How to Meal Prep Like a Pro

Meal prepping gets a lot of hype from the people who do it—and it often feels very daunting for those who don’t.

Typically, when people think of meal prepping, they imagine spending three hours every Sunday buying groceries, chopping vegetables, cooking multiple recipes, and perfectly portioning meals into containers for the week. They have elaborate recipes, a specific storage system, and a short list of go-to prep foods.

If this is you, and you have the time and consistency to do this every single week, that’s genuinely impressive. The time, effort, and organization required to meal prep that way is a real skill.

The problem is that this is what most people think meal prepping has to look like. Because of that, it feels overwhelming, unrealistic, and too difficult to start—so they never try. In reality, this isn’t how meal prepping needs to be at all.

What Meal Prepping Actually Needs to Do

Work for Your Goals

First and foremost, your meal prep should support your goals.

• If you’re looking to build muscle, your meals should be well-balanced and help you consistently hit your daily protein targets.

• If you’re looking to lose weight, your meals should be filling, high in protein, and relatively low in calories.

  
  

Meal prepping doesn’t mean eating “healthy” just for the sake of it—it means setting yourself up with food that directly aligns with what you’re trying to accomplish.

Be Repeatable

After being goal-focused, this is the most important factor.

Your meal prep needs to be something you can realistically do every week with minimal friction. For most people, a three-hour prep session simply isn’t sustainable long term.

The easier your prep is, the more likely you are to actually do it. Low effort beats perfect every time. A simple, repeatable system that you stick to for months will always outperform an aggressive plan that lasts two weeks.

Not Be Highly Perishable

Don’t prep food that tastes terrible after two days.

If your meals get soggy, wilt, dry out, or lose flavour quickly, you’re far less likely to eat them. Foods that spoil quickly also force you to prep multiple times per week—which defeats the purpose for most busy people.

Choose foods that hold up well in the fridge or freezer and still taste good several days later. If you enjoy eating the food, you’ll actually eat it.

If You Check These Three Boxes, You’re Winning

If your meal prep:

• Supports your goals

• Is easy and repeatable

• Lasts long enough to be eaten

You have a successful system. It doesn’t need to be complicated.

Simple Meal Prep Strategies That Actually Work

You do not need complex recipes or hours in the kitchen. These simple approaches work far better for most people:

Cook Protein in Bulk

If you consistently fall short on protein, this is the easiest win.

Cook a batch of meat at the beginning of the week—chicken, beef, turkey, fish, or tofu—and store it in the fridge. You can add it to salads, wraps, stir-fries, grain bowls, or eat it on its own. One protein prep alone can drastically improve your weekly nutrition.

Pre-Cut Vegetables

This is meal prep.

Wash and cut carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, or whatever vegetables you enjoy. When they’re ready to eat, you’re far more likely to snack on them instead of reaching for less ideal options.

Overcook Dinner

If you’re already cooking, make extra.

Instead of making half a pot of chili, soup, or pasta sauce, make a full one. Freeze a few properly portioned servings so you have easy, goal-friendly meals ready when you’re short on time.

Use a Meal Prep Service

Meal prep services can be expensive, but they remove nearly all of the thinking and effort. For people with very busy schedules, this can be a worthwhile short- or long-term option to stay consistent.

Keep the Goal in Mind

The goal of meal prepping isn’t perfection—it’s convenience and consistency.

Meal prep exists to remove decision-making in the moment and ensure you have food available that supports your goals. It doesn’t need to be fancy, rigid, or time-consuming.

Find a prep style that fits your life, your schedule, and your goals—and stick with it.

Kurtis Proksch