How I Make Meal Prep Easier

MEAL PREP 101

I love meal prep. I don’t always do it for myself, but for my clients over at Your In-Home Chef. Right now, I’m a one woman team. As you can imagine, making 65 meals in one day can be absolute insanity. But if I’m capable of doing all of that on my own – I believe that you can do it for yourself if you take a couple steps the day before to make the actual cooking part a breeze.

I meal prep for my clients on Sundays and Wednesdays. I always cook my meals the day of drop-offs because I don’t want the food sitting in my fridge for more than a couple hours. Fresh is always better, and that goes for your meal preps too!

One of the frustrating things about meal prep for me, is not having enough space to cut all of the vegetables, marinate the meat, cook on the stove, put things in the oven, etc. SO, prepping everything on Saturdays and Tuesdays, and doing the cooking on Sundays and Wednesdays is the best way to cut down on the time and the mess. That way, all you have to do on Sundays and Wednesdays is throw things in the pot and on the stove and cook! And, you aren’t slaving in your kitchen for 5 hours at a time and missing out on your whole day!

2 hours on Saturday, and 2 hours on Sunday is totally doable, and way less stressful than cooking it all in one day.

STEP 1: CHOP + COOK YOUR VEGGIES THE DAY BEFORE

One of the best ways I cut down on the time on the actual day of cooking is by cutting up all of my veggies and cooking them and placing them in tupperware. I offer garlic green beans, roasted asparagus, steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes, steamed sweet potatoes, steamed vegetable medley, sauteed spinach, brown rice, and quinoa.

I steam everything and place them in separate tupperware and label them. That way when I go to put my meals together everything is all ready to go! If you’re prepping for salads, chop all of the veggies and put them into containers. Don’t cut things like tomatoes just yet because they tend to get mushy.

If you’re prepping for any juices or morning smoothies, make smoothie packs by chopping your produce and placing in tupperware or ziplock bags to make the morning of.

STEP 2: PORTION OUT + MARINATE YOUR PROTEINS

Another step that makes my life easier (and tastier) is portioning out my proteins and marinating them. This gives them extra time to soak up all of the flavors and all you have to do is pop them onto the grill or skillet and you’re good to go! Don’t forget to bring all of your meats to room temperature before cooking. This ensures that it’s tender and gets cooked evenly without the outside getting tough.

If you’re making meatballs, go ahead and mix together your ingredients and form them into balls!

STEP 3: GET YOUR TUPPERWARE OUT + READY

Get all of your tupperware out and ready to go so you aren’t scrambling around when your food is cooked and ready to be packed up.  Put them out on the counter so they’ll remind you that you have to prep!

STEP 4: THE MORNING OF PREP

You made it! Now you’re ready to meal prep.

1. Take out your proteins about an hour before you prep so that they come up to room temperature. Place your tupperware out on the counter and fill with the veggies of your choosing.
2. Cook your protein and let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting, especially chicken and steak. You can place fish directly into the tupperware because you don’t need to cut it!
3. The protein cooking process should only take about 1-2 hours if you plan it right. Get the meatballs going in the oven while you cook up your steak on the grill and your chicken on the stove. It gets easier with practice

So there you go! That’s how I make my prepping easier. It helps save space on the counter, time, and makes sure your proteins are always fresh and ready for the week ahead. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

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