eat it. This is helpful because sometimes when we are pressed for time or get too hungry, it is easy to overeat. Having your meal already portioned not only saves time, but can also end up saving calories.
THINK VEGGIES FIRST
To create a long-term healthy eating style, try to build your meals around vegetables and greens! Instead of focusing on the protein as the star, make seasonal, nutrient-dense vegetables and greens the “hero” on your plate! By doing this, you’ll not only be more creative in the kitchen, you’ll eat more vegetables, leading to a healthier you (1). Salads are an easy win here, as are roasted vegetables for grain bowls, fajitas and tacos, baked pasta dishes and vegetable-based soups.
Another advantage? Seasonal ingredients are readily available, cheaper and full of flavor.
CONVENIENCE IS KEY
Every meal you make doesn’t have to start from scratch. Although it is cheaper to chop and prepare food yourself, there is nothing wrong with buying ready meals for yourself to save time! Canned beans are a staple in my grocery cart, as are bagged salads, which are perfect weeknight meals tossed with canned salmon or leftover grilled chicken. Frozen vegetables and ready-made pasta sauces are also easy wins.
DON’T FORGET breakfast
If busy mornings have you running out of the house hungry, a little meal prep can help! Smoothies are a great way to get in some fiber, antioxidants and protein first thing in the morning, and pre-made freezer smoothie bags save you tons of time. Just toss your favorite smoothie ingredients in a ziplock freezer bag and in the morning add your liquid, blend and drink!
Grab-and-go breakfast also makes it super easy to eat healthy on the run. Stay off the Starbucks drive-thru lane by making a batch of mini muffins, overnight oats, or freezing bagel breakfast sandwiches each week so you’re never without a quick and healthy breakfast option.
PUT A LID ON IT!
For many parents, evenings are spent driving children to and from sports practice, meetings or other school events, making dinner an afterthought. Using a Mason jar when meal prep can make for quick and easy lunches or give your evening meal a nutrient boost (and it gives you something to do while you’re on the soccer field!). Portioning quinoa salad, soups, pasta and grain bowls in Mason jars saves space in the fridge and makes for a quick grab-and-go meal.
DINER BAR
From potato bars to taco bars and everything in between, “dinner bar” nights are a fun way to feed your family and are perfect for getting dinner on the table quickly. By preparing all the barbeques ahead of time, dinner is as easy as opening the fridge door! A few creative bar dinner ideas include:
- Pasta bar with sautéed vegetables, frozen peas, minced chicken, wilted vegetables or a side salad
- Mediterranean flatbread bar with hummus, roasted vegetables, sautéed vegetables, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and olives
- Salad bar with all the fixins (pre-chopped and ready to use!)
- Taco bar with ground turkey, roasted vegetables, salsa, guacamole and canned beans
- Sweet potato bar with roasted vegetables, canned beans, steamed greens and salsa
- Omelet bar with sautéed mushrooms, steamed spinach, salsa and black beans
END IT!
Lunch has never been easier than with a wrap! Instead of just heating up leftovers, toss them in a high-fiber tortilla for a quick and easy lunch wrap. For low-carb options, use cabbage, chard or romaine leaves instead of the tortilla. You can also make a batch of chicken, egg or tuna salad to stuff into wraps for the week.
HAVE FUN!
We tend to make time for things we enjoy doing. This is why I suggest you make your preparation session as comfortable as possible. Use your prep time to get caught up on a podcast or audiobook, turn up the music and have fun, or even watch a show on your iPad while you chop. I love being in the kitchen with my favorite playlist and making healthy meals that will fuel me for the week ahead.
The bottom line
Meal prep can be a big time saver, but that doesn’t mean creating a rigid structure that you can’t change. Stay open and allow flexibility – change meals and be creative! If meal planning and meal preparation are new to you, remember this: You are learning a new behavior, and when you create a new habit, it’s important to keep an open mind and learn from your experience as you go. There will be meals that miss the mark and you will have some mishaps along the way. This is completely normal and only helps you improve your own unique process.
Keeping an open mind about meal preparation can make the experience feel more like self-care than a dreaded chore. And you never know: You might even start to enjoy yourself!
Originally published August 25, 2021; Updated February 11, 2026
The post A Dietitian’s Guide to Meal Prep: Get Healthy Food on the Table Fast appeared first on the MyFitnessPal Blog.