Save Time and Money During the Week with Meal Prepping

Meal prepping—planning and preparing your meals ahead of time—can save you both time and money while helping you eat healthier. It may seem daunting at first, with up-front time and grocery commitments, but meal prepping is doable with only a few minutes of planning and some extra effort on the weekends.

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Choose a Prep Type

Your first order of business is determining which meal prep type you want to use:

· Buffet style: Prep base ingredients and mix and match to create different meals

· Batch cooking: Cook a very large batch and portion out the leftovers

· Individual portions: Mason jar salads, overnight oats, sandwiches

· Assembling ingredients in advance: Preparing a meal for a slow cooker or instant pot but not cooking them until the next day

The choice is entirely yours and depends on how you want to eat. If you are fine throwing together ingredients after work and whipping up a sauce in your saute pan, go for buffet style. If you have little time to make lunch each morning, batch or individual portioning might be right for you. 

 Plan Out Meals

Next, plan out your meals. Find a recipe that suits your style and food preferences and determine what you will need. How much of a given ingredient will you need? Do you have enough bakeware to prep all the meals at once, or will you need to clean them between batches?

Planning out meals can help when it comes time to go grocery shopping. The shopping itself will take time, so plan efficiently in both meals and moving around the store. It can help to have an app that syncs between devices to make a list for easy reference. Alternatively, you can order online and have someone in the store collect the items, saving you more time. You will need to pick up your order at the store if delivery is not available. If you do shop at the grocery store, remember that the up-front time investment in shopping will save you time later.

 Block Out Time

It’s time to prep the meals, which could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. In the beginning, it might take you longer as you learn to multitask. You won’t want to start with prepping for the whole week: Start with just a few meals across breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Along with multitasking, saving time means trying to be as efficient as possible. A santoku knife can do most of the knife prep work, for instance, while pressure cookers can speed cooking times. 

 Invest in Proper Containers

The right reusable containers are essential for meal prep. They should be freezer-, microwave-, and dishwasher-safe. Popular options usually have lids that snap shut. Airtight containers can help ingredients keep longer, but most meals should be reheated within four days from the refrigerator. Stackable food storage will help save room in your fridge or freezer. Aside from containers, mason jars are a popular option for salads, soups, and oatmeal. 

 About CHEFS Catalog

Since 1979, CHEFS Catalog has offered the highest quality equipment to the culinary world, from professional chefs to home cooks. CHEFS Catalog’s collections provide practical kitchen solutions with bakeware sets, appliances, cutlery, recipes, advice, and more. With a passion for all things culinary, they understand the need for durable, reliable kitchenware. They started out as a premier commercial catalog, featuring Julia Child on an early cover. In 2017, CHEFS Catalog transformed into the go-to online source for quality cookware, bakeware, and accessories.

To browse all the cookware you’ll need for meal prepping, visit Chefscatalog.com

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