Meal prep can help save you time in the kitchen and even some money along the way. Here are some simple meal prep hacks to help make cooking during the week (or any time) a cinch, including some ideas our editors swear by. “For me, the absolute best meal prep is having a jar of really good homemade salad dressing in the fridge. Change it up every week—having a jar ready is such a delight, even if it’s just enough for a couple of days.” —M.H. As a procrastinator and an impulsive cook, I scoff in the face of meal planning.

Batch Cooking

The key is to tailor the approach to available tools and time constraints, ensuring a flavorful, satisfying meal without the wait. With a bit of planning and creativity, taco soup can become a go-to weeknight dinner option. Air-frying chicken thighs is the fastest method, taking just 20–25 minutes at 375°F (190°C), and yields a texture that rivals deep-frying without the oil. Coat the thighs lightly with cooking spray or a thin layer of oil to promote crispiness, and season them as you would for baking. Place them skin-side up in the air fryer basket, ensuring they don’t overlap, and cook in batches if necessary.

Planning Meals on a Budget

Tofu, another quick-cooking option, can be sautéed or stir-fried to add plant-based protein to your meals. There is a psychological impact of short ingredient lists as well. The thought of preparing a meal with an overwhelming number of ingredients can be daunting, especially for beginners. Short ingredient lists make meal prep feel less intimidating and more manageable.

Soup gets criminally underestimated in meal prep circles, yet it’s practically perfect. High volume with reasonable calories, and flavors actually develop and improve after a few days of ingredient mingling. Plus, boredom becomes impossible when you can rotate toppings and garnishes. Smoothies catch flak for being high-maintenance, but the real hack involves prepping ingredients rather than finished drinks. We’re completely convinced by the single-serving freezer bag approach that transforms your blender from morning enemy to breakfast hero.

Read More: 20 Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes

Plus, they’re among the few foods that actually peel more easily after refrigerator time. Casseroles suffer unfair reputation damage for seeming outdated, but they’re actually brilliant meal prep solutions. They’re built to feed groups, which translates to days of leftovers. Plus, they deliver comfort food that happens to be portable and reheatable without losing appeal. Curries represent meal prep gold because they’re literally engineered to improve overnight. All those spices and aromatics require time for proper melding, meaning Tuesday’s lunch actually surpasses Sunday’s cooking efforts.

Strategic Shopping Principles

• Rice usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes to cook, and can keep warm for much longer.
• In this guide, I’ll share 27 tried-and-true methods to simplify your meal planning and help you spend less.
• While one of the air fryer’s benefits is reducing the need for oil, a light spray can help achieve an even golden-brown finish.
• Look beyond the total price on the shelf and check the cost per ounce, pound, or liter.
• This method is especially useful if you don’t have much time to spend cooking during the week.
• It can be challenging to find the time and energy to prepare healthy meals in our fast-paced world.

Many meal prep recipes freeze beautifully, but some foods suffer significant texture changes. Soups, stews, casseroles, and cooked grains freeze excellently. Avoid freezing high-water content vegetables, dairy-based sauces, and fully assembled salads—they turn into disappointing mush. Look, nobody’s judging you for buying pre-cut vegetables or grabbing that rotisserie chicken.

Healthy Frozen Treats That Taste Like It’s a Cheat Day

Maintain a freezer inventory list on your phone or refrigerator door. Consider color-coding containers by meal type or family member. Organize your freezer by categories (proteins, complete meals, side dishes) and follow the “first in, first out” rule to minimize food waste.

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Cooking large quantities of a dish can save you time in the long run, as you’ll have multiple servings ready to be reheated at a moment’s notice. Portioning snacks into single servings when purchasing saves time and helps with portion control. reviews of unimeal Creating homemade snack mixes is more economical than buying pre-packaged options. Having healthy snacks readily available prevents impulse purchases. Setting up an assembly line for meal preparation increases efficiency and consistency.

Understanding the Trend of DIY Food Kits

Keep a well-stocked stash of ingredients you use often so you always have something to cook. This can include staples such as rice, potatoes, eggs, canned beans, bread, condiments, and various meats. Find recipes with simple ingredients you can repurpose for later in the week. For example, if you use some chicken for salad, you can use any leftover meat for a stir fry or pasta dish.

For those seeking a bolder profile, experiment with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika instead of regular, or add ½ teaspoon chipotle powder for a smoky kick. These tweaks keep the soup versatile without extending prep time. A reusable meal prep container is a sustainable option, while microwaveable meal prep containers allow you to reheat or defrost food straight from the tub. You may want to opt for a BPA-free meal prep container if you go for a plastic option.

Instant Pot

Using the sauté function, brown 4–6 thighs in batches, then add 1 cup of liquid (water, broth, or sauce) and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Allow a 10-minute natural release before quick-releasing the remaining pressure. This method is perfect for busy weekdays, as it cuts cooking time significantly while maintaining tenderness. The resulting chicken can be used in stir-fries, grain bowls, or casseroles. Doing the simple prep first—cooking protein, chopping vegetables and making a dressing—removes the biggest friction points you hit on busy weeknights. With the building blocks ready, each dinner becomes more about assembly than cooking, which saves time and keeps you consistent.

You may have noticed throughout our website and our posts, we mention this magical pressure cooker over and over. Maybe that’s your Monday night dinner or your weekend breakfast. If you’d like to develop a successful meal-planning habit, try the tips below. These services offer options like vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and low-carb meals. With just a few clicks, you can have a week’s worth of meals delivered right to your doorstep. Regularly inventory your kitchen, utilize one ingredient in multiple recipes, and remain flexible to swap in items that are on sale.

How to Use Reminder Systems for Food Freshness

Focus on versatile base recipes that can transform throughout the week. Roasted chicken thighs become tacos, salads, and pasta dishes. A large batch of seasoned ground beef works for spaghetti, shepherd’s pie, and stuffed peppers. Vegetarian options like lentil stew, bean chili, and roasted vegetable medleys maintain texture and flavor even after freezing. Sheet pan vegetables https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/ with simple seasonings complement multiple proteins.

Taco soup, a hearty blend of Mexican flavors, can indeed be prepared in under 4 hours, even for those with busy schedules. The key lies in leveraging quick cooking methods that streamline the process without sacrificing taste. One effective approach is using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, which significantly reduces cooking time. For instance, browning ground beef or turkey takes just 5 minutes, and sautéing onions and garlic adds another 3 minutes. In today’s fast-paced world, finding the time to cook every meal from scratch can be a daunting task.

Many air fryers come with or have optional accessories, such as racks or baking pans, that can expand the types of foods you can cook. Use these to make everything from muffins and quiches to kebabs. Shake the basket or turn the food halfway through cooking to ensure even crispiness and browning. This is particularly important for smaller items like French fries or vegetables that can clump together.