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Home » Meal Prep » Easy Guide to Meal Planning and Meal Prep

Easy Guide to Meal Planning and Meal Prep

December 30, 2018 by Faith 2 Comments

This Easy Guide to Meal Planning and Meal Prep will help you save time and money, reduce food waste, and get a delicious, nutritious crowd-pleasing meal on the table as painlessly as possible.

Meal Planning and Meal Prep on White Table

Most of us have the best of intentions when it comes to cooking at home more and eating out less. (Or avoiding the drive-through on the way to or from work!) But unless we give ourselves some practical tools, meal prep can seem like a huge chore. I’m simplifying it, making meal prep approachable, and giving some real-life solutions that will help make meal planning and meal prep as effortless as possible.

I’m one of those oddballs who loves organizing and all the tools that go along with it. Color-coded tabs, my label-maker, and my giant file folder are things that would bore most people, but actually get me excited. I see meal planning and meal prep as a way to stay organized, but if you aren’t quite as enthusiastic about it, there are a few really good reasons you should meal plan and prep.

A couple of the biggest reasons to plan and prep your meals are to save money and time. You’ll learn how to repurpose leftovers (so they don’t even taste like leftovers – don’t worry!), make a shopping list and stick to it, and start looking forward to a home-cooked meal during your weekday lunches.

Another perk that comes along with meal prep is reduced food waste. You’re only buying what you need and you’re making better use of leftovers!

Last but not least, meal prep can be a great way to lose weight! Planning, prepping, and eating nutritious meals can more effectively help you reach your weight loss and health goals.

Beef Soup Meal Prep

How to Meal Plan

Sit down with a pen and paper and write down what you want to make for dinner each day of the week! I like to print out a blank calendar and fill it in with meals. If you’re cooking for your family, this is a great time to get them involved. Make meal planning fun by letting kids choose a meal each week that they can help cook. Plan leftover nights and plan for a night out to dinner if you want. It’s also fun to have themed dinner nights, for example, Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Fish Fridays, Pizza Saturdays, etc.

It can also be beneficial to get kids involve in weekly menu planning. They’re more likely to help cook, and meal planning can help get kids excited about healthy eating!

You can also add in breakfasts and lunches so you’re less tempted to eat out. Breakfasts can be as easy as hard-boiled eggs and fruit, avocado and crisped turkey bacon, and toast with nut butter. Sandwiches, salads, and leftover dinners work great for lunches throughout the week.

Once you have your menu planned, make a grocery list. This helps you get in and get out of the store as easily as possible without buying stuff you don’t need. (You can get the keto grocery shopping list I use over on my other website, The Keto Queens!).

“Favorite” Dinner Rotation

Keep a few favorites in your dinner rotation, but make easy changes to keep things interesting. For example, if you make roast chicken every Sunday, serve it with mashed cauliflower and steamed green beans one week, and serve leftovers with roasted broccoli and sautéed carrots during the week. Or season the chicken with Italian herb seasoning on Sunday, and later in the week add BBQ sauce for a completely different flavor profile.

Leftovers

Use leftovers to your advantage; after all, leftovers are basically your sous chef ready to help you get a meal on the table quick. If you’re not a big fan of leftovers in general, you can remake leftovers into completely different meals so you don’t get bored. For example, if you make a roast chicken, you can have roast chicken dinner the first night, chicken cobb salad the second night, and chicken enchiladas the third night.

Plan for Leftovers as Lunches

Another great way to utilize leftovers is for packed lunches during the week. If you have access to a microwave it opens up a whole world of hot lunches! However, even if you don’t have a microwave you can find creative ways to use leftover dinner as a lunch. For example, instead of heaving leftover roast chicken dinner, make a roast chicken sandwich.

Batch Cooking and Cooking in Bulk

Cook in bulk so you can cook once and eat twice (or more). Let’s go back to the roast chicken example. If you make roast chicken dinner with all the fixings every Sunday, maybe roast an extra chicken to make chicken noodle soup for dinner another night, and chicken salad to make chicken salad lunches for work.

Batch Cooking Ideas

Make a double batch of these to repurpose leftovers into different meals throughout the week:

  • Beef pot roast, remake into tacos, beef stew, beef stroganoff, etc.
  • Roast chicken, make into creamy chicken soup, cheesy chicken broccoli casserole, BBQ chicken salad, etc.
  • Baked white fish, use for fish tacos, fish chowder, etc.
  • Grilled chicken or grilled steak, for making into sandwiches, salads, casseroles, tacos, soups, etc.
  • Roasted vegetables, such as zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc. Roasted veggies make a great side dish for just about anything, or you can easily make them into quiche or frittata, add them to pasta along with grated Parmesan cheese, use them as pizza toppings, and add them to sandwiches, wraps, and/or soups.

Snack Prep in Glass Containers

Meal Planning For One

Meal planning for one can be a little tricky because the volume of food you’re making is so much smaller. I often cook for just myself. The most efficient way to do this is to make a normal batch or a normal sized recipe (usually four servings), eat one serving, and portion the other servings out into individual-sized containers. Freeze the leftovers or keep them on hand in the fridge for a quick meal later in the week.

Recipes That Have One Serving or Two Servings:

  • Single-Serving Low-Carb Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Garlic-Parmesan Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
  • Chicken Pot Pie for One
  • 5-Minute Healthy Chocolate Mug Cake
  • 1-Pan Salisbury Steak with Potatoes
  • Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Dinner

Meal Prep Ideas

The following items are easy to meal prep on the weekend (and some don’t even require any prepping!). These foods are great to keep stashed in your fridge to grab for a nutritious quick meal or snack on-the-go:

  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Cottage cheese
  • Cheese sticks or sliced cheese
  • Sliced deli meat
  • Olives
  • Nut butter paired with celery sticks or apple slices
  • Carrot sticks, celery sticks, chopped bell pepper, broccoli florets, or cauliflower florets paired with homemade ranch dressing

Pantry Meals On-the-Go:

I also like to keep my pantry stocked with a few healthy choices that don’t require any preparation:

  • Nuts
  • Granola
  • Protein bars
  • Crackers
  • Low Carb Oatmeal (aka Noatmeal)

Freezer Friendly Meal Prep Recipes

Here are a few meals that freeze well:

  • Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Easy Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce
  • The Best Leftover Chicken Bone Broth Soup
  • Darn Good Chili
  • Make Ahead Freezer Meals Quiche
  • Freezer Friendly Breakfast Cookies
  • Chicken Tuscan Pasta Bake

Glass Meal Prep Containers

Tools to Help You Meal Prep

Meal Prep Containers

I prefer using glass containers for meal prep because they’re better for your body, better for the environment, and they make life much easier. They can go in the freezer, oven, broiler, microwave, and dishwasher!

  • 1 cup round glass dishes with lids: I use these for packing snacks and freezing sauces and soups.
  • Glass meal prep containers with locking lids in varying sizes: These containers are great for storing prepped ingredients like chopped vegetables.
  • Two compartment glass meal prep containers with divide: Divided containers like these are great for storing meals that have different components; for example, a side dish and a main dish.

Kitchen Appliances

Electric Pressure Cooker

The beauty of an electric pressure cooker, such as and Instant Pot, is that it cooks things in a fraction of the time that it would otherwise take. It’s a very helpful tool for batch cooking if you want to prep meals to stock the freezer.

Pressure Cooker Recipes

  • Pressure Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast (In an Instant Pot)
  • Instant Pot Orange Chicken
  • Instant Pot Cauliflower Bav Phaji

Slow Cooker

An equally useful kitchen tool is a Crockpot. You can throw a few things into the slow cooker in the morning and come home from work to a house full of delicious smells and a hot, home-cooked meal.

Slow Cooker Recipes

  • Coffee-Spiked Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas in a Slow Cooker
  • Slow Cooker Tuna Casserole
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

High Speed Blender

I like using my Vitamix for making fresh juice, foamy latte-style coffees, smoothies, and milkshakes, but high speed blenders also work great for sauces, soups, and ice cream-like desserts, making them a great tool for meal prep. These powerful countertop appliances blend incredibly well!

Blender Recipes

  • Ancho Chili Peach Blender BBQ Sauce
  • Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
  • Easy No-Churn Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt

Quick Bread Meal Prep on White Table

Toaster Oven

Toaster ovens are great for recipes that need to be toasted or reheated quickly and would otherwise get soggy in the microwave. They’re also great for recipes that need to be broiled, so you don’t have to turn on the oven.

Recipes to Use the Toaster Oven to Make, Reheat, or Toast

  • Low Carb Biscuits (Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Copycat)
  • Best Banana Bread
  • Open-Faced Tuna Melt Sandwich

Meal Prep Services, Meal Prep Delivery Services, and Meal Kit Services

If your budget allows for it, a meal prep service or meal prep delivery service is a great help! You still cook at home, but you minimize time spent meal planning, meal prepping, and grocery shopping. A lot of meal prep and meal prep delivery services deliver pre-measured and pre-chopped ingredients for meals you choose. All you have to do is follow the directions and cook the meal!

The cost of meal prep and meal prep delivery services are more than what you’d pay for just a menu planning service; however, you’ll save money compared to eating out. If you’re not familiar with cooking at home, this is a great way to ease yourself into it.

Here are a few meal prep delivery services:

  • HelloFresh
  • Blue Apron
  • Sun Basket

Meal Prepped Instant Pot Sous Vide Egg Bites with Coffee

The recipe for these Instant Pot Sous Vide Egg Bites are from The Keto Queens e-book 20 Low Carb Best Instant Pot Recipes.

Keto Meal Plans

A while ago I announced that I began working on another website, www.TheKetoQueens.com with Lara Clevenger. She and I are absolutely thrilled that we’re now offering a few different keto meal plans! We have a Jumpstart to Ketosis 3 Day Meal Plan e-Book that has five mini meals a day for three days. These meals are optimized to help you get into a state of nutritional ketosis. Each day is around 1200 calories with 20g or less of net carbs, and 80 to 90% fat of calories from fat. You’ll be surprised at how delicious and easy to whip up the meals are!

The Keto Queens Jumpstart to Ketosis 3 Day Meal Plan Cover

Jumpstart to Ketosis 3 Day Meal Plan E-Book

And if you’re really serious about it and want to go for a full five days instead of three, we also have a five day budget meal plan available. The food cost per day for our five day plan is less than $5!

5 Day Keto on a Budget Jumpstart Meal Plan

5 Day Keto on a Budget Meal Plan

Easy Guide to Meal Planning and Meal Prep with Meal Prep Containers

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in. Even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!

Filed Under: How To, Meal Prep Tagged: Batch Cooking, Freezer-Friendly, How to Meal Plan, How to Meal Prep, Meal Plan, Meal Planning for One, Meal Prep, Using Leftovers

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  2. Instant Pot Keto Cinnamon Rolls - The Keto Queens says:
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Hello! I’m Faith and I write An Edible Mosaic. This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics, with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. I focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home. Welcome to my mosaic of recipes.

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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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Pelmeni are Russian meat dumplings frequently serv Pelmeni are Russian meat dumplings frequently served with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill. You can boil or fry them, they freeze like a dream (and they cook directly from frozen!), and they make a big batch so you’ll have a freezer stash of easy dinners for busy nights. But fair warning, these are definitely a labor of love. I made them last spring on a Zoom call with ma chérie Evelyne of @cultureatz that involved ridiculous amounts of laughter, and the shenanigans of us hand making about 100 dumplings each! I’m definitely a bad blogger for not sharing the recipe until now lol. But it’s (finally!) up and you can check it out on @anediblemosaic 🥰 —> https://www.anediblemosaic.com/pelmeni-recipe-russian-dumplings/ #dumplings #dumplingsfordays #russianfood #pelmeni #foodstyling #foodstylist #foodphotography #photography #moodygrams #lightandshadow
The other day Dan and I were at an antique store a The other day Dan and I were at an antique store and we happened to find one of the vendors who was putting out #vintage #valentinesday cards she had found in one of her storage units. 💌 These are from the 1930s/1940s! She was a third generation antique dealer and she said she still has several full rooms to sort through! (I love the treasure hunt of that, it’s like exploring in your grandparents’ attic.) Anyway, I had to buy a couple cards because they’re completely charming. #happyvalentinesday, lovelies. 🥰 #valentines #romantic #flatlay #valentinesmood #vintageprops #propstyling #propstylist #photography
#ad If you’re looking for a romantic meal to mak #ad If you’re looking for a romantic meal to make for your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day this weekend, you’ve come to the right place! This meal is easy, fast (no one will guess it whips up in less than 15 minutes!), and impressive. And soooo good. 🥰
 
What’s on the menu? Pan seared chicken in a savory cream sauce. Steamed green beans. And Fresh Blends Ready to Cook Idaho Potatoes!
 
Let’s talk sides first. Steamed green beans are easy, and they round out the meal well. Or you could go with broccoli if you want.
 
The real star of the side dish show are these flavorful @eagleeyeproduce potatoes! They’re family grown in Idaho. Fresh-cut, never cooked, never frozen, with no preservatives. And they cook up easily with a one-step cooking process (just 8 minutes in the microwave, or you can do them on the stovetop to get them crispy). Check out their website to find their store locator to see where they’re available near you --> https://eagleeyeproduce.com/store-locator/
 
And now the chicken! Inspired by the famous “Marry Me Chicken”, this recipe checks all the right boxes and has all the bells and whistles. Chicken cutlets cook up quick on the stovetop, and then a luscious cream sauce flavored with garlic, fresh herbs, and sundried tomatoes cooks in the same skillet. Take a look at the recipe in the comments below.
 
Who says a beautiful, romantic meal has to be complicated, right? ❤️
 
#homecooked #romanticdinner #valentinesday #valentinesdinner #saveur #foodandwine #f52grams #f52food #thekitchn #beautifulcuisines #foodstyling #foodphotograhphy #eeeeeats
“My dream concept is that I have a camera and I “My dream concept is that I have a camera and I am trying to photograph what is essentially invisible. And every once in a while I get a glimpse of her and I grab that picture.” - Leonard Nimoy 🌿 #photography #storytellingphotography #lightandshadow #moodygrams #flatlay #instamood
This small batch recipe of Red Velvet Cupcakes is This small batch recipe of Red Velvet Cupcakes is the perfect dessert for you and your sweetheart this Valentine's Day, and it's even more special because it was made for a cause. ❤️

This is the 5th year in a row that Julie from @thelittlekitchn has organized the Cookies for Kid's Cancer Valentine's Event to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer, and I'm honored to be part of it.

Cancer is the top cause of death of children by disease in the U.S. There are 40,000 U.S. children actively battling cancer right now. And the National Cancer Institute’s budget for childhood cancer is less than 4%.⁣
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You can help make a difference by donating to @cookies4kids. Our goal is to raise at least $3000. Thank you to @OXO, @Mediavine and @Dixie_Crystals who have each pledged to match our donations raised through this campaign up to $3000!⁣

Find out more and grab my cupcake recipe in my latest blog post --> https://www.anediblemosaic.com/red-velvet-cupcakes-recipe-with-cream-cheese-frosting/

#helpingcookies #beagoodcookie #redvelvet #redvelvetcake #redvelvetcupcakes #valentinesday #valentinesfood #instacake #cakegram #cupcakesofinstagram #foodphotography #foodstyling #instasweets
I developed this recipe last year on a whim one af I developed this recipe last year on a whim one afternoon when I really just wanted a slice of chocolate cake. 🎉🙈 I wasn't going to post the recipe, but it was pretty and one thing led to another and I styled and snapped a few pictures. It really is crazy delicious and it whips up in just 10 minutes in the microwave (and it has just 5g net carbs per serving!). And so here it is, lol. Find the recipe on @anediblemosaic 😘 --> https://www.anediblemosaic.com/chocolate-keto-mug-cake-recipe/

#foodphotography #photography #lightandshadow #dslr #foodstyling #foodstylist #storytellingphotography #ketocake #ketochocolate #chocolategram #cakegram #instacake #mugcake #glutenfreecake
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