A Simple Meal Prep Strategy

We have all been there; it’s the beginning of the week and you want to plan out your dinners for the week, but you can’t think through what meals to choose……

Here is a simple strategy that can be implemented to help you create an arsenal of dinners to easily choose from each week.

Week 1: (Most tedious week as you are first starting out)

• Find 5 meals that fit your goals, preferences, macros, etc.

• *Five meals in your arsenal

• Meals A-B-C-D-E

Here are some resources to help you out with your initial search:

• www.eatingwell.com

• www.skinnytaste.com

• www.simplyrecipes.com

• www.eatingbirdfood.com

• www.wholesomeyum.com

• www.theleangreenbean.com

Week 2:

• Change out 2 of those meals for something new, keep 3 the same

• *Two new meals & 7 in your arsenal (A-G)

• Meals for the week: C-D-E-F-G

Week 3:

• Change out 2 of those meals for something new, keep 3 the same

• *Two new meals & 9 in your arsenal (A-I)

• Meals for the week: E-F-G-H-I

Week 4:

• Change out 2 of those meals for something new, keep 3 the same

• *Two new meals & 11 in your arsenal (A-K)

• Meals for the week: G-H-I-J-K

Week 5:

• Change out 2 of those meals for something new, keep 3 the same

• *Two new meals & 13 in your arsenal (A-M)

• Meals for the week: I-J-K-L-M

Week 6:

• Change out 2 of those meals for something new, keep 3 the same

• *Two new meals & 15 in your arsenal (A-O)

• Meals for the week: K-L-M-N-O

Now on week seven you have 15 meals in your arsenal, and you can rotate through these in whatever order you desire:

• Example: Week 7: A-G-H-K-O, Week 8: B-D-E-J-M, etc.

A few things that will help you with the prep as well:

• If you don’t mind leftovers, double your dinner to eat for lunch the next day. Two for one on the prep time!

• Find a mixture of meals that are cooked differently: (The variety can help keep cooking interesting, as well as shorten prep time with some versions)

• Grilled

• Pan fried

• Crockpot

• Cold (salads)

• New recipes usually mean stocking up on small grocery items you may not typically have (spices, sauces, pastes, etc.) However, rotating through a series of 15 meals allows enough room for variety, while also preventing you from having to buy small food items every single time.  

Keep up this strategy to help alleviate the mental strain that may entail at the beginning of any food prep week!