15 Totally Do-Able Meal Prepping Tips To Try Out This Week

Prep ingredients not meals.

We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community for their meal prep tips. Here are some of the best responses.

1. Plan your fridge and freezer storage ahead of cooking.

Flo Perry / BuzzFeed

"I always buy frozen mince and keep it in the freezer until I use it. I buy fresh veg and freeze it, which saves fridge space. Chop onions (and other veg) and keep them in a Tupperware container. " – lucylouh

2. Balance your flavours throughout the week.

"Flavor-wise, I balance whatever I cooked on Sunday with the thing I cook later in the week. i.e. if I do an Italian thing Sunday I'll make sure to do a curry or salad later in the week, and vice versa." –  opalescenttreeshark

3. Make a note of successful dishes.

Maritsa Patrinos/ BuzzFeed

"I keep a calendar of the meals I made. That way I can keep stop myself from falling in a repeated meal rut. When I make a particularly tasty dish, I can add a note to make that again sometime soon. And when something isn’t as tasty, I can save myself from making that mistake again." –  alexisp

4. Defrost meals a day at a time to stop them going bad.

"I only keep the first days food in the fridge, and I freeze the rest of my meals, to keep them fresh (4 day old food in the fridge is nasty). Just stay away from things that don't defrost or reheat well like pasta with creamy sauces." –  roo95

5. And embrace batch cooking.

Becky Barnicoat / Getty Images

"Batch cook basic meals, like bolognese or pasta sauces and freeze them, which saves time in the evenings." – lucylouh

6. Get a slow cooker.

"You can make so many delicious meals without the stress of having to spend hours in the kitchen. Just pop all your ingredients in, go to work/school/take a nap, and it'll take care of the rest!" – roo95

7. Remove excess packaging.

Jamie Jones / BuzzFeed

"When buying things like yoghurts, I always take them out of their packaging, which saves loads of space." – lucylouh

8. Take your time.

"Don’t feel like you have to do all of your cooking in one day. Chop produce and measure out seasonings the day before and then cook the dishes the next day. It cuts down a lot on cook time, especially for new recipes." –  carolynf

9. Cut yourself some slack.

Maritsa Patrinos/ BuzzFeed

"I tried so hard to do some mason jar salad or lentil vegan meal prep but realized I will actually make it through a healthy 8 hour day in the office with my meal prepped food if I indulge just a little bit with what I'm cooking.

"So while I'm still staying healthy, I will make a bunch of tortellini or barley risotto (healthy-ish and without a ton of cheese) and will just make sure to add a lot of veggies (fresh or frozen depending on the time of year) to the meal. It makes me actually look forward to my food when it is more flavored and seasoned with a hint of cheesy carbs, and when there is a good balance of vegetables, fats and carbs." –  opalescenttreeshark

10. Prep ingredients not meals.

"This way you don't have to eat the same meal every day, which I personally get sick of real quick, but can create several different food combinations with the same ingredients. Roasted veggies, grains and chicken for example are a great meal on their on but prep some other veggies as well and make yourself a bowl or salad." – lisamarii

11. A little effort goes a long way.

Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed

"When I prep salads for the week, I wash, chop, and thoroughly dry the lettuce. It stays crispy all week. I use grape tomatoes and cut up the mini cuqe fresh every morning." – k4b

12. Make meal prep fit into *your* routine.

"My boyfriend bought me a dinner planner, so I sit down and plan what I'm going to cook for the week based on how much time I'll have that day, and how big of a lunch I'm going to want the day after. " – Casey Hansen via Facebook

13. And a daily splurge can help break up the monotony.

Jenny Chang/ BuzzFeed

"I have two protein choices and a variety of toppings so I'm not having the exact same salad everyday. I do splurge and get the single cup dressings from the sandwich shop by work everyday ($0.75) to change it up. Those are my salad tips!" – k4b

14. Make an effort with presentation.

"Plate your dishes to look pretty like a restaurant, then it doesn’t feel as humdrum!" – perplexis

15. If a routine isn't working for you, you can adapt it.

Jenna Guillaume/ BuzzFeed

"Honestly, meal prepped food tastes good for a maximum of 2 days. I meal prepped HARD until I realized that it's depressing forcing 4 day old rice down your throat, especially when you've had the same meal five days in a row. What works best for me is to make larger portions of dinner and just bring the leftovers for lunch. It's fresh, delicious and new every day!" – Sarah Keller via Facebook

Some responses have been edited for length.

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