Meal Prep for Beginners: Your 7-Day Plan
Why Meal Prep Is Your Secret Weapon
You come home in the evening, exhausted, and reach for the delivery app. Sound familiar? Meal prep solves exactly this problem: cook once, eat healthy all week.
The numbers don’t lie:
- 40% less spent on food
- 3-4 fewer hours cooking per week
- Much easier calorie tracking
The Ground Rules
1. Start Small
Don’t prep 21 meals right away. Start with 3-4 lunches for the work week. Once that clicks, expand.
2. Building Blocks
Every meal prep dish consists of three building blocks:
- Protein: Chicken, salmon, tofu, lentils, eggs
- Complex Carbs: Rice, sweet potato, quinoa, whole grain pasta
- Vegetables: Broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, spinach
3. Invest in Good Containers
Glass containers with lids. Not plastic. They last forever, are microwave-safe, and look tidy in your fridge.
Your First Weekly Plan
| Day | Meal | Protein | Carbs | Veggies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon-Wed | Bowl 1 | Chicken breast | Rice | Broccoli + peppers |
| Thu-Fri | Bowl 2 | Salmon | Sweet potato | Zucchini + spinach |
Total prep time: about 90 minutes on Sunday.
Tracking with Flexen
The best thing about meal prep: you only need to log the meal once in Flexen. Then just copy it for the remaining days. Or even better — photograph your prepped bowl once, and Flexen recognizes it automatically next time.
Tip: Create a “Meal Prep” category in Flexen. That way you’ll find your prepped meals instantly.
Track your nutrition automatically with Flexen
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