How To Start Meal Prepping: Easy Weekly Meal Prep Ideas For Beginners

By: Shannon Sweeney

Meal prepping is one of the best ways to keep a routine — whether you’re working from home, trying to keep your family on a schedule or simply trying to keep the mystery out of dinnertime. When you plan your meals ahead and set aside time for cooking, you’ll find yourself with more free time during the week.

The biggest misconception about meal prep is that it’s hard — a lot of times, I hear things like “How could I possibly come up with a week’s worth of meals at once? Where will I find time to cook them all?”

The answer: There are hundreds of simple recipes out there that don’t require a lot of steps or time. The hard part, like a lot of new practices, is knowing exactly how to start. So I’ll go through some simple meal prepping tips and recipes for beginners that can help kickstart a meal-prep routine! 

Tips for before you cook

Before you start meal prepping, here are some tips: 

• Research what you want to eat. I follow Tasty on Instagram for recipe inspiration. Also, to stay up watching videos when I should be sleeping.  

• Start simple. Look at easy recipes and make sure it’s something you actually want to eat! It’s easy to get off track if you’re not excited about the menu.

• Make sure what you want to make can last for a few days. Dressed salads, avocado, seafood, and other similar foods go bad after a day or two.

• Make a list of how many meals you’ll need made for the week, and make sure to buy enough ingredients when you visit the grocery store. 

• In addition to meals, plan your snacks too. Carrots and veggies with a yogurt dip, or hard-boiled eggs can all be made during weekly meal prep time.

• Take inventory of your storage containers to make sure you can properly store everything.

• Create a schedule. Plan what days you’re going to cook and what meals you’ll have on what day. For instance, I meal prep breakfast and lunch on Sunday nights, so from Monday through Friday, I’m good to go.

• For bonus points, keep track of what meals you’re making on a calendar. This can help you stay organized and diverse. You can also note what you liked and what you didn’t.

Add the best foods for meal prepping to your grocery list

When you meal prep, it’s best to keep nutrition in mind. Try to add veggies and lean protein in every meal to keep you full and healthy during the day. To help spark some inspiration, here are some great foods for meal prep: 

• Whole grains: Oats, quinoa, barley

• Lean protein: Frozen or canned seafood, eggs, Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, tofu, lean chicken, turkey, beef, pork

• Starches: Potato, sweet potato, parsnip, canned pumpkin

• Stiff fresh vegetables: Celery, carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, radishes

• Crunchy green leaves: Romaine

• Whole fruits: Apple, banana, citruses

• Frozen veggies: Corn, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green beans, and more

Sample breakfast meal prep for beginners: Peanut butter and banana overnight oats

Breakfast can be one of the hardest things to meal prep for, especially when you don’t know where to start. Here’s a simple overnight oats recipe, where no cooking is required! This recipe is from Two Green Peas. 

What you’ll need: (1 serving)

• ½ cup rolled oats

• 1 tsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp peanut butter

• ¼ tsp cinnamon

• ⅛ tsp vanilla extract

• ½ medium banana, chopped

• ½ cup non-dairy milk (soy or almond) 

Instructions: 

1. Combine ingredients in order into a small Mason Jar (250 ml) or similar container

2. Shake until combined

3. Refrigerate overnight

4. Grab and go! 

Simple sample lunch or dinner recipe: One-sheet veggies with chicken 

My constant go-to for weekly meal prep is roasted veggies and chicken. The best part? They’re made on one baking sheet for easy prep and clean-up. 

The best part about this recipe is that it’s really up to you on what you want to eat. I often interchange the veggies depending on what I’m craving, and I like to switch up how I marinate my chicken. For inspiration, here’s an easy recipe from Tasty to start: 

What you’ll need: (2 servings)

• 2 boneless chicken breasts

• 1 large sweet potato

• 1 head of broccoli 

• 4 cloves of minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary

• 1 tablespoon paprika

• Salt and pepper

• Olive oil

Instructions: 

1. Place foil on a cooking sheet, and preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 

2. Place sweet potato, chicken, and broccoli on the pan. Drizzle with olive oil.

3. Distribute garlic, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper over all sweet potato, chicken and broccoli. Drizzle again with olive oil if needed. 

4. Cook for 35-40 minutes (until chicken reaches 165 degrees) 

Yep, it’s that simple. This recipe makes two servings, so you’ll need to alter this recipe a little if you’re cooking more for the week. Tip: If you’re looking to make more meals on one tray, substitute chicken with your favorite chicken sausage (or tofu if you don’t eat meat). This will leave more room for more veggies! 

Meal prep doesn’t have to be hard — it’s all about knowing how to start, making a plan, and putting it into action. When you follow these steps and try these simple recipes, you’ll find yourself saving time and money — all while eating delicious homemade food. 

---

More Articles You Might Like: