Centr Team

The ultimate meal prep guide for busy people

The benefits of good meal prep

There are many reasons to meal prep, and they all come down to making your life that little bit easier.

It saves time. You’re busy, we get it. Anything you can do to reclaim your evenings, sleep a little later in the morning or spend more time doing things you enjoy is a win.

It makes it easier to make healthy choices. How often do you get home late from work, too tired to make dinner, so you order in or eat something pre-packaged and ultra-processed? When you’ve meal prepped, the easy option suddenly becomes that healthy meal in the freezer.

You’re setting yourself up for success. When you set yourself a goal like building muscle or losing body fat, you need to be just as disciplined with your nutrition as you are with your training. Prepping your meals will help you hit your calorie and protein targets, and keep those goals on track.

More meal variety. And perhaps most importantly, good meal prep doesn’t mean eating the same meal five days a week. Take it from Chris Hemsworth and his personal trainer Luke Zocchi, who plan their muscle-building nutrition as closely as they plan their workouts.

When you’re eating a huge volume of meals to add muscle mass, it pays to mix things up. “Chris doesn’t want to eat the same thing every day, and I can totally understand why,” says Luke. “Variety is key, that’s why we’d mix it up every day.”

What do I need to start meal prepping?

Now we’ve looked at why preparing your meals makes sense, let’s get you ready to roll by setting you up with a few key tools.

A shopping list: If you’re a Centr member, you can easily track what you need for the week with Centr’s shopping list tool. Just select recipes from your meal plan, and it’ll fill your list with the required ingredients. You can then add any other items you might need, so it’s all at your fingertips when you hit the grocery store.

Fridge and freezer space: Before a big batch cook, make sure your fridge and freezer have room to store all those meals you’re about to make.

Containers: You’ll need clear, airtight glass or plastic containers that are freezer-safe in order to store meals. Clean jars are great for storing homemade dressings and sauces. Many people also find resealable bags super convenient to portion and store food. Don’t forget to label your containers – this will help you quickly access what you need.

Equipment: When it’s time to cook, begin by gathering the tools you need – pots, pans and utensils. Use a food processor for quick and easy chopping and grating. Got a slow cooker? They’re perfect for batch cooking sauces, stews or braises.

Time (and something to listen to): You don’t need to spend a whole day prepping, but allocating an hour on a weekend can save you a lot of time during the week. Press play on your fave podcast, playlist or audio book and enjoy the process! Or make it a mindful experience with a Centr Soundscape.

How to meal prep in 4 easy steps

Now you’ve got the gear you need to start cooking, there are just a few more steps you need to take before you’re meal prepping like a pro.

Step 1. Plan and make a shopping list

You can’t meal prep without meal planning. Think about the week as a whole and where you can get ahead – is any day going to be particularly busy, or do you need to make sure you have high-protein dinners ready after evening workouts?

As for the meals you’re going to make, checking your pantry and fridge for ingredients that need to be used up is a great place to find inspiration. As you’re planning, use the shopping list on the Centr app to bring it all together.

2. Batch ingredients

Nobody wants to hit the supermarket every single night on the commute home. Batch-buying ingredients to use throughout the week will not only save you time, but money (it’s generally cheaper to buy in bulk). The chicken you cook and the sweet potatoes you chop tonight can do double duty, ready to be used in a different meal tomorrow.

3. Multi-prep and get ahead

Remember, it’s okay if you can’t devote an hour or an entire weekend to meal prepping. Even an extra 10 minutes of prep throughout the week can make a big difference. While you’re in the kitchen cooking tonight’s dinner, think about what you can do now to get ahead of the game tomorrow.

Chop extra vegetables and store them in containers, mix sauces, or pre-cook grains – all ready to throw into tomorrow night’s stir-fry.

While your dinner is cooking on the stove, make the kids’ school lunches, or whip together some overnight oats ready so they’re ready to grab and go in the morning.

4. Make your freezer work for you

One dinner snap frozen last week is one less night of cooking in the week ahead. Keep a soup, pasta sauce or stew in the freezer for emergencies.

But the freezer isn’t just for full meals. You can also portion and store ingredients. Our favorite freezer hack: pre-chopping and portioning fruits such as banana, berries and apple to throw into breakfast smoothies, making your morning routine even quicker.

What makes a good meal prep meal?

You probably already know that some foods aren’t ‘make ahead’ or freezer-friendly. To keep your meal prep a soggy-lettuce-free zone, here’s the lowdown on which dishes store well.

• Curries, dahls, bean stews and braises are great for batching and freezing – as well as eating leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.
• One-pot dishes such as rice bakes, one-pot pasta, shakshuka or cottage pie are perfect for prepping ahead.
• Soup is a meal prep classic for a reason: you’ll thank yourself when it’s late, you’re tired and there’s a serving in the freezer.
• Stir-fries or protein-plus-veg meals are easy to prep the night before. You can then simply toss into a wok or throw a pan into the oven when it’s dinner time.
• Family favorites such as bolognese, chilli, pasta bakes and pies can be lifesavers in a busy household.
• Protein and veggies cooked up with different herbs, spices or seasonings to become burrito, sushi or burger bowls.
• Healthy snacks like nut bars, muffins, slices or bliss balls. Here are a few favorite grab ‘n’ go snacks we prepared earlier.

Of course, you don’t want all your meal prep efforts to get lost (or go off) in the back of the fridge or freezer. So here’s what you need to know to store your meals safely, and keep them tasty.

Let's take a deeper look.

• As a general rule, prepped ingredients and meals will keep well for 2-3 days when stored correctly in the fridge.

• Ensure your fridge temperature is below 41ºF or 5ºC.

• After cooking, allow meals to cool completely before sealing with a lid, labeling with the date, then placing in the fridge or freezer.

• Defrost frozen meals completely before eating by placing them in the fridge overnight (especially meat). Only reheat a portion once.

• Heat meals until they are steaming hot (at least 140ºF or 60ºC).

• Eat fully prepped meals within 3 days of refrigerating or 2 months of freezing.

Now, just like the meals you’re about to make, you’re prepped and ready to go. Let’s get cooking!