Meal Prep Optimization

How to save time and effort with your meal prep with maximum convenience.

1. Plan your meals. Know what you are cooking. Same goes for your shopping list.
   

2. Choose meals that require as minimal cooking utensils as possible. There are a lot of recipes out there that only need one pot/pan/sheet, and don't require you to spend too much time preparing ingredients. Eg. This One-pot spanish rice is a great example: https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/one-pan-spanish-chicken-rice/
   

3. Recipes: I generally use the following criteria to distinguish a good recipe to use for meal preparation: A. Is it delicious? (first and foremost) B. Does it require much prep? (Anything that goes over 10 minutes prep in terms of cutting/washing is a deeeeal breaker.) C. Can I walk away while its cooking for at least 30 mins and it be done when i get back? (Any meals that can cook by themselves where you can walk away from, is a winner in my eyes. Slow cooking/oven baking are great examples.)

Any recipe that hits all 3 criteria for your meal prep, and you've found yourself a staple.

Pick 1-3 recipes. I like to pick one for the oven, one or two for the stovetop and if I feel like going the extra mile; one for the slow cooker. I cook in bulk (and eat a metric shit-ton) so a 4 recipe meal prep for me would yield something to the tune of 20-25 meals, but i cook for two people. Either, way, you're sorted for a solid week.

5. Create a shopping list and write down the ingredients in advance so that you're not second guessing at the store, or realising you've forgotten to buy something as you walk back in the house (been there way too many times.)

6. Clear ample space in the kitchen, you'll need it.

6. Compartmentalise and prepare ingredients as efficiently as possible. Wash all veggies at once in the sink. Make your spice mixes/sort out your seasonings, sort ingredients out per recipe and then prepare them. Start with the recipes that require the longest cooking times and work your way down from there.