How to meal prep for the week

Count portions before you shop

Write the days you will eat food you cooked ahead, and how many people eat each dinner. Four dinners for two people is eight portions. That number decides the pot size and the number of containers. Food that does not belong to one of those dinners does not go on this list.

Cook what still tastes right after a few days in the fridge: rice or another grain, a protein such as chicken or beans, and vegetables that can be roasted. Leave a salad leaf, a fried egg, or bread you want fresh for the day you eat them. Cool the cooked food before it is covered. A hot container in the fridge warms the food around it.

Practical steps

1. Step 01

   Pick four dinners at most for the first week. Repeating two meals is easier than inventing seven.

2. Step 02

   List ingredients from those dinners only. Shop once. If it is not on a dinner, it stays at the store.

3. Step 03

   Cook the grain, the protein, and the vegetables in batches. Season them enough that a cold portion is still worth eating. Cool them on the counter only until the steam stops, then refrigerate.

4. Step 04

   Pack one dinner in each container: grain, protein, and vegetables. Write the day on the lid. Put the earliest day at the front.

5. Step 05

   Eat or discard a portion by the day after its label. A container you cannot date is not a meal for later.

Examples

• Four dinners for two people

  That is eight portions. Roast a tray of chicken and a tray of vegetables, and cook a pot of rice. Each container gets rice, chicken, and vegetables. Monday and Tuesday are at the front. Thursday’s container is at the back. Salad is bought for the night you eat it, not packed on Sunday. If Wednesday’s container is still there on Friday, it is no longer dinner.

Questions