A Guide to Meal Prepping for Beginners

Meal prep can often be mistaken for one of those things that is only done by athletes and gym lovers who want to achieve their goals, but there are so many reasons why it can be beneficial for everyone. No grabbing subpar sandwiches from the corner shop because you need to eat, no spending £10 plus a day on a takeaway lunch which you could have done at home for £2, and no need to stand in lunch queues and waste half of your break.

If you are looking to reap the rewards from meal prepping, then this piece will serve as a guide to help you get started with everything you need!

Choose Which Meal Prep Idea Works Best for You

There is no set one way that you can use to meal prep, and different solutions work for different people. The four main meal prep bases include making meals ahead of time to be reheated, making meals in a big batch that can be frozen and eaten whenever, creating individual portions of food for those snack moments, or getting together a ‘ready to cook’ meal for when you are ready to eat.

There are pros and cons to all of these options, and you might also want to mix and match depending on what you are eating and what you might need to plan around.

Create Your Shopping List

Making sure your shopping list has everything you need will be one of the key factors in being able to do a successful meal prep. To do this, you will want to have a bunch of recipes in mind that you want to try and that will work well with the method you have chosen (i.e., freezing and reheating). It is also worth taking inventory for what you have already in your pantry, so you do not buy what you don’t need – however, check the dates!

If you are looking to keep it low budget, then choose recipes that use similar ingredients to ensure nothing goes to waste. And, do not forget to invest in some good quality containers to keep your meals in that are environmentally friendly while you are on the go, such as Envior Limited!

Store and Label

Once you have cooked your food and let it cool down, it is time to store it so it can stay fresh. Depending on what the meal is and how you are going to reheat, it will more than likely influence what you pack up your food in, so it is worth considering that so you can choose the right container.

You will then want to label the contents and put dates on to make sure it is eaten within a specific time – otherwise, you might find it gets lost in the freezer indefinitely until you have a clear-out!

Meal prep is a great way to watch what you eat and mitigate food waste – anyone can give it a go, so trade those sandwiches for something homemade!