Meal prep or batch cooking?
Both words describe the same idea: cooking the meals for several days in one go. “Meal prep” is used more in fitness, for boxes portioned to a goal; “batch cooking”, a term used a lot in the UK, more often for family meals.
Meal prep for beginners: the basic rules
Meal prep is mostly organisation. A first session goes better with a few simple rules:
- One box per preparation: rice or pasta kept in its own box stays firm, and is portioned at the meal.
- Let food cool, close the box and put it in the fridge within two hours of cooking.
- Three days in the fridge at most, cooking day included, and less for cooked rice; what you will eat later goes in the freezer on cooking day.
- Choose recipes that reheat well: roasts, stews, pulses, grains.
Without a freezer, the number of sessions adapts instead: for seven days of meals, you need to cook at least three times.
Meal prep ideas and batch cooking recipes that keep
The best meal prep ideas are dishes that hold three days in the fridge or freeze well, and reheat without drying out. Easy, healthy ones to start with:
- Chicken thighs roasted with vegetables, with rice or bulgur in a separate box.
- A chilli con carne or a bean chilli, which freezes well.
- A lentil or chickpea curry, with the rice kept apart.
- A bolognese sauce, with the pasta in its own box.
- A tray of roasted vegetables to go with several meals.
Dressed salads, fried food and dishes with a crisp topping are the ones that suffer most in a box.
Meal prep for weight loss or muscle gain
To lose weight, the plate keeps generous vegetables and a full portion of protein, with a smaller portion of starch. To build muscle, the protein and starch portions are larger, with the same vegetables.
The same dish can serve both goals in one household: only the portion changes.