Meal Prep for People Who Hate Meal Prep

You do not need to spend your entire Sunday in the kitchen. Here is a 45-minute approach that sets you up for the whole week.

The version of meal prep you see on social media — dozens of identical containers, hours of chopping, colour-coded labels — is not realistic for most people. And it is not necessary.

The minimal prep approach

The goal is not to cook every meal in advance. The goal is to remove the friction from your weekday decisions. That means having a few key components ready, not a full menu.

What to prep (and what not to)

Prep: cooked grains (rice, quinoa), roasted vegetables, cooked protein (chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs), washed salad leaves, overnight oats for two days.

Do not prep: sauces, dressings, anything that goes soggy, full assembled meals that you will be bored of by Wednesday.

The 45-minute Sunday routine

Start the rice cooker. While it runs, roast a tray of vegetables and cook a batch of chicken. Hard-boil six eggs. Wash and dry your salad leaves. By the time the rice is done, everything else is too.

This gives you the building blocks for quick lunches and dinners all week without the Sunday dread.