Is there anything more daunting than meal prepping? Heck no!

All joking aside though, meal prepping is one of those things that, in theory, should be easy. After all, you’re really just making meals ahead of time to make your life easier during the week. And yet, so many people find themselves asking, “How do I start meal prepping?”

Well, put those worries aside, because we’re here to help! Meal prepping doesn’t have to be a chore. So here are a few tips and tricks to make meal prepping easy.

What Different Types Of Meal Prepping Are There?

When it comes to meal prepping you actually have a few options:

Full meals: This is one of the types of meal prepping that most people think of. You cook a single meal and freeze, store, or portion it out throughout the week.
Batch cooking: This is also a very popular form of meal prepping. You make several meals which you portion out and eat during the week.
Ingredient prep: Finally, we have ingredient prepping. This is a great option for people who don’t mind cooking during the week, but who want to prepare all of their ingredients ahead of time. Think pre-chopping vegetables for a meal so all you have to do is assemble during the week.

Get Those Containers

The most basic of basic steps is this - get containers to help in your meal prep. From mason jars to Tupperware, you need something to hold all of those healthy meals and snacks you make.

Pick Your Level

You might be tempted to dive into the deep end and prep your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But the best thing you can do when you’re a beginner is start small. Start by prepping one meal to get in the habit, then slowly build up and add more. If you get frustrated early on, you’re less likely to stick with it. Why not set yourself up for success?

Make A Shopping List

Call me Captain Obvious, but a key step in meal prepping is to go to the store armed with a solid grocery list. Meal prepping can be time-consuming if you don’t plan properly. Going into the store already knowing what you need to buy will reduce the amount of time you spend wandering around the aisles, wondering if you’ll ever make it back home to catch up on Netflix.

As an extra tip, organize items on your shopping list by aisle (i.e. group all the produce you need or list everything you know will be in the soups and sauces aisle). This way you prevent having to go back and forth to the same areas of the store.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

If you’re batch cooking a bunch of meals during the week, it’s helpful to repeat ingredients as much as possible. It’s super easy to prepare staple foods like pasta, quinoa, and rice to serve as the base for multiple meals. You’ll save time and cut down on the number of dirty dishes. Your mom would be so proud!

Breakfast Just Got A Little Easier

When you’re rushing to get ready in the morning, it’s very tempting to skip breakfast. But resist the urge to grab a coffee and run out the door (and I am calling myself out here). Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all. Want an easy way to meal prep in the morning? It’s all about shakes!

They are a great way to get all the nutrients you need in the morning and they’re travel-friendly. There are tons of shake mix options - and the best ones even help you lose weight, gain energy, and just feel better overall. Enter QuiAri Shake! With a taste you’ll love, 24 essential vitamins and minerals, 16 grams of long-lasting protein, and just 120 calories per serving you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better breakfast option when you’re on the go.

Don’t Stress It

For our last and final tip (for now...we’ve got the meal prep bug, so expect more tips soon) - don’t stress over meal prepping. After all, this is all about making your life easier. You might see health gurus on Pinterest and Instagram prepping every snack, meal, and drink with tons of fancy recipes - but that isn’t what your routine needs to look like. Don’t be afraid to customize and figure out what works well for your schedule.

Take small steps to get started and don’t freak out if you miss a meal or even a week. There’s always next time!

How To Meal Prep Like A Pro