Prepping meals in advance means you don’t have to cook every day, saving you time; however, if you are not used to prepping in advance, it can feel daunting. By following some simple tips, you will soon get into the habit and enjoy how much easier it can make your day.

1. Decide how many meals to prep

Don’t start with a massive tower of containers to fill; instead, choose a manageable number of meals to prep. It might be that you cook and freeze two or three meals for the week ahead, make a bunch of snacks, or prepare the week’s packed lunches.

2. Meal plan

Deciding at the start of the week what meals you would like will make it easier to shop for the ingredients and help with the preparation. It will also reduce food wastage, as you use all the ingredients in meals for freezing or to be used throughout the week.

3. Start with lunch

When you are new to meal prepping, lunch is an easy meal to start with. Make lunches for the week, saving you time on busy mornings. You can make up sandwiches or salads, storing them for when they are needed.

Another option that will save even more time is office lunch catering. With everything delivered by a company such as https://www.crumbsdelivered.co.uk/shop/office-lunch-delivery, all prep is done for you.

4. Base meals

Preparing a base meal that you can make simple additions to is a good way to prepare meals while ensuring variety; for example, a bolognese sauce can be enjoyed with pasta but add some spice and beans and you have a chilli or a filling for burritos. A third potion can be topped with mashed potato for a cottage pie.

5. One-pot meals

A downside to meal prep can be the vast amount of clearing up and washing up required afterwards, so keep this to a minimum with one-pot meals. There are many meals, including vegetarian and vegan dishes, that can be cooked in a single pot. Examples include stews, pasta dishes, and pilaffs