Meal prep is KEY if you want to save money and time, avoid waste and eat healthier and more plants!

Here is my bullet proof process to meal prep efficiently:

1️⃣ Build your database 

Create a google doc, spreadsheet, note, Notion page (or whatever you feel like)  where you’ll put all your recipes. At the very top list all your favorite blogs and places for vegan recipe inspiration. Mine are the following:

https://elavegan.com/
https://minimalistbaker.com/
https://minimalistbaker.com
https://www.pickuplimes.com
https://www.avantgardevegan.com
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com
https://frommybowl.com
https://ohsheglows.com
https://www.veganricha.com/
https://www.lacuisinedejeanphilippe.com/

Then as you go through them and see recipes that calls your attention, save them in to your google doc and start ordering them under different sections. Here are so sections ideas:
– Breakfast
– Hearty meals
– Light meals
– Salads
– Soup
– Dressing
– Snacks
– Desserts
And so on…

This data base will grow with time, so don’t put pressure on yourself, and start small. You can start by plugging in your current go-to recipes.

2️⃣ Know what you need

 How much do you want to meal prep for? One full day? 2 days? 3 days? A full week?

Here is an example of the elements you would need for a full week of meal prep:

• 1 breakfast
• 3 lunchs
• 3 dinners
• 1 snack
• 1 dessert (optional – I usually eat my snack as a dessert hehe)
• 1 dressing 

Of course there are more than 3 dinners per week BUT you’re going to make bigger quantities so that you are going to be able to eat 1 dinner recipe several times. Always check out how many people the recipe you chose serves and multiply according to your needs! 

I also like to leave some room to improvise or eat out!

3️⃣ Pick recipes according to food you already have 

First, check your fridge and write down all the perishable that you already have, then go through your dry pantry and mark down what you have there.

Once that’s done, start searching for recipes that use the ingredients you already have. There are several ways you can do that:

– Your recipe database: Scroll through it and see if any recipe could work with what you have

– Pinterest: Type the ingredients you have in the search bar + [vegan recipe]. Ex: potato zucchini vegan recipes

– Instagram: on the explore page use # to look for a specific recipe you want to make. Ex: #veganbolognaiserecipe

– Google: type in the ingredients that you have + [name of your favorite blogger]

📝 SIDE NOTE: Underwhelm yourself and make sure to plan both recipes that you have already made in the past aka that you already master and can make your eyes shut + some new ones, this way meal prep will be faster and if something goes wrong with a new recipe you still have food you love!

4️⃣ Make a grocery list and shop accordingly

Once you have all the recipes you want to make, copy paste all the ingredients from all the recipes in a new MEAL PREP document.

Erase all the ingredients that you already have, and you should be left with your grocery list. I like to use the Reminder app on my iPhone to write down my grocery list this way when I go to the supermarket I can tick ingredients off as I put them into my basket. The big advantage of going grocery shopping with a precise list is that you will be less tempted to buy more because all you have to do is follow the list!

5️⃣ Allocate time for cooking

This is crucial, what’s planned gets done so create a routine and pick a day AND precise time in your calendar when you’ll meal prep. Book it like you if you had a meeting with someone!

I usually block 2 hours for a full week of meal prep (yes it seems long, but it all depends on you and how complicated your recipes are).

You could either meal prep all at once or split your meal prep in 2x 1h chunks over 2 distinct days such as Wednesday and Sunday. Or if you want to start slow you could just prep ingredients such as pre-cutting veggies, making sauce and dressings, pre-cooking grains and legumes… so that when you want to cook it will be 10x faster!

6️⃣ Order your recipes & cook

Ok it’s game time, you’re ready to start chopping and cooking but WAIT!

First, sit down and read through all your recipes instructions. Yes read it all, so you know what needs to get done (we want to avoid the “soak lentils for 1h at the middle of your prep). Once that’s done, prioritize your recipes and list them on your meal prep document. Start with recipes that need to cook for a long time or need to bake, or cook on the stove for a long time.

Now you’re ready to start cooking, all you have to do is execute. Blast some music, call a friend or listen to podcast and have fun!!

Extra tip: I highly recommend using a timer for stuff you put in the oven because it’s too easy to forget about it when you are doing multiple things at the same time.

7️⃣ Let cool + pack

When you are done cooking, wait until your food is completely cooled to close the lead and store it in the fridge otherwise the condensation will make your meal soggy.
For saving extra time, pack every meal in separate container

Lastly if you feel like you made too much of one recipe and are tired of eating it during the week ➡️ freeze it! You’ll bless yourself that one day when you’ll be starving and your fridge will be empty 🙌