Meal prep for beginners

Nobody can ignore the topic of meal prep at the moment. The food trend is becoming more and more popular and we at 3Bears are also big meal prep fans. That's why we've put together our meal prep 101 as an introduction to the world of meal prepping.

What is meal prep?

Meal prep sounds fancy at first. But the concept is pretty simple. With meal prepping, several recipes are prepared in one day and divided into meals, so that your food is already prepared and waiting in the fridge to be eaten for the following days. You've probably often had the situation where something was left over at dinner and you reheated it for lunch the next day. This is basically the smallest form of meal prepping.

In order to benefit from all the positive effects of planned pre-cooking, it makes sense to prepare your meals for at least 3 days. You can prepare well for up to 7 days. For a longer period of time it often becomes difficult in terms of the shelf life of the food and at some point you run out of space in the fridge. For fresh dishes, such as salads, it of course makes sense to add some ingredients fresh.

Meal prepping vs. meal planning

In addition to meal prepping, meal planning is also often spoken of. Simply put: meal prepping is about planning your meals and also implementing them - i.e. chopping, cooking, baking and so on. Meal planning is all about planning meals without pre-cooking. So at the beginning of the week you think about which dishes you want to prepare, do your shopping in one go and can then cook the dishes fresh throughout the week.

5 reasons why you should start meal prepping

Planning and cooking in advance sounds like a lot of work. So what exactly is the benefit of meal prepping?

to save time

Pre-planning and pre-cooking your meals can save you a lot of time. The dishes and meals are prepared in one day. This means you have invested several hours in just one day. By preparing larger quantities on this day, you can do the washing up in one go, for example, and you don't have to spend your time on it every day.

save money

Your wallet will thank you too. Pre-planning your meals will also make your trip to the market or supermarket look different. Equipped with a shopping list for the planned recipes, you have a precise schedule and know exactly what goes into the shopping cart and what doesn't. Visits to restaurants and the delivery service are also used less or more specifically, as you decide at the beginning of the week whether and when you will eat out.

Eat healthier

With meal prep it is much easier to implement a conscious diet. By planning meals, you are less exposed to spontaneous temptations and can therefore build and maintain your good habits.

Less stress

Admittedly, planning ahead for seven days sounds a bit stressful. By planning your meals in advance, you give your week more structure and the opposite happens: you have less stress, you don't have to rush to the grocery store after work or stand in front of the empty fridge with your stomach growling between a marathon meeting - we've all been there there! Of course, you can also swap your meals during the week and eat whatever you feel like from the dishes you have prepared.

No food waste

In Germany, around 18 million tonnes of food ends up in the trash every year. This is really frightening. Each of us can do our part to waste less food. By planning and preparing your meals, you can make a big contribution to this, as you only buy the food that you plan to consume.

How does meal prepping work?

Have you been convinced by the many advantages? Well then – let’s get it! We'll show you how you can approach the topic as a beginner.

Step 1: Make a plan

Nothing works without a plan. In the first step, you should decide for yourself how many days you want to plan ahead and which meals you want to cook in advance. Then it’s time to research – what recipes should there actually be? Our tip: think in a modular system. For example, if you pre-cook rice, think about what dishes you can combine the rice with. It's best to record everything in a calendar or an overview.

Step 2: Write a shopping list

The most important thing for your shopping is the shopping list. Many foods can be bought in advance, such as canned goods (chickpeas, beans), porridge , rice or oat drink. Not everything has to be homemade, with our Pocket Porridge you are guaranteed a nutritious snack.

Step 3: Prepare meals

The meals are all prepared in one go. For example, you can prepare the dishes for the coming days on Sunday and start the week relaxed on Monday. You can start your day particularly deliciously with overnight oats. You can easily prepare them in portions on Sunday for the coming days in our overnight oats jar .

Step 4: Store properly

To ensure that your dishes last for a long time, it is important to store the food correctly. You can also freeze some dishes, such as soups, without any worries. For example, you can only store cooked rice for 2 days. So you should plan this for the first days of the week.

Let's go!

Sounds easy, right? Let's go! If you are new to the meal prep business, we recommend that you only plan for 3 days and start with simple dishes. Alternatively, you can initially only plan two meals a day and, for example, cook them fresh in the evening. Over time you will find your meal prep routine and find out which recipes and dishes are particularly suitable for pre-cooking and baking.