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Introduction

When I was a kid, my mom was a pro at meal planning and meal prep. She worked full-time and had three kids to hustle around to activities. Plus, she was on a tight budget. I remember going to a big grocery store once a month with a long list and helping her find the matching coupons. Then we would go home and she would pre-portion out meats for the freezer and wash all her vegetables for easy use during the week. She always had lasagne, spaghetti sauce, or stuffed peppers in her freezer for those nights where life was busy and she needed ready-to-heat-and-eat meals. As I grew up and began my own family, I leaned on those meal-prep principles my mom shared with me, modifying them to meet the changing demands of my own busy family. As a dietitian who has worked with hundreds of families, I’ve listened to what works and what doesn’t. We live in a busy society, and meal prep is one way to help us slow down and capture the importance of sitting down and enjoying a meal with less stress on our plates.

Maybe you manage a busy family, work long hours, or just want to eat out less. Whatever your reason, meal prep is appealing. By prepping for a couple days or a week, you take control of mealtime instead of allowing mealtime to take control of you. Consider this book as a gentle guide to encourage you to take your meal planning and meal prep to the next level, and stick with it!

This book offers a plethora of new and exciting recipes you can create in advance. You can do so much more than frozen pizzas and takeout — though both have their place! Meal prep can give you back time, add in valuable nutrient-dense foods, and take the guessing game out of weeknight meals. Meal prep can transform your busy weeknight schedule and give you back the time you crave.

All you need is the courage to plan for a week. Whether it’s a sheet-pan meal, a quick salad, or a roast, your taste buds and wallet will thank you.

About This Book

Think of this book as your own personal coach to meal prep! It offers the tools you need to make meals that fit your lifestyle, your family, your dietary needs, and your schedule. In these pages, I get you ready to successfully meal-prep, whether for one week or eight.

Each recipe in this book is designed to meet you where you are today, both in terms of your confidence with cooking and your nutritional needs. I offer time-saving tips and notes throughout the book to ensure that you feel confident in making delicious meals for you and your family.

As you get ready to make the recipes in this book, sit down and plan for two, three, four, or more days to help make your life easier. Keep a grocery list, like the one in Appendix B, so you know what you have on hand and what you need to purchase to complete a meal. Read every recipe from beginning to end to ensure you have all the ingredients before you start your meal prep.

When it comes to the recipes, keep in mind the following:

 Herbs may be fresh or dried — whatever you have on hand. Just remember that you should use three times as much fresh as you would use dry, because fresh herbs aren’t as potent or concentrated. So, 1 teaspoon of dried herbs is equivalent to 1 tablespoon of fresh.

 All temperatures are Fahrenheit. For conversion to Celsius, see Appendix A.

 Vegetarian recipes are marked with the tomato icon () in the Recipes In This Chapter and Recipes in This Book lists.

Finally, within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and you want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy — just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

Foolish Assumptions

In writing this book, I made a few assumptions about you, the reader:

 Your time is important to you, and you want to spend less time in the kitchen, from meal prepping to executing a meal.

 You may be an experienced cook or a beginner. Whichever end of the spectrum you fall on (or somewhere in between), this book is for you!

 Healthy, delicious meals are important to you and your family, and you don’t have a ton of time on your hands to make them.

If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place!

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout this book, you’ll see the following icons in the margin. Here’s a guide to what the icons mean:

The Tip icon marks information that can save you time and money as you’re planning, shopping for, and prepping meals in advance.

I use the Warning icon when I’m filling you in on important safety tips or tricks.

When I have an important message or reminder, I use the Remember icon.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the book you have in your hands, you can access some helpful extra content online. Check out the free Cheat Sheet for tips on keeping vegetables fresh, tips on freezing foods, and meal-prep hacks by going to www.dummies.com and entering Meal Prep Cookbook For Dummies in the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

If you’re brand-new to meal planning and meal prep, spend some time getting to know the process in Part 1. If you’re ready to start coming up with a meal plan, head to Part 2. Ready to start cooking? Parts 3, 4, and 5 are for you. Short on time? Part 6 sets you up with ten sauces to make meals pop, ten recipes for meal kits you can make at home, and more.

I hope you find family favorites, recipes you come back to again and again in this book and that it’s the first book you pick up when life gets crazy and you need to focus on meal prep to get some sanity. Enjoy!