Meal Prep Basics: How to Cook Once and Eat Well All Week

Meal prep is not about spending your entire Sunday in the kitchen. It is about cooking a few versatile components that you can mix and match throughout the week: a batch of grains (rice, quinoa, or couscous), a tray of roasted vegetables, a protein (baked chicken, boiled eggs, or cooked beans), and a simple sauce or dressing.

Store everything in separate containers so you can combine them differently each day — a grain bowl today, a wrap tomorrow, a soup the day after. The key is to prep ingredients, not finished meals, so you never get bored eating the same thing. Two hours on the weekend can save you ten hours and a lot of money during the week.