My Go-To Meal Prep Routine for Busy Weekdays

Hey everyone!

[cooked food ready for fridge, freezer in a 4 day-work-week.](https://preview.redd.it/bypiisuz7tcc1.jpg?width=3776&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae48792cb37fc710ce045bff61d116b0c9f798bd)

[fruit boxes, 1 per meal.](https://preview.redd.it/r5udxh728tcc1.jpg?width=3420&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99f142e7cb3d8e9091aaca2b63bada6a8596ecad)

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[meal boxes removed from freezer for pic.](https://preview.redd.it/eedh0u018tcc1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=508f9af60d6120a034cd35b7af248729ba86bc7c)

I want to share my meal prep routine. It has made my Sunday really busy but it’s been a game-changer for my busy weekdays. To reach my routine, I focussed first on the macros, then on saving time and diverse foods. I wanted to write one short post on it but I ended up with a 6-part blog series with photos, videos, and tips. My hope is I am able to distill some relevant tips here instead of you needing to head to the blog (not linked here). Here’s a summary:

1. **Macro-Focused Meal Plans:** I follow a detailed meal plan tailored to my calorie goals (2,400 – 3,000 daily for me, 1,700 for my wife). Check out our macro splits[ here](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7c2215_da3b769742cf41b5adf9ccfe778e7ad1~mv2.png) and[ here](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7c2215_4ae9dbd032e14d469d01bbdbef12c5c7~mv2.png).
2. **Diverse Foods:** We keep things fresh with a variety of veggies, fruits, nuts, and proteins. Take a look at our variety statistics[ here](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7c2215_f73cffcb8ff34e3bbf8020d6f926fa3d~mv2.png). for example, we cook eggs in 6 different ways or cook 17 vegetables.
3. **Efficient Meal Prep:** We’ve nailed down a routine that saves time and money, focusing on bulk preparation and efficient cooking. Our approach is more about simplicity and less about fancy dishes. I originally thought I eat 12 different things each day. But, then realized most of those 12 are the ingredients, not the final product. (e.g. rice vs rice burrito bowl)
4. **4 Foundational Principles:** Our meal prep is grounded in these principles – 1) aligning with diet goals, 2) bulk preparation, 3) separating cooking from consumption, and 4) minimizing weekday cooking time.
5. **Our Weekly Routine:** We start with a bulk order of veggies and fruits, followed by streamlined cooking and storage processes. See our process[ here](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7c2215_1b88220712c7460abbac3667511023ff~mv2.png).

Here’s an example of how I modified our[ chicken and vegetable](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7c2215_97dc316b353c419c931fc9c26c5f6c65~mv2.png) prep.

**(Stage 2) Quick Prep Tips Before Cooking**

Prepping Vegetables

1. Hire Help for Chopping: Saves hours weekly. I realize this may not be feasible for everyone. *Edit**: based on the comments, alternative 1 – Instead, you can buy pre-chopped frozen veggies (most are better quality and as cheap as fresh veggies). alternative 2 – chop veggies on different evenings when you get a few minutes. keep chopped veggies in the fridge till your weekend cooking time.*
2. Use a Salad Spinner: Keeps greens fresh longer.
3. Chop Veggies in Large Pieces: Time-efficient, especially if you are boiling.
4. Opt for Canned Tomatoes: Longer shelf life, convenient.
5. Frozen Pre-Diced Veggies: Onions, peppers, etc., for easy flavor.

Prepping Fruits

1. Apple Slicer for Easy Cuts: Minimizes chopping time for apples and pears.
2. Lemon/Lime Drops on Chopped Apples: Extends freshness.

**(Stage 3) Advanced Cooking Tips: Quantity & Quality**

Egg Cooking

1. Prep in bulk: We crack 30-40 eggs at a time. We season, whisk, and scramble them in a large wok.
2. Alternate Methods: We sometimes use egg boilers and cupcake trays for steaming or baking eggs in bulk. This does not require using the stovetop.

Vegetable Cooking

1. Pre-Boil Before Stir-Frying to save time and reduce oil use.
2. Add Volume with Diverse Veggies, because some greens shrink on cooking. Mix green leafy vegetables with mushrooms, carrots, or bell peppers to increase quantity and texture variation.

Rice and Bread

1. Batch Cook Rice. Later, reheat in the microwave rather than cooking fresh each time.
2. Prep Sandwiches in Bulk: Refrigerated bread (goes stale in fridge, but,) toasts well in a grill, while kept in its aluminum foil, restoring freshness. Toasting/grilling refrigerated bread restores it.

Lentils and (Hard) Cheese

1. Cook large Batches of lentils in a Pressure Cooker at once for efficiency.
2. Marinate Paneer and Chicken in parallel. Use the same spices to save time.

Oven Cooking for Chicken

1. Bulk cooking in Oven: Cook large quantities of chicken or paneer, store in the freezer.

Diet Adjustments if you are on a macro-measured diet.

1. Measured Cooking: Weigh foods before and after cooking for precise macro tracking.
2. Low-Calorie Ingredients Only: Limit high-calorie additives.
3. Consistent Chopping: Uniform food sizes for consistency. easier to weight.

Cooking a lot at once

1. Teamwork: Cooking with my wife doubles efficiency.
2. We use 2 5L Stockpots and pre-chopped Veggies to speed up cooking of vegetables.
3. Use kettle for Quick Boiling of water before transferring to stockpots.
4. Use Oven and Cooktop to cook different items simultaneously.

Would love to hear your thoughts and any tips you might have!

by brio09