5 Meal Prep Strategies That Actually Work
Meal prep doesn't have to mean spending your entire Sunday in the kitchen eating the same sad chicken and rice all week. Here are five approaches that actually fit into real life.
1. The Component Prep
Instead of making full meals, prep individual components that mix and match throughout the week.
How it works:
- Cook 2-3 proteins (grilled chicken, ground turkey, baked salmon)
- Prepare 2-3 grains or starches (rice, quinoa, roasted potatoes)
- Wash and chop vegetables for quick cooking
- Make 2-3 sauces or dressings
Why it works: You get variety without the boredom. Monday's grilled chicken goes on a salad. Tuesday it's in a wrap. Wednesday it tops a grain bowl.
Chef tip: Not sure what components pair well together? Ask PlanShopChop's Chef AI to suggest combinations. Tell it what proteins and grains you're prepping, and it'll generate recipes that mix and match them throughout the week.
2. The Freezer Strategy
Dedicate one cooking session to making meals that freeze well, then build a rotating stockpile.
Best freezer-friendly meals:
- Soups and stews
- Casseroles and baked pasta
- Marinated proteins (freeze before cooking)
- Breakfast burritos and sandwiches
Pro tip: Need a new freezer meal idea? Tell Chef what you have on hand and it'll create a recipe designed for freezing — complete with ingredients, steps, and reheating instructions.
3. The 2x Dinner Method
The simplest approach: every time you cook dinner, make double. Eat one portion tonight, package the other for lunch or a future dinner.
This works because:
- No extra planning required
- Minimal additional cooking time
- You're already cleaning the kitchen anyway
- Natural variety since you're cooking different dinners each night
PlanShopChop makes this easy: When you're in a recipe, use Chef to adjust the servings up with one quick message. It recalculates all the ingredient amounts automatically, and if the recipe is on your meal plan, the shopping list updates to match.
4. The Breakfast Assembly Line
Breakfast is the easiest meal to prep because most people are happy eating the same thing all week.
Quick wins:
- Overnight oats in mason jars (5 jars, 10 minutes)
- Egg muffins or frittata (12 portions, 30 minutes)
- Smoothie packs (pre-portioned frozen fruit + greens in bags)
- Chia pudding with different toppings
Chef tip: Tell Chef "create a breakfast meal prep recipe I can make on Sunday for the whole week" and it'll generate something tailored to your preferences. Want it high-protein? Dairy-free? Just say so.
5. The Smart Shopping List
Half of meal prep success is having the right ingredients on hand. A well-organized shopping list means fewer trips to the store and less food waste.
The PlanShopChop approach:
- Plan your meals for the week
- Let the app generate your combined shopping list
- The list automatically organizes by store aisle
- Check off items as you shop — no backtracking
When your pantry is stocked with the right ingredients, "what's for dinner?" goes from stressful to simple. And if you realize mid-shop that you want to add something, PlanShopChop's shopping assistant lets you add items by just telling it what you need.
Keep Reading
- All Your Recipes in One Place: 4 Ways to Build Your Personal Cookbook — Import recipes from anywhere so you always know what to cook.
- Stop Wasting Food: How Meal Planning Cuts Your Grocery Waste in Half — A consolidated shopping list means less waste and more savings.
- Stop Stressing About Dinner: How PlanShopChop Makes Home Cooking Easy — How recipes, planning, and shopping all connect.
Start Meal Prepping Smarter
PlanShopChop connects your recipes, meal plan, and shopping list so nothing falls through the cracks. Start your free trial and see how much easier weeknight dinners can be.