Meal Prep Basics

Meal prep is not cooking 21 identical containers on Sunday. It's a repeatable weekly system: decide, cook in batches, store correctly, reheat well.

1. Plan before you shop

Pick 3-4 meals for the week, not 7 — leave room for leftovers
Choose meals that share ingredients (one roast chicken → sandwiches, soup, stir-fry)
Write the shopping list from the recipes, grouped by aisle

2. Batch the right things

Grains (rice, quinoa) — cook a big batch, cool fast, refrigerate
Proteins — roast, grill or braise in bulk
Vegetables — roast a tray; keep leafy greens raw and add fresh
Sauces — one base sauce can dress three different meals

3. Store safely

Cool food before refrigerating, but don't leave it out more than 2 hours
Refrigerate cooked food within that window; use within 3-4 days
Freeze what you won't eat in time — label with name and date

4. Reheat without mush

Reheat only the portion you'll eat
Add a splash of water when reheating grains — they dry out
Reheat to steaming hot throughout

The goal is not perfection — it's fewer decisions at 6 pm on a Tuesday.