There are many different ways to prepare food for your family, so it may take a little time to find what works for you. I personally use something called the “Batch Method” (which I didn’t know had a name until I researched other meal prep tips).
What is the Batch Method?
This is a type of meal prep strategy that includes creating large batches of food to be used over different meals. Stews, soups, or large batches of a versatile protein or veggies work best here.
What tools work best?
I prefer to use my large crock pot, but for those of you with insta-pots those would be a wonderful choice as well. You could also do a large roasting dish inside the oven.
Planning
- Choose how many days are in your meal plan. Mine is typically five days in rotation.
- Pick different “batches” or meal components for your days. I do three for the five day rotation.
- Choose recipes that can be doubled or tripled in your chosen method of cooking. (Bonus for picking ingredients on sale or in season!)
Prep
- Clean and cut up the raw ingredients needed for each batch
- Write cooking directions on the outside of a zip bag
- Add all raw ingredients in zip bag (if you need to add broth, keep that aside in another container unless it works as a marinade)
- Add seasonings
- Put in fridge or freezer as recipe calls
- Defrost the necessary time, per recipe, before cooking
- Cook according to directions
- Enjoy!