Ever find yourself reaching for takeout simply because you don’t have the time – or energy – to cook after a busy day? Learning how to meal prep for the week can take the guesswork out of healthy eating by making nutritious food more convenient when you need it most.
Meal prepping involves preparing some, or all, of your meals in advance. You might batch cook complete dishes, portion out grab-and-go lunches or simply prepare ingredients that can be mixed and matched throughout the week.
Whether you’re aiming to maintain a healthy diet, fuel your workouts, or simply streamline your week, meal prep can be a powerful tool. With a little planning, meal prep can save time, reduce stress and help you stay consistent with your nutrition. This beginner’s guide explores the different ways to approach meal prep, practical steps for getting started and how to create balanced, satisfying meals that support your lifestyle and recovery – and that will help you smash your next F45 workout.
What is meal prep?
Meal prep is the process of bulk cooking and storing nutritionally balanced meals in advance. However, it doesn’t always mean preparing a full week of identical meals. Meal prep for the week can involve cooking complete dishes and dividing them into portions, preparing individual ingredients to combine later, or using a mixture of both approaches.For example, you might prepare several grab-and-go lunches at once or cook versatile components – think protein, grains, and vegetables – that can be used in different meals throughout the week. The aim is to make balanced, nutritious food more convenient, reducing the amount of planning and cooking required on busy days.
What are the benefits of meal prepping for the week?
From freeing up time to supporting your training, there are several reasons to explore healthy meal prep ideas for the week. Preparing food in advance can remove some of the daily decision-making around meals and make balanced eating feel more manageable.
Saves time during busy weeks
Spending a few hours prepping meals on a Sunday can save countless hours during the week. Preparing several meals or ingredients in one session means less time spent deciding what to cook, chopping ingredients and cleaning up each day. Your meal prep session doesn’t have to happen on a Sunday – simply choose a day that works with your schedule.
Makes healthy choices easier
When balanced meals are already available, you may be less likely to rely on takeout or choose food based solely on convenience. Planning ahead also gives you greater control over the ingredients and portions included in your meals, helping you maintain a more consistent approach to nutrition.
Supports workout nutrition
Having food ready can make it easier to fuel your workouts and eat a balanced meal afterwards. Having meals with a balanced amount of carbs, protein, and vitamins supports recovery by providing nutrients involved in restoring energy and maintaining muscle.
Can reduce food waste and save money
Planning your meals before shopping can help you purchase ingredients more intentionally and use them across multiple dishes. Buying ingredients in bulk and cooking in batches is often more economical than dining out or buying pre-made meals. Meal prep can also help you make better use of leftovers, reducing the amount of unused food thrown away.
Choose the right meal prep method
Everyone’s preferences for meal prep are different, so there’s no single approach you need to follow. When choosing meal prep meals for the week, consider how much time you have, which meals cause the most stress and how much variety you prefer.
Batch cooking
Batch cooking involves preparing complete meals and dividing them into individual containers. It can work particularly well for:
- Busy work weeks
- Grab-and-go lunches
- Dinners requiring minimal preparation
Choose meals that store and reheat well, such as soups, pasta dishes, grain bowls, smoothies, and curries enriched with the best anti-inflammatory herbs and spices.
Ingredient prep
For greater flexibility, prepare individual components rather than complete meals. These might include:
- Proteins
- Grains
- Roasted vegetables
- Salad ingredients
- Sauces and dressings
You can then combine these ingredients in different ways, helping meals feel varied without requiring you to cook everything from scratch each day.
Mixed approach
A mixed approach combines batch-cooked meals with prepared ingredients. For example, you might portion several lunches while leaving proteins, vegetables and sauces separate for dinners. For many people, this is the most sustainable method because it balances convenience with flexibility and variety, and helps you ensure you’re getting the right fuel into your body ahead of a workout.
How to meal prep for the week
Like the best sustainable workout routine, learning how to prep healthy meals for the week requires some planning and organization. Once you establish a routine, you can gradually streamline how you plan, shop, cook and store your meals. Here’s how to meal prep for the week – without making the process unnecessarily complicated!
Step 1: Plan your meals
Start by deciding how many breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks you’ll need. Check your diary for workouts, social plans and days you may be eating away from home so you don’t prepare more food than necessary. (And, if you are out for dinner, check out our guide to how to make healthy food choices at a restaurant for more info!)Choose simple recipes that use some of the same ingredients. For example, one batch of roasted vegetables could accompany a grain bowl, salad or dinner later in the week.
Step 2: Write a shopping list
Turn your meal plan into a shopping list, grouping ingredients into categories such as produce, proteins, grains and pantry staples. This can make navigating the store quicker while helping you avoid forgotten items and unnecessary impulse purchases. Just be sure to brush up on our guide to breaking down a nutrition label before you head to the grocery store, so you understand exactly what you’re eating!
Step 3: Batch cook efficiently
Look for opportunities to prepare several components at once. Make use of your oven! You could roast vegetables while grains cook on the stove and prepare sauces or dressings while other ingredients are cooking. Here, focus on an efficient workflow rather than trying to make several complicated recipes. Begin with the ingredients requiring the longest cooking time, then complete quicker tasks while you wait.
Step 4: Portion and store safely
Divide cooked food into clean, appropriately sized containers and label them with the preparation date where helpful. Shallow containers allow food to cool more quickly1.Refrigerate or freeze prepared food promptly. Very hot food can be left until it stops steaming before being refrigerated, but perishable food shouldn’t be allowed to stay at room temperature for more than two hours1. Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below and aim to eat refrigerated leftovers within two to four days2. Freeze portions you won’t use within that period and follow storage guidance for the specific ingredients included.
What should a balanced meal prep include?
Rather than preparing specific “perfect” meals, focus on combining a few nutritious building blocks. Meals with a balanced amount of carbs, protein and vitamins support recovery – the exact balance may vary depending on your appetite, preferences and activity levels3,4.
Protein
Include a source of protein such as chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, beans or Greek yogurt. A powerful macronutrient, protein provides amino acids that support muscle protein synthesis and the repair and rebuilding of skeletal muscle following training3.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate sources can include rice, potatoes, oats, whole-grain pasta and quinoa. They help provide energy for workouts – especially of the challenging cardio, resistance, and hybrid varieties at F45 – and replenish the glycogen stored in your muscles after training4.
Vegetables and fruit
Add a variety of vegetables and fruit to improve the overall nutritional quality of your meals. Choosing different colors throughout the week can help you incorporate a broader range of micronutrients, while preventing your prepared meals from becoming repetitive.
Healthy fats
Nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil can help round out a balanced meal and make it feel more satisfying. Small additions – such as a spoonful of seeds, a drizzle of olive oil or a portion of avocado – can also add flavor and texture.
That’s all for learning how to prep healthy meals for the week. Next, explore how the meals you prep can help you get a better night’s rest, with our guide to foods that help you sleep.
3 https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
4 https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4
