Meal Prep Ideas for Beginners: Easy Meal Prep in 90 Minutes
Published · 7 min read
Meal prep simply means cooking some of your week’s food in advance. You don’t need 20 identical containers. Even prepping three ingredients on Sunday makes every weekday dinner faster.
1. Choose your style
- Full meals: complete lunches portioned into containers. Best if you want zero decisions.
- Ingredient prep: cook rice, roast vegetables, cook a protein, make a sauce, then mix and match. Best if you get bored easily.
- Batch cooking: a big pot of soup, curry or chili, eaten twice and frozen once.
Beginners do best with ingredient prep.
2. Pick a small menu
Start with one protein, one grain, two vegetables and one sauce. For example: sheet pan chicken and vegetables, rice, and a yogurt-lemon sauce. Add egg muffins or overnight oats for breakfast.
3. A 90-minute starter plan
| Time | Task |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Oven on to 220 °C (425 °F). Start the rice. |
| 0:10 | Chop vegetables, season chicken, everything on trays. |
| 0:20 | Trays in the oven. Mix overnight oats in jars. |
| 0:35 | Whisk eggs and fill a muffin tin. |
| 0:50 | Trays out, egg muffins in. Make the sauce. |
| 1:10 | Cool everything for 20 minutes, then portion and refrigerate. |
4. Store it safely
- Cool food quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking.
- Use airtight glass or BPA-free containers.
- Eat refrigerated meals within 3–4 days. Freeze the rest.
- Keep sauces and crunchy toppings separate until serving.
5. Recipes that reheat well
Chickpea curry, red lentil soup, ground beef taco bowls and one-pan chicken and rice all taste just as good on day three.
Plan your prep in RecipeMe
RecipeMe builds your weekly menu around your goal, then makes the grocery list in one tap. You see what to cook on Sunday and what is planned for every day, with calories already counted.
Questions
How long does meal prep last in the fridge?
Most cooked meals keep safely for 3–4 days in the fridge at 4 °C (40 °F) or below. Freeze anything you plan to eat after that.
What are the best foods for meal prep?
Grains like rice and quinoa, roasted vegetables, chicken thighs, ground meat, beans, lentils, hard-boiled eggs, soups and curries all reheat well.
Is meal prep cheaper?
Usually yes. Buying for a plan means fewer impulse purchases, less food waste and fewer takeaway meals.
