Meal Prepping

Don’t roll your eyes, I know this isn’t for everyone. Some people like cooking fresh homemade meals after a long day in work, but I certainly don’t, and I can guarantee many of you don’t either. I want the homemade meals, of course, I just don’t want the faff of making them from scratch every night, or the washing up.

I also want something more substantial for my breakfasts than a piece of toast or some heavily sweetened, artificially flavoured and coloured breakfast cereal.

So I meal prep. And if you’re trying to spend less time chained to the kitchen sink this year, or trying to overhaul your diet, I recommend you give it a go too.

But what if I don’t want what I’ve prepped?

I don’t want to eat the same thing all week.

I don’t want to spend a whole day meal prepping.

Bear with me Pesketeers, I’ll show you how to prep healthy, quick meals with no effort at all.

Breakfasts

People are always amazed that even during the busiest of work weeks, when I’m working 12-16hour days, I always manage to have a good breakfast. My secret, as you’ve probably guessed already, is meal prepping.

I quite often have a fry-up on a Sunday, and whilst it’s cooking I’ll chop and mix and organise breakfast items for the week ahead too. If I haven’t had a cooked breakfast, I’ll prep these things at night, whilst cooking my evening meals. If I’ve got a chopping board, a knife or a pan out, I’ll use it as much as I can to save on the washing up.

Here’s how I do it:

Sausages – Instead of just cooking the sausages I need, I’ll cook a whole pack. It doesn’t matter if they’re meaty sausages, veggie sausages or vegan, they can all be cooked in advance. Once cooked, I wrap them in foil or place in an air-tight container and put them straight in the fridge. They’ll be absolutely fine for 5 days. Then, in the morning, just place a couple on a microwavable plate or on a piece of kitchen roll and heat in the microwave for 1-2mins. Make sure the sausages are piping hot in the middle before tucking in. That’s a hot sausage butty ready in literally 2mins, all you have to do is butter the bread.

Beans – One really easy, time saver is to portion up a tin of beans into microwavable air-tight tubs in advance. Because I’m veggie, I like to combine a tin of baked beans with a tin of mixed beans for added protein. I split the 2 tins between 2 or 3 tubs and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Then, when I want beans on toast, I pop the toast in the toaster, loosen the lid on a tub of beans and microwave it for 2-3mins, giving them a stir half way through.

Omelettes – You can buy frozen, mass-produced omelettes from the supermarket now, how crazy is that! It’s convenient, but what’s in them? If I’m making 1 omelette, I’ll usually end up making 3. I’ve already got all of my ingredients out, the pan is hot, and they keep for 5 days in the fridge, so why not? I put all my ingredients in a jug, give it a mix and pour it into a hot pan. Whilst that one is cooking, I’ll prep the next. Once the first one is cooked, I place it onto a plate, put the hot pan back on the hob and pour into the next. I stack them up on the same plate, one on top of the other and then wrap in foil.

Then, in the mornings, I’ll take an omelette off the pile, place it on a microwavable plate and heat in the microwave for a min on each side. That’s a healthy veg-packed omelette ready in 2mins.

See these omelette recipes for inspiration:

Cheese, Tomato and Chive Omelette – V

Super Tasty Mushroom Omelette – V

Granola – If hot breakfasts aren’t your thing, but you want to leave the artificial cereals behind, prep a granola bowl. I buy sugar free granola or muesli, pour a portion into a bowl and add a variety of dried fruits, nuts and seeds. Cover the bowl in foil or use an air-tight container instead and just add milk and a bit of natural yoghurt or honey in the morning.

Lunches

I tend to prep lunches when I’m cooking my evening meals. If the oven is on for oven chips, I’ll shove some Quorn chicken nuggets on the tray too and cook them for later on in the week at the same time. If I’m making myself a jacket potato, I’ll cook 2 and save one for lunch the next day. Or I’ll make an extra portion of pasta, anything that can be eaten cold or reheated quickly.

Salads – As long as you don’t put a dressing on them, salads last really well for about 3 days in an air-tight container in the fridge. Again, save on time and washing up. If you’ve got the ingredients, chopping board and knife out to make 1 salad, make 3. I make simple salads of mixed leaves, frozen sweetcorn, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and peppers and stack them up in the freezer. Then, in the mornings I can decide what toppings and dressings I want to go with them. I can grab a salad and a block of cheese, a tin of tuna, a packet of ham and a bottle of dressing as I’m running out the door.

Chicken / Chicken style meat alternatives – These can be cooked in advance, kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and eaten cold. I like Quorn chicken nuggets with salad and cheese. My husband likes plain chicken on a wrap with lettuce and sweet chilli sauce.

Soups – Homemade soups are fantastic for meal prepping. They’re made of all natural ingredients, they’re packed full of veg, and the recipes make multiple portions. They also freeze really well and don’t take long to defrost.

Make a batch and portion it up into airtight containers. Label each container and pop them in the freezer. Then, grab a tub as you’re running out the door. Keep it out of the fridge at work and it’ll be defrosted by lunchtime. Then you can just heat it up in the microwave and enjoy.

See these soup recipes for inspiration:

Carrot and Lentil Soup – Ve

Easy Homemade Tomato Soup – V

Pumpkin and Red Pepper Soup – V

Evening Meals

Homemade Ready Meals – So many of my recipes can be frozen in portions and reheated at a later date. For recipes that have cheese on the top or a breadcrumb topping, I like to portion into foil trays. They come with a cardboard lid that you secure by folding the edge of the foil over onto. Write what it is on the lid and pop it in the freezer. Then, when you fancy it, get it out to defrost in the morning, then just take the lid off and cook it through in the oven for about 20mins.

Alternatively, reuse your takeaway containers. Put a portion of food in a clean tub, put the lid on tight and write what’s inside on the lid with a marker pen, or on a sticky label. Then loosen the lid but leave it sat on top to stop spillages and heat through in the microwave.

It is possible to cook some meals straight from frozen, but they would need much longer to cook, obviously. I suggest 30-40mins, but check on them to make sure they don’t burn and always make sure the food is piping hot in the middle, whether it contains meat or not.

You then have your main meal ready to go, just boil some veg, heat up a pack of instant rice, cook some oven chips or grab a tub of prepared salad out of the fridge to go with it.

See these recipes for inspiration:

Butternut Squash and Bean Bake – V

Baked Basa in Parsley Sauce – Pesci

Paneer Tikka Masala – V

Haddock Bake – Pesci

Jackfruit Enchiladas – V

Brassica Bake – V

Vegetable Pasanda – Ve

Veggie Lasagne – V

Cheesy Leek and Potato Pot Pie – Heat through in the oven for 20mins for crispy pastry. – V

Veggie Steak and Ale Pie – Heat through in the oven for 20mins for crispy pastry. – V (can easily be made Ve)

Veggie Sausage Casserole – Ve

Aubergine (Egg Plant) And Courgette Bake – V

Meat Free Chilli Con Carne – V (can easily be made Ve)

Veggie Mince for Tatties – V (can easily be made Ve)

Spinach And Ricotta Pancakes – V

Briam – Ve

Blind Scouse – V (can easily be made Ve)

Side Dishes – If you’d rather cook the main part of your meal from fresh, use prepared sides to speed the cooking process up. Cook a piece of fish, meat or meat alternative (supermarkets do ready to bake ones now with sauces already included) or use up your ready cooked sausages and grab a homemade side out of the freezer to have with it.

Roasted veg is excellent for this. Put a load of washed and chopped veg in a pan along with a good glug of olive oil, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a few herbs. Roast for about an hour while you’re doing other things, then tub it up and freeze it. It can be microwaved straight from frozen.

See these recipes for inspiration:

Cauliflower Cheese – V

Grown Up Mac and Cheese – V

I hope this post has given you some meal prep inspiration. You don’t have to plan out all your meals and stick to a regimented schedule, you can absolutely give yourself choices. But a little bit of forward planning can make the world of difference, saving you time and effort in the long run and helping you stick to any healthy eating plans or changes you’re hoping to make to your diet in the new year. Next time you’re cooking, just think ‘is there anything I can do now to save myself time later?’. Use your freezer to your advantage and enjoy your leftovers.