A Guide to Meal Prep On a Budget

In the recent past, I have read several articles that have deemed meal prep to be an “elitist” activity. While I recognize Maslow’s hierarchy of needs makes no mention of meal prep, I think it’s safe to say “elitist” is a tad dramatic. Meal prep, as it is defined, is the act of preparing food for consumption. The end. There is no contract that binds us to cooking organic vegetables with grass-fed meats and exceptional healthy fats. There is also no direction that says meal prep has to cost hundreds of dollars and take up your entire Sunday. For me, it’s all about efficiency and creating time for myself during the work week to relax and do other things. Since I am often asked about how I meal prep, I have created some general guidelines for keeping meal prep efficient and cost-effective.

Use a Meal Template

Start with a template, but not a plan. Gasp! I know. This one stresses some people out that thrive on writing out a plan and sticking to it. However, I’d suggest that you go to the store with a game plan, rather than a menu. I generally prep 4-5 lunches and 2-3 breakfasts for the week. Breakfast is usually either hard boiled eggs and fruit, a bar (Perfect Bars are my current fave), or chia pudding if I plan to eat at my desk or in the car. Other days, I wake up early enough to cook breakfast at home so I don’t need to have a grab-and-go option ready.

Lunch, however  is a little more diverse and requires a little more prep since I work in education and don’t have time to run out and get something to eat all the time. Packing lunches at home saves a ton of money, too! I generally spend under $50 a week on meal prep groceries for lunch and breakfast. I don’t often meal prep dinners, but I do like to keep cut up veggies in the fridge as well as a variety of meats that can be thawed quickly or cooked frozen in my pressure cooker.

I usually prep two different meals for lunches with 2-4 servings of each depending on what it is. Here is my template for work week lunches:

 

	MEAL ONE	MEAL TWO
PROTEIN
VEGETABLE
HEALTHY FAT
SAUCE/GARNISH

 

Cook What’s in Season

I go in with my template and rough ideas based on what’s in season. This is huge! If you want to make pork tenderloin with dark cherries but it’s November, you can go ahead and plan to pay top dollar for those out-of-season cherries. Not to mention the extra dose of preservatives you’ll likely consume. Eww. If you’re unsure, you can find lots of charts that show what is in season on Google and Pinterest.

Be Flexible & Look for Sales

Being flexible is a great way to save some money as well. If I plan to make chicken with green beans, but brussels sprouts are on sale, you can betcha bottom dollar I’m getting the sprouts. I also generally lead with the idea of my sauce/flavor profile in mind first and foremost.  For example, if I know I want to make a curry I know I can choose chicken or shrimp for my protein and any of about a billion vegetables.

Try Some One-Pot or One-Pan Meals

Unless I’m taking dinner leftovers for lunch, I aim to have one dish that has protein, fat, and vegetables as opposed to a protein and side dishes. This makes meal prep faster and fewer dishes to do in the end. Sheet pan meals and Instant Pot creations are clutch here. To each their own on that front. There is nothing wrong with making a main dish and sides if that’s your jam. By figuring out what works best for you and will keep you satisfied, you’re more likely to stick to prepped meals and out of the drive thru.

Make More Than you Need

One other recommendation that you will thank yourself for doing later is making 1-2 extra servings of items that freeze well like stews, soups, curries, and stir frys and tossing them in a freezer-friendly bag in single portions. This weekend I was out of town and did not want to meal prep late Sunday night. Luckily, I went into our deep freezer and found cuban lettuce wrap filling, cajun chicken spaghetti squash and creamy vegetable soup! All I had to do is grab the bags and let them thaw before putting them into glass tupperware for reheating at work.

Here are some examples

So, now you’re armed with all the tips you need to efficiently meal prep and save some cash. In case you’re not feeling as ready with an actual outline of what to make, I’ll include some examples of meal templates I’ve used in the past to make food for the week.

 

	MEAL ONE (Chicken stir fry)	MEAL TWO (Paleo chili)
PROTEIN	Chicken breasts (cheaper than tenders)	Ground beef
VEGETABLE	Frozen organic asian veggie blend	Tomatoes (canned),Zucchini, butternut squash, and carrots
HEALTHY FAT	Almond dressing and slivered almonds	Avocado
SAUCE/GARNISH/SEASON	Homemade spicy almond butter dressing (coconut aminos, chili, and almond butter)	Crushed tomatoes, cumin, white pepper, cayenne

 

	MEAL ONE (sheet pan lunch)	MEAL TWO (Spicy Kale soup)
PROTEIN	Turkey Kielbasa	Ground chorizo
VEGETABLE	Any leftover (delicata, carrots, sprouts, potatoes)	Kale, red pepper, potato
HEALTHY FAT	Blender ranch for dressing + avocado oil	Coconut milk
SAUCE/GARNISH/SEASON	Salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary	Bone broth, salt, pepper, and bay leaf

 

	MEAL ONE (Buffalo chicken salad)	MEAL TWO (Eggroll in a bowl)
PROTEIN	Canned chicken	Ground pork
VEGETABLE	Salad greens, carrot, cucumber, red onion	Coleslaw mix and green onion
HEALTHY FAT	Blender ranch dressing, olive oil, and mayo	Homemade spicy mayo
SAUCE/GARNISH/SEASON	Frank’s Red Hot sauce, olive oil for marinating onions, blender mayo for chicken salad	Coconut aminos, sesame oil, sesame seeds, ginger, white pepper, chili paste