Meal Prep: How to Prepare All Your Weekly Meals in 2 Hours

What is meal prep?

Meal prep (or batch cooking) is the practice of preparing several days' worth of food in one cooking session — typically 2 hours on the weekend. The goal: have healthy, ready-to-eat food accessible all week, removing the daily decision of what to cook.

Why meal prep works

• Removes daily decision fatigue around food
• Saves an average of 4–6 hours of active cooking per week
• Reduces food waste (buying exactly what you need)
• Makes it much easier to hit protein and calorie targets consistently
• Reduces reliance on takeout and ultra-processed convenience food

The 5-day meal prep system

Choose your bases:

• 1 grain: Brown rice (500g dry) or quinoa or oats
• 1–2 proteins: Chicken breast (800g) + eggs (×12)
• 3–4 vegetables: Roasted broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, sweet potato
• 1 legume: Cooked lentils or chickpeas
• 1 sauce/dressing: Tahini-lemon, pesto, or yogurt-herb

Mix and match throughout the week for variety without re-cooking.

2-hour Sunday timeline

• 0:00–0:15: Start rice/quinoa (set and forget), boil eggs
• 0:15–0:30: Season and prep chicken for oven, chop vegetables for roasting
• 0:30–1:00: Oven for chicken + vegetables simultaneously
• 1:00–1:30: Portion meals into containers, make sauces
• 1:30–2:00: Cool, label, and refrigerate/freeze

Storage times