Planning the meals of the week is not a task reserved for Sunday, and it does not mean cooking the whole week in one go. Preparing a few bases, organizing the ingredients and storing every portion properly is enough to have dinner sorted on a weekday without spending more than you need to.
What is weekly meal prep?
Preparing the meals of the week means planning part of the dishes in advance, organizing the ingredients and cooking some preparations to use over several days.
You do not have to cook every dish on Sunday. You can leave a few bases ready and finish the recipes when you need them.
1. Check what you have before you plan
Look through the pantry, the fridge and the freezer. Note the food that should be eaten soon and think about how to work it into the meals.
That way you avoid buying the same ingredient twice and reduce the risk of waste.
2. Design a realistic menu
Choose recipes that fit your schedule, your budget and your preferences. You can repeat some ingredients to use them up without cooking the exact same dish every day.
For example, roasted vegetables can go with a meal, be folded into an omelette or become the base of a soup.
3. Write the shopping list
Group the ingredients by section and check the quantities you need. Keep the number of people and the number of servings in mind.
If an ingredient is only used in one recipe, think about whether you could use it in another preparation before you buy a large pack.
4. Cook in blocks
In a single session you can wash and chop vegetables, cook a pulse, make a sauce and leave several servings ready.
Working through the tasks in stages cuts the interruptions and makes better use of your time.
5. Store the meals properly
Divide the preparations into clean, shallow containers so they cool down faster. Refrigerate cooked food as soon as possible and follow the official recommendations on storage times and temperatures.
Do not leave the meals at room temperature for hours. If you are not going to eat a preparation within the recommended period, freeze it as soon as you can.
6. Label the servings
Write the name of the dish and the date it was prepared. That way you can identify what you have stored and eat the oldest servings first, as long as they are still safe.
Do not rely on the smell or the appearance of the food alone to decide whether it is safe to eat.
7. Make the most of the freezer
Freezing individual portions means you only have to defrost the amount you need.
Use containers that are suitable for freezing, leave room for the contents to expand and follow the safe thawing recommendations. As a general rule, the fridge is a suitable way to defrost food.
8. Do not cook too much
Planning does not mean cooking more food than you are going to eat. Start with a few meals and adjust the quantities once you can see what works for your home.
Conclusion
A simple plan can cut impulsive shopping, make weekday meals easier and help you use up your ingredients. Start by preparing a few bases, store them properly and expand the routine as you need to.
Planning works much better when the fridge is organized: in how to organize your fridge so your food lasts longer we explain the rotation that keeps leftovers from being forgotten, and in how to plan your weekly shopping to spend less and waste less food you will find the list that shapes the preparations.
