How to Crush Meal Prep for Weekly Lunches

Meal prep: You see and hear about it everywhere. Between the abundance of videos hogging our Facebook feeds and the plethora of Instagrammers photographing their packed-lunch victories, sometimes it feels like everyone’s got it together but you. Well don’t fret — we got you, fam! And we’re about to blow your mind with how easy meal prep can really be. These four simple tips and tricks will have you brown baggin’ it to work with perfectly portioned lunches that are delicious and nutritious.

stock up on the right containers

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#mealprep Week 28 36 meals for the next week for 4 people. Everything took about 2 and half hours to make this week. Grocery budget was a little on the higher side coming in at around $145. In need of some new #mealprepcontainers too. The @thefitpacker containers I got for Christmas are starting to fall apart around the edges. Meal #1: Avocado Chicken 🐔 Salad. My wife use to work at a Mexican restaurant so she knows how to make some guacamole. For the protein I made chicken thighs, shredded it and mixed it in with the avocado. From there just scooped it on top of a bed of spinach. Meal #2: Stuffed Peppers. Peppers 🌶 are stuffed with Italian sausage, mushrooms and some onions. Makes me feel like Im back home in Wisconsin eating bratwurst. Paired it with a little broccoli that I had left over from one of the other meals. Meal #3: Spicy Peanut 🥜 Shrimp 🍤. Cooked the shrimp in various spices. Peanut sauce is made from soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, ginger and peanut butter. After the shrimp was cooked I threw in the sauce and added some arrowroot to thicken it up. Served over zucchini noodles. Meal #4: Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Fries and Broccoli. This will be for my post workout meals where I do HIIT and Weights in one day. We roasted the tenderloin in beef stock and Worcestershire for about 2 hours. From there I portioned it out in 4 ounce servings along with about 40 grams of sweet potatoes 🍠 and 80 grams of broccoli. Of course we saved the juice from the roasting pan to pour on top when we reheat. Later meal preppers. #mealprepsunday #mealprepday #healthyeating #healthyfood #healthylifestyle #healthyliving #healthyfamily #fitfam #fitfamily #weightloss #fatloss #gymlife #fitnessgoals #fitness

A post shared by Javier (@salsashark81) on Apr 9, 2017 at 11:40am PDT

First and foremost, let’s get the obvious out of the way: You want containers that come with lids; the rest of your options are personal. Whether you’re considering glass, plastic, or collapsible silicone to maximize on storage space, all containers will get the job done. In fact, you could even save up reusable takeout containers and use those for a stint.

When it comes to compartmentalization or not, that’s completely up to you. A lot of meal prep recipes out there are intended to be mixed together, but if you’re eating things you’d rather keep separate, a Bento-style box is right up your alley. Whatever you choose, grab four or five of them — and don’t forget minis for your salad dressings and sauces!

Buy and cook in big batches

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Gotta love a colorful sheet pan dinner right?! This one's got chicken marinated in a delish @bcblueberries balsamic vinaigrette that is also amazing as a salad dressing!🤗👌You are just 30 minutes away from dinner - will you be trying this Sheet Pan Blueberry Balsamic Chicken tonight?!🍴Link to this deliciousness is in my bio! 😍🙏#ad #bcblueberries

A post shared by Taylor | Aka Meal Prep Maven (@thegirlonbloor) on Jul 27, 2017 at 9:36am PDT

Planning ahead is crucial when meal prepping. The best and most efficient way to do it is to buy a large batch of your protein and grain of choice, snag your fresh veggies, and choose an exciting sauce or flavor profile. Then, pick a day and set some time aside to cook everything. Sheet-pan recipes cook your proteins and veggies all at once and, best of all, they leave you with options. Toss some of your protein and veggies into containers with leafy greens and pair the rest with grains to keep you from growing bored of the same ol’ lunch from Monday to Friday.

Prepare and Store uncooked food

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Green Morning 일주일치 초록야채 하나도 놓치지 않고 다 먹기 위해 폭풍 손질, 미친 칼질 월요일 아침의 흔한 일과 _ 호박은 전용 둥글게, 고명용 채 썰기 시금치는 샐러드용 어린 잎만 보관(나머지는 나물) 오이는 둥근 슬라이스, 가는 채 썰기 그린페퍼는 큼직하게, 중간 채 썰기 파는 2절 하고 남은 부분 다져두기 부추도 2절, 양파/그린페퍼/호박 손질하고 남은 꼬다리들 야무지게 다짐 (볶음밥,계란말이,죽에 다용도 활용) _ #thinkgreen #vegetables #foodprep #prep #nowaste #foodwaste #foodwasted #greenvegetables #greenmorning #greenonions #greenbellpepper #leek #chopped #choppedvegetables #spinach #onions #cucumber #environmentalist #thingsorganizedneatly #organized #organization #foodstagram #foodstyling #greenlife #muji #mujistyle #살림 #frugalliving #가성비 #오리살림

A post shared by Min Yoon (@_minyoon_) on Jul 24, 2017 at 11:35am PDT

For any fruits or veggies you want to stay raw and crisp, simply wash them, cut them, and store them in tightly sealed containers or food storage bags. This keeps them fresh and creates an easy grab ‘n’ go option for not only lunch prep, but for healthy snacks too.

do not dress things in advance

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Some nights, there's nothing more that I want than a supersize bowl of salad filled with goodness #salad #mixedleaves #roastchicken #boiledegg #beans #lentilsprouts #carrots #redonion #mustard #balsamic #saladdressing #saladbowl #healthy #healthyfood #dinner #yummy #delicious #instafood #instafoodie #foodblogger #recipeoftheday #atmytable

A post shared by Biagio Amata (@soltantoamore) on Aug 15, 2017 at 11:54am PDT

We ALL get excited about our fave sauces and salad dressings, but to prevent your nosh from getting soggy AF, do *not* dress your salads and sandwiches in advance. Some things just shouldn’t be done in advance, and drizzling wet stuff onto your greens or breads is one of them. Instead, get yourself some teeny containers and portion out your condiments so that you can add them right before you eat them.

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