Meal prepping is a necessary task, but that doesn't make it fun. In fact, there can be nothing more mind-numbing than spending a part of your weekend prepping salads, measuring spices, and making sauces for your weekly dinners.

But we have a solution! Rather than treating meal prep like a chore (which it is, but that's not really the point), let’s turn it into a fun endeavor! This way, you'll actually look forward to working on it instead of procrastinating on your weekly meal prep and putting it off until the very last possible minute.

Want to know how to spice up your meal prepping? Join us as we dive in!

What Is Meal Prep? 

Meal prep, meal prep, read all about it! Although you may have heard the term “meal prep” before, you’re probably wondering more about it. To put it simply, meal prep is exactly what it sounds like – taking the time to prep your meal ingredients before you make them to save time later.

Sure, it’s possible to do this right before cooking each night, but in order to save time after work (and we know that everyone prefers to have as much free time in the evenings as possible), many people do their meal prep on Saturday or Sunday. Yes, they plan their meals ahead of time for the week, assemble all of the ingredients for the whole week, and then spend an afternoon (or morning, or even late night – we don’t judge) getting everything cleaned, cut, measured, and stored.

Some people take it a step further and actually create their meals in batches—for example, they'll cook up quinoa for the whole week and divide it into individual portions for several meals, or they'll utilize meal prep recipes designed for batch cooking so that they have their food all ready to go in the fridge.

What’s the Point of Meal Prep?

So, what are the benefits of meal prep? Not only does this save time because everything is already set to go, but it also makes you adhere to that weekly meal plan. Otherwise, you may come home from work, not feel like cooking, and out of convenience, just order pizza or get a fast-food burger or two. However, if you have all of the items for that meal prepped, then you have to use them, lest they go bad.

This not only forces you to follow the plan that you’ve set in place but also to eat healthier. You'll be far more likely to eat a balanced meal with protein, grains, and vegetables. Even better, you don’t need to just do meal prep for your dinners. Go ahead and set up your lunches and breakfasts this way as well to save you time throughout the day. It doesn’t get any better than rolling out of bed and grabbing a container of overnight oats or a black bean burrito bowl that's totally ready to go.

Those meal kit companies you’ve probably heard of tend to follow this same idea, as they contain already measured ingredients that you just need to cut up. There’s a logic to doing this, as it’s best to buy your ingredients in bulk and plan menus around more than one ingredient. For example, if you’re using sweet potatoes in two different dinners that week, then adding a bag of them to your shopping list and cutting them up makes sense and saves you time—you can just grab them when you're ready to start cooking.

Okay, now that we’ve covered why meal prep is important (as well as explained what it is and how it works), it’s time to explain how to turn it into a fun activity.

An Enjoyable Experience

At the outset, meal prep sounds like it wouldn’t be much fun. After all, you’re just standing in one place (in theory), cutting veggies, measuring seasonings, and placing them in bowls. However, there are plenty of ways to turn this blah time into something fun, starting with having all of the right tools in place. If you’ve ever been completely annoyed while doing weekly meal prep, then these next tips are definitely for you.

A Little Forethought 

Forethought? Planning? Spend some time thinking about which meals you want to make and putting together your grocery list. Whether you do this the day before your meal prepping festivities or several days beforehand, because you need to hit the grocery store, this is your chance to plan out meals that make sense.

Want a pro meal prepping tip? The more you choose meals that use the same ingredients, the easier it will be to prep them, since you won’t have to swap out knives and cutting boards quite as often, and you can just throw a big batch of pasta or brown rice on the stove. In addition, this will make meal prepping easier and less of a headache. You also don't have to settle for boring meals—there's no reason to skimp on flavor when eating healthy. Instead, add in plenty of spices, aromatics like garlic, and fresh herbs to really get some oomph.

Want to play? Choose a menu for each day and pretend that you’re running a restaurant when you're choosing your meal prep meals. Fun, fun, fun!

The Right Tools for the Job 

What else can make meal prep an enjoyable task? If you answered “having the right tools on hand,” then you’re correct. (Well, no one is actually tracking or winning those points, but hey, give yourself a pat on the back anyway.) The important thing to note here is that having the correct knives, plenty of clean cutting boards, and numerous storage containers, measuring cups, spoons, and other items, like plastic sealable bags and mason jars, can turn this chore into less of a headache. A slow cooker, an instant pot, and a sheet pan may also come in handy.

After all, there’s nothing worse than getting your ingredients all set up and ready to go, only to find out that your cutting boards are dirty, your containers are missing, and your knives aren’t quite sharp enough. If you have all of these things ready ahead of time, then your meal prep session will start out in a much more enjoyable way. It sounds minor, but sometimes these small things can make a big difference. So, prep your meal prep station for success.

Prepping Fewer Meals 

Another way to make meal prep less of a chore and more of an entertaining time is to prep fewer meals. Otherwise, you might feel completely intimidated by the chore in front of you and be less likely to not only get started but just do it.

Procrastinating is not the best way to get those dishes prepared for the week. Instead, just make a few meals – enough for, say, Monday through Wednesday—dinners only. This way, you’ll have less to do, and you’ll be able to have more fun doing it, without feeling stressed about fitting it into your schedule. This little mind trick really does work, and soon enough, you'll be making chicken stir-fries for the week like a pro.

Making Meal Prep Fun 

All right. Enough tips to help make your meal prepping session go smoothly (which will automatically make it more fun). Now, it’s time to get into the really fun things. Are you ready to hear about how to turn an afternoon of meal prepping into a slicing and dicing party? Here are a few of our best suggestions.

Dance, Dance, Dance 

While you probably don’t want to do any cool dance moves with a knife in your hand (this is not the time to break out the figure skating spins or the running man), there’s nothing wrong with a shimmy or two in front of the cutting board while you're chopping some herbs. Put on some of your favorite tunes and go to town!

Get down in between cutting sessions, bob your head while popping something in the oven, and jump around a little bit when you've got your ground beef in the skillet. The biggest question is: what type of music will you put on? You have plenty of options, so choose something that you love – and the tunes that will get you up and grooving.

Race to the Finish 

Okay, this is something that you’ll have to be slightly careful about, because you will be using sharp knives to prep your meals. However, it’s easy to turn a meal into a bit of a race, just by pitting your cutting and measuring prowess (carefully, of course) against someone else.

Whether you’re racing against a family member or friend on Zoom or against your spouse or children in person, the fun lies in seeing just how quickly (within reason, because you don’t want to cut yourself) you are able to put together all the ingredients needed for a meal.

Want to really get fancy? Use a timer to compete against your personal best. The idea is to have fun and give yourself a goal.

Host a Meal Prep Party

Speaking of getting others involved, why not turn your meal prepping session into a party? After all, if you have the space, you might as well use it. Invite your friends and family members – as many as you have room for – and have everyone prep their own meals using their own ingredients. Socialize and laugh as you go, making the task more fun.

Get the Whole Family Involved 

If you don’t feel like inviting people into your home in order to do some meal prepping, why not just get your family involved? Your spouse and older kids can spend some time cutting veggies and measuring things out with you. Give each one a meal (or a component of a meal) and get them involved. Not only will this make the chore fun to complete, but you’ll get it done more quickly since you’ll have more people helping you.

In Conclusion 

And there you have it. Use some of these suggestions to transform your meal prep time from boring to amazing! We’ve gone over the important stuff. You know why you need to spend time each week working on your meal prep. You also understand the importance of eating healthy meals and saving time (both of which are positive side effects of meal prepping.)

We’ve also included a number of ways to make it less of a chore (like having the right tools and a proper plan) as well as plenty of fun (turning it into a party.) Hopefully, now you’re ready to get started on your next meal prepping session. The only question left is which songs you will jam out to while slicing and dicing!

Sources:

Meal Prep, But Make It Fun: 5 Tips for Boredom-Free Success! | Medium

7 Secrets of People Who Meal Prep Every Single Week | Health.com

How to Meal Prep - Meal Prepping Tips, Recipes, and Ideas | Good Housekeeping