Beginner’s Guide to Meal Prepping: How to Start & Stick With It

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When I started meal prepping I was in my early twenty’s and really just kind of making meals every week without a plan and roughly estimating portion sizes and having to run to the store halfway through the week because I needed to make more food. If this sounds like you, I have the perfect tips and tricks to help you start meal prepping, and stick with it! Meal prepping can work for anyone including families, busy professionals, college students, or simply anyone looking to simplify their grocery shopping and meals from week to week. Some of the benefits I’ve noticed are that it can save time in the long run, it makes it easier to eat healthy, and it reduces my overall stress throughout the week.

What is meal prepping?

Meal prepping refers to planning, preparing, and portioning meals in advance. Some examples of this include:

  • Batch cooking: Eating the same meal for multiple days

  • Make-ahead meals: Entire meals that are ready to heat up and eat

  • Ingredient prep: Prepping individual ingredients that you can mix and match throughout the week

  • Freezer meals

Benefits of meal prepping

  • Save time during the week

  • Easier to make healthy food choices

  • Reduce food waste

  • Save money on eating out

  • Reduce overall stress throughout the week

What you need to get started

The best thing about meal prepping is that you can use whatever tools you have on hand to make it work for you. Here are some recommendations to start with:

Instant Pot (optional) (link here)

Step-by-Step Beginner Process

  1. Plan your meals - pick at least 1 meal per breakfast, lunch, and dinner to get you through the week. I usually have 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, and 2 dinner meals planned per week. 

  2. Make a grocery list - based on the meals that you want to make for the week

  3. Shop smart - make sure to avoid impulse buys outside of your list

  4. Prep in batches - cook protein, grains, vegetables, portion out snacks

  5. Portion out and store properly - Use a food scale to create portions and then store these however it makes sense for you. I like to place all lunch meals together, all dinner meals together, all snacks together, etc. 

  6. Reheat and enjoy!

Tips for Success

  • Start small (maybe start with 2-3 days instead of all 7)

  • Pick meals you actually WANT to eat

  • Add variety through sauces and toppings

  • Build a routine that works for your schedule to help stay consistent

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Picking complicated recipes (especially if you’re just starting out)

  • Incorrectly storing food (this can cause your meals to spoil sooner)

  • Forgetting to prep snacks as well (this can make a big difference!)

Beginner Friendly Meal Prep Ideas

  • Freezer breakfast burritos

  • Overnight oats

  • Sheet pan meals

  • Crockpot meals

If you’re having doubts about starting meal prepping, just remember to start small! Try recipes that you actually enjoy and don’t forget to add snacks throughout your day. It is a period of trial and error at the beginning but the payoff in the end will be huge. Send me your favorite meal prep recipes via email thedriftlessblog@gmail.com or message me on Instagram @thedriftlessblog. And don’t forget to subscribe below!