One of the suggestions I give to my clients when discussing how to create and maintain healthy eating habits is meal prep. I am a huge advocate of meal prepping as much as you can, when you can, in order to set yourself up for a successful week.

Meal prepping can seem a little overwhelming when you see some of the images on Instagram of people’s epic meal preps, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are a few tips on how to make meal prep possible so that it feels realistic, easy, and painless.

1. Know how much time you have to prep. One of the blocks to meal prepping for many of my clients relates to time. Spending a full day in the kitchen on the weekend can be unrealistic, but you do not have to! You can do a lot in just 20 minutes.

• 20 minutes or less:
  • wash fruit
  • chop vegetables
  • defrost the next two nights of protein
  • portion out snacks into food storage containers or baggies

• 30-40 minutes:
  • cook a big batch of quinoa or brown rice
  • make to-go breakfasts, like ham and egg cups
  • poach or grill chicken for lunches or dinners

• 60+ minutes:
  • pack all parts of your lunches for the week
  • cook a big batch of some sort of soup for the week, like this minestrone

2. Have a list and order of what you are going to make. I am a list person. It organizes my thoughts and keeps me on track. Before I prep, I list out all the dishes I want to make and keep that list near by in the kitchen when I am cooking and chopping. Then, I can determine what I need to get started first, and what I can work on while something else is cooking.

3. Make a grocery list. Before you can even start prepping, you have to buy everything. So after you make the list of what you want to make, make a list of every ingredient, even if it is already in your cupboards, write it down, then check it off if you have it. It will keep you focused in the grocery store and fend off buying things you do not need.

4. Pull everything you will need out of the fridge and cupboards. I prefer to pull absolutely every ingredient out of the fridge and cupboards before I start prepping. That way, I do not have to keep running back and forth to the fridge. Then, I put things away as I go, so I can visually see how much I have left and how much I have already done.

5. Make sure your dishes and food storage containers are ready to go. Have your pots, pans, mixing bowls, and tupperwares washed and dried and ready to go. That way, when things are done, you can just put them right into their respective holders.

6. Have some sort of entertainment going in the background. Spending a decent amount of time in the kitchen can get a bit dull. I usually have a silly movie on in the background that doesn’t need much attention, but I can tune into when I want. A silly movie or Pandora on shuffle does the trick for me.

7. Wear comfortable shoes.  If you are in for a longer meal prep (2+ hours), I highly recommend wearing comfortable shoes. I have made the mistake of doing a 4 hour prep barefoot and by the end of the day, my feet and legs were hurting!

8. Keep a list of what you made for future inspiration. When it comes to the next weekend, you might need some inspiration or reminder of what you made last week. Keep a running list somewhere or take some pictures so you know what you made.

9. Check out The Lean Green Bean for some serious meal prep ideas. Lindsay does a weekly post on meal prep inspiration. Check her out if you need some ideas!

Get your FREE Meal Planning Guide here to take the guess work out of weekly meals, save money, and create peace surrounding meal time.

What is your best tip for making meal prep realistic?

Brooke Selb

I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.