Good Housekeeping - Good Housekeeping Easy Meal Prep: The Ultimate Playbook for Make-Ahead Meals

But the thought of serving up three healthy, hopefully tasty meals a day for our 11-year-old? Well, yes, it threw me into a panic. I needed a plan. Lucky me, I work with a test kitchen full of chefs and experts whose mission is to help home cooks deal with this kind of meal-related stress. Inside this book, youll find recipes that were developed using their best time-saving, flavor-building wisdom combined with their genius plan-ahead tips and tricks. This is not just a guide to meal-prepping it is your solution for making every mealtime easy and delicious. Ready to get going? Heres what you need to know: Start with the no-fail primer on the basic meal-prepping techniques ().

Every recipe in this book can be made using each preparation style, so choose the one that best fits your schedule. Our 28-day meal plan () lays out when to make each dish so you get a feel for the rhythm of meal prepping. Once you get the hang of it, use the blank templates to create your own meal plans. To keep things interesting, weve paired recipes with Same Ingredients, New Meal! ideas, added flavor variations, and included quick instructions for turning leftovers into completely different dishes. Cheat sheets throughout ensure successful experimentation. They include reference charts (like the one on cooking any cut of beef perfectly, ).

Want gluten-free, keto or vegan options? Look for recipes with these icons below the ingredients for easy reference. VeganKetoGluten-free Our take on meal prepping lets you decide when to cook and allows room for creativity. Im excited to start this meal-prepping journey together!

• Make-Ahead Egg and Cheese Sandwich ()
• Choco-Cherry Granola Bars ()
• Spiced Plum and Quinoa Muffins ()

• Pork and Veggie Stir Fry ()
• Crispy Caprese Cakes ()
• Mini Meatballs with Garlicky Tomatoes ()

• Green Matcha Popcorn ()
• Zucchini Tots ()

• Green Matcha Popcorn ()
• Zucchini Tots ()

Here are the three key elements to meal prepping like a pro: 1. BIG-BATCH COOKING Make big, multi-serving recipes when you have time (like on the weekends) and store them for use later in the week or freeze them to use next week or month. 2. INDIVIDUAL PORTIONS Divvy up portions into containers ahead of time so you can grab and go for breakfast and lunch. 3. PREPPED INGREDIENTS Do a bunch of chopping, peeling, slicing or roasting beforehand and use those prepared components in recipes later on.

Though we believe that meal planning can make your life easier, healthier and happier, we also know that plotting out an entire weeks worth of meals isnt always doable. Our goal in this book is to offer you the tools to reap the benefits of meal planning while also allowing for some flexibility. Meal planning doesnt need to be a rigid, restrictive way of doing things. The goal here is to empower you to plan your meals for the week, while also teaching you to improvise and riff on recipes based on the ingredients you have on hand. We want you to see recipes as simply collections of ingredients that can be used in endless variations to create satisfying meals.