How to meal prep, start to finish

1. Decide what you're prepping

Don't try to prep every meal in week one. The easiest win is weekday lunches: they're the meal most often bought out and the one with the fewest decisions. Choose two recipes that keep 4 days and reheat well: a sheet-pan protein with vegetables and a one-pot chili or curry is a classic pairing, because one uses the oven and the other the stove.

Know your target first. If you're prepping for a goal, set calories and protein per container with the macro calculator; otherwise, a container with a palm-to-hand-sized protein portion, a fist of carbs and two fists of vegetables is a reasonable default.

2. Plan the week on one screen

Count the containers you need (days × meals), then split them across your recipes. The meal prep planner does this and orders the week so the shortest-lived food gets eaten first. More than 4 days? Plan a second, shorter prep or freeze the later boxes.

3. Shop from an exact list

Multiply each recipe by the container count and merge the duplicates. A precise list is where most of meal prep's money savings come from. The grocery list generator builds it by aisle.

4. Cook in overlapping batches

The slowest part of prep day is doing things one at a time. Start the rice and anything that roasts or simmers first, then chop while they cook, and sear or stir-fry in the gaps. Two recipes cooked this way often take barely longer than one. The prep schedule generator works out the order for your kitchen.

6. Portion by weight

Tare each container on a kitchen scale and fill to the same weight. It takes two minutes and makes every container match the macros you logged. The container calculator gives you the number.

7. Pack so it stays good

• Sauces and dressings on the side. A small lidded cup keeps rice and greens from going soggy.
• Wet next to dry, not on top. Put roasted vegetables beside the rice, not over it.
• Delicate greens last. Add spinach, herbs and salad leaves on the day, or pack them in a separate compartment with a paper towel.

Spinach keeps respiring in the box after it's picked, which is why it slumps by Wednesday; for the other half of a leaf's life, ahaboo's interactive photosynthesis explainer is well worth ten minutes.

8. Label and eat in order

Masking tape and a marker: dish name and use-by date on every lid. Eat fish and dressed salads first; chili, curry and lentils last. Anything for day 5 or later goes in the freezer on prep day. See the fridge and freezer chart.

What to prep in your first month

1. Week 1: 4 lunches, one recipe. Learn your timing.
2. Week 2: 4 lunches, two recipes (oven + stove) cooked together.
3. Week 3: add 4 breakfasts that need no cooking, like overnight oats.
4. Week 4: go to 5 days by freezing one or two boxes, or add a midweek mini-prep.