Complete Meal Prep Guide for Busy Professionals
2025-01-22
1. What is Meal Prep?
Meal prep is meal preparation method preparing multiple meals at once. Usually invest 2-3 hours on weekends to prepare week's meals. Benefits: ① Time saving: 0 minutes weekday cooking, just reheat. ② Cost saving: 50-70% savings vs dining out/delivery. ③ Health management: Nutritionally balanced diet, easy calorie control. ④ Stress reduction: No need to worry about menu each meal. ⑤ Diet effect: Planned diet prevents overeating and snacking. Required tools: Airtight containers (glass or plastic), microwave, refrigerator/freezer, scale (for calorie calculation).
2. Meal Prep Basic Principles
① Protein + carbs + vegetables combo: Nutritional balance every meal. Ex: Chicken breast + sweet potato + broccoli. ② Simplify cooking: Simple cooking methods like grilling, steaming, boiling. ③ Light seasoning: Can add seasoning when reheating, strong seasoning from start gets boring. ④ Consider storage period: Refrigerated storage 3-4 days, frozen storage 2-3 weeks. ⑤ Variety: Different menu weekly to avoid boredom. ⑥ Separate sauce: Store sauce in separate container to maintain freshness. ⑦ Calculate calories: Adjust portions to target calories (diet: 1,500-1,800kcal, maintenance: 2,000-2,500kcal).
3. Weekly Meal Prep Menu Example
Mon-Fri lunch (5 servings): Grilled chicken breast 150g + brown rice 100g + broccoli·paprika. Total calories: About 450kcal. Mon-Fri dinner (5 servings): Grilled salmon 120g + quinoa 80g + spinach·cherry tomato. Total calories: About 500kcal. Snacks (5 servings): 2 boiled eggs + 10 almonds + half apple. Total calories: About 250kcal. Total daily calories: 1,200kcal (breakfast separate). Advantages: High protein, low carb, high satiety, suitable for diet. Cooking time: About 2 hours (cook all ingredients simultaneously).
4. Meal Prep Cooking Order
① Grocery shopping (30min): Supermarket or online order. 1kg chicken breast, 1kg sweet potato, 2 broccoli, 2 cups brown rice, etc. ② Ingredient preparation (20min): Wash and cut vegetables, season meat. ③ Simultaneous cooking (60min): Oven-grill chicken/salmon, Steamer-steam sweet potato, Pot-cook brown rice/quinoa, Pan-stir-fry vegetables. ④ Cooling (20min): Cool all food at room temperature (putting in container immediately causes condensation and spoilage). ⑤ Packing (20min): Divide into individual portions in airtight containers. ⑥ Storage: 3-4 days worth refrigerated, rest frozen. Total time: About 2-2.5 hours.
5. Recommended Meal Prep Ingredients
Protein (easy storage): Chicken breast, beef (tenderloin), pork (neck), salmon, canned tuna, tofu, eggs, Greek yogurt. Carbs: Sweet potato, potato, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat bread, oats. Vegetables (stores well): Broccoli, paprika, spinach, cherry tomato, cabbage, carrot, onion. Avoid ingredients: Lettuce (wilts quickly), cucumber (gets soggy), banana (discolors), fried food (gets soggy). Seasonings/sauces: Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice. Convenient ingredients: Frozen vegetable mix, canned beans, nuts, protein powder.
6. Meal Prep Success Tips
① Start with simple menus: Initially prepare only 2-3 menus. Diversify when comfortable. ② Set time block: Routinize to fixed time like Sunday 2-4pm. ③ Reusable containers: Glass containers (microwave/oven safe), BPA-free plastic. ④ Labeling: Manage with date/menu stickers on containers. ⑤ Together with family: Save time by dividing work among many. ⑥ Utilize freezing: Prepare week's worth at once then freeze, thaw in fridge day before. ⑦ Plan for failure: Initially prepare only 3-4 days worth to test taste/storage. ⑧ Delete delivery apps: Block temptation to improve meal prep sustainability.