What is meal prepping?

Meal prepping is the act of making a meal or recipe and portioning it out to create easy grab-and-go meals for later.

Even if you haven't meal prepped on purpose before, you have probably accidentally meal prepped. For example, if you have ever brought your leftovers from dinner to work with you the next day for lunch, then you’ve already meal prepped!

Of course, this example is on a smaller scale. Typically, meal prepping is meant to prepare meals for 3-5 days. 

Getting Started

If you are new to meal prepping, start out by preparing food for three meals using one of the meal preparation formulas below.

• Basic: Protein + Grain + Vegetable
  
• Low Carb: Protein + Vegetable + Vegetable
  
• Vegetarian: Legume + Grain + Vegetable
  

Here is a list of foods that work well for meal prepping: 

• cooked grains & pasta
  
• cooked beans
  
• cooked meat
  
• roasted vegetables
  
• hearty fresh vegetables (think celery, carrots, peas, bell peppers, kale, cabbage, radishes, etc.)
  
• whole fruit (apples, oranges, stone fruit)
  
• nuts & seeds
  
• cheese
  
• sauces and dips (like salad dressings, hummus, salsa, sour cream, etc.)
  

Of course, some foods don’t meal prep as well, such as: 

• soft fruits and vegetables (lettuce, berries, and cut fruit)
  
• fried food, crackers, or chips