Menu Planning & Meal Prep 101 – Part 3: Food Prep Made Simple

• Part 3 of 3 in the Meal Prep Series: Food Preparation.

• You’ve already planned and shopped, now it’s time to prep efficiently without spending all day in the kitchen.

• Start with a clean workspace, make a prep list, and gather your equipment before cooking.

• Prioritize tasks by cook time (chicken slow-cooks first, eggs last).

• Work smart: use all surfaces and appliances simultaneously.

• Clean as you go, label leftovers, and enjoy a faster, stress-free week.

• Even small starts (like prepping lunches only) build consistency over time.

The Final Step: Food Preparation

Don’t overthink it, just start with what you know.

Congratulations! You’ve made it through the nitty gritty and you are now onto Part 3 of this whole menu planning and food prep endeavor: the food preparation itself. This is often the step that scares folks the most. In part, that’s because it’s the part we can see. I mean, we call it “food prep” for crying out loud. The preparation is the whole point.

The other scary part is that many of us do not feel comfortable in the kitchen or cooking. Finding and creating recipes is overwhelming. Even once you’ve chosen a recipe, executing it has so many places to go wrong. What knife do I use? (The one you’ve got.) How big should I chop the veggies? (Do you want to have to cut it when you’re eating it? No? Then bite size.) Don’t overthink it. This will be a learning experience, embrace it.

The best news is that you’ve already conquered one of these scary situations. You have already created a menu and know exactly what you are making for this week. Now let’s get a handle on how to do this without spending the whole day in the kitchen.

Step 1: Set Up Your Kitchen

Clean, clear, and ready for action.

Like the other parts, this requires a little set up. First, be sure you are working in a space that does not already feel overwhelming. Start with a clean kitchen. If there are dishes in the sink, get them washed or loaded into the dishwasher and run it. Clear the countertops and table. Unload clean racks.

Once this is all done, you’re going to make one more list: the prep list.

Step 2: Create Your Prep List

Write down every task you need to complete.

The prep list will literally be a list of everything you need to accomplish to have food ready for the week. You’ve got breakfast burritos, pulled chicken bowls, salads and a few other things on the menu.

For the burritos you’ll need to cook eggs, bacon, onions, and peppers. Then assemble them once cooled.
For the chicken bowls you’ll need pulled chicken, rice, beans, and toppings like guac, lettuce, and tomato.
For the salads you’ll need to chop lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and the leftover deli meat. Then assemble those too.

You’ll do this for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu item you have listed for the week.

Step 3: Gather Equipment

Everything out and ready before you cook.

With the prep list assembled, it’s time to pull out the equipment you may need. For this example, you’ll need the rice cooker, crock pot, to preheat the oven, and set racks for things to cool. Get all these things out of the cabinets, get the oven set for the roasting veggies and bacon.

Lastly, before you really dig in, prioritize the list. You must cook the eggs before you can assemble the burritos, the chicken will take the longest to cook, but the least amount of hands-on effort, etc.

Ok, you’ve got everything set and ready to go. Personally, this is when my husband and I turn up the music and maybe pour a mimosa or cup of tea. This is when we try to remember it is a privilege to provide for ourselves this way.

Step 4: Start Cooking Smart

Use timing and multitasking to your advantage.

The chicken breast gets trimmed and popped into the crockpot. We hit it with some dry spices and set it long and low. Done with that bit! Same thing for the rice, it gets rinsed and tossed into the rice cooker. Timer set, mission accomplished.

No rice cooker? No problem. A pot of boiling water will get you there too. Set your pot of water on the stove and fire it up! Lay out the bacon on a baking tray and toss it into the already preheated oven.

Use recipes, ChatGPT, or Google if you need help.

Step 5: Clean as You Go

Stay organized and save time later.

Make sure you clean up after yourself as you go. Throw away and recycle any and all packaging. Wash your cutting board or put it in the sink and get a new clean one after you trim the chicken.

Make a note on next week’s grocery list that you’ll need rice because you just used the last of the rice from the pantry, and so on.

Step 6: Chop, Cool, and Assemble

Batch tasks and prep in layers.

Look at you, the easy stuff is already going. Now you’ve got some space to chop onions and peppers. Put these on a baking tray with some olive oil and put them in the oven too. If you don’t have room for them because the bacon is in there still, just place them off to the side.

Remember, multiple racks can be used in a single oven. It may slightly slow the baking times, but not by much. Use the light in your oven to check it. Your oven loses 10 degrees (Fahrenheit) every second it’s open, keep it closed.

If you have things on the stove cooking that require stirring, check them.

Your veggie cutting board is still out, so now is the perfect time to chop what you need for your lunch salads. Chop the lettuce and pack lunch portions directly into your containers.

If you know you’ll need three salads this week, set out three containers and build as you go. Add the chopped deli meat to one or two and set the other off to the side to have pulled chicken added to it. Cover them and put them in the refrigerator.

Step 7: Finish Strong

Cool before assembling; pack by meal.

By now, your rice may be done, or the items in the oven. Take everything that is done out, set it out to cool and put in whatever is waiting.

Now is when you want to cook the quicker items that require your full attention, like the scrambled eggs or guacamole for the chicken bowls. When the eggs are done, put them off to cool, cover the guac and put it in the fridge.

For the pulled chicken and other meal ingredients you don’t want to assemble ahead of time, simply put each ingredient into its own container, cool, and refrigerate.

When chicken bowl night rolls around you’ll be able to pull the container of chicken, of rice, and of beans. All you will need to do is heat them up, pull out your pre-chopped toppings, and let everyone build their own bowls. Getting dinner ready will be a 10-minute process, success!

For the items that need to be assembled, like the burritos, be patient. Do not assemble anything until it’s fully cooled. Once cooled and assembled, package per meal and refrigerate.

Step 8: Start Small & Build Routine

Progress matters more than perfection.

Even after breaking it down, this is still a lot to manage, so don’t be afraid to start gradually. Try prepping just two meals the first week, or maybe just your lunches. Maybe you start by simply creating a menu and grocery shopping, still prepping and cooking daily.

Eventually this will become second nature and the whole process will take a total of just a few hours each week. Those few hours will save you double that during the week, and the added stress of figuring it out on the fly.

Beyond all that, it sets you up for nutritional success. Now you can ensure the right amount of protein, measure portions, and experiment with new flavors and food items.

The Payoff

Less stress, better nutrition, more time for you.

When you stick to meal planning and food prep, you’ll reap the benefits of less stress, better nutrition, and less guesswork. When you follow the steps outlined here, in Parts 1, 2, and 3, you will easily stick to meal planning and food prep.

You’ve got this! 💪

PRO TIP:

Utilize all your cooking surfaces and appliances. We often bake in the oven, grill outdoors, and run the crockpot, air fryer, and rice cooker all at once. There may be a few more surfaces to clean, but it cuts your work time significantly.