Hi friend,

If “meal prep” feels overwhelming, here’s some good news: there’s more than one way to do it. You definitely don’t have to prep every single meal, every single week, to see the benefits.

Today, I wanted to walk you through three different meal prep strategies with real examples, so you can pick what works best for your season of life right now.

1. Ingredient Prep (aka prep now, decide later)

This method is all about prepping components instead of full meals. That might mean cooking a single ingredient (like a big batch of shredded chicken) or prepping several ingredients that can be mixed and matched throughout the week.

A simple example is this Baked Shredded Chicken Base Recipe. Once you have that done, you can use it in wraps, salads, bowls, or pasta without committing to one specific meal. (PS have you seen my Shredded Chicken Meal Prep Guide? $5 off right now!)

Another great example is something like these Banh Mi–Inspired Meal Prep Bowls. You’ll notice the ingredients can be prepped separately and assembled in different ways and amounts, depending on the mood or meal. Keeping things separate leaves room for customization later.

This approach is flexible and creative, and it helps you build confidence making your own meals instead of following recipes exactly every time.

2. Double Batch & Freeze (aka cook once, eat twice)

This is one of my favorite time-saving strategies. If you’re already cooking, you might as well cook more for later!

Recipes like Ginger Ground Beef Bowls or Freezer-Friendly Tuna Noodle Casserole are perfect for doubling. You already have the ingredients out, the cutting board dirty, and the stove on. Making extra adds little time but gives you meals for the future.

Freezing half means future-you gets a break on a busy night. If you want more ideas and visuals, my Freezer-Friendly Recipes I Made Before Surgery article is a great resource for both strategy and inspiration.

3. Full Meal Prep (aka the classic method)

This is what most people think of when they hear “meal prep”: make the recipe, portion it out, and eat it throughout the week.

If you’re newer to meal prep, starting with something like Easy Cashew Chicken Meal Prep or the reader-favorite Meal Prep Unstuffed Pepper Bowls is a great place to begin. These are balanced, flavorful, and reheat really well, which is key for make-ahead meals!

This method works best when you know you’ll be eating meals at predictable times and want things ready to grab and go. It's a wonderful method, but not right for everyone!

No matter which method you choose, the goal is the same: less stress during the week and fewer last minute food decisions.

And if you want help putting this into practice, our January Meal Planning Challenge kicked off this week, and it’s not too late to join! This is such a simple way to get support you might need to make meal planning feel more doable.

✨ Join the 4-Week Meal Planning Challenge ⬇️

Here’s to fewer mealtime headaches in 2026!