Mix & Match Meal Prep
Do you want to hate dinner and totally burn out? Try a fancy meal prep plan! I have done these before, and MAN does it sound good in theory. I mean, who doesn’t want an easier dinner time? But follow me down the rabbit hole for a minute, and learn what happened when I tried one of those super-organized plans… and learn why I love my new mix and match meal prep routine so much better.
The Temptation of Elaborate Meal Prep
If you have ever Googled “meal prep ideas”, you know how amazing it looks and sounds. Color-coded containers? Perfect portions? Right in front of you is a glorious dream that if you plan ahead, you won’t have to think about dinner for Six. Whole. Days.
The idea makes sense; you do all of the work upfront, and the rest of the week is easy. Well, I tried that all-or-nothing super-organized meal prep plan, and this is what it looked like:
Day one: I am super pumped to follow the plan exactly. I buy all the food they say, which turns out to be crazy expensive. Then I spend a whole day exhausting myself prepping and pre-cooking seven different meals, putting them in containers, and doing allll the dishes. As the week goes on, I start to dread those heat-and-serve containers, and I don’t even want what I prepped anymore. So we all go out to Chipotle (which is delicious), but I end up feeling like a big ‘ol failure.
As much as I love routine to keep my home running smoothly, this type of meal planning is not for me. What if you change your mind on a meal? What if *gasp* life hands you a change of plans? Or heck - what if you just don’t like cooking for one whole day in order to get six days off?
Introducing: The Mix & Match Meal Prep Solution
I needed a happy medium between prepping and planning ALL the things, and the 5pm “what’s for dinner?” problem. And that’s how my no-brainer, simple mix and match meal prep solution was born.
This plan is customizable and leaves plenty of room for flexibility, like going out for dinner or a change in the day’s plans. I love that it is easy to execute and keep up with week to week, and (bonus!) doesn’t require you to go buy a huge list of specialized groceries.
But first, I want to include a little disclaimer of sorts! I’m going to show you how I do dinner. But please do NOT follow my plan if it doesn’t sit well with you! Feel free to adapt it to your family, cooking style, and preferences. You are a grown up, and you have the freedom to choose. So feel free to duplicate my system, or use it as inspiration to create something new for you.
Without further ado, here is how I mix and match my meal prep.
How it Works
Hate Elaborate Meal Prep? Do this instead!
Choose three meats (or alternative proteins) to prep for the week + five veggies + have a handful of yummy sauces to have on hand. I don’t eat carbs at dinnertime, so I’ll show you what I like to eat, but I’ll give you examples to include carbs, too.
To make this plan work, all you need to do is spend an hour or so prepping the three meats, slap it in some Tupperware, and keep it in the fridge to use in your weekly recipes. There is no need to prep the vegetables, since they are super fast to prepare. Plus, they add some freshness to the meal - something that I found was lacking in my reheated meal preps of the past.
Each day, I choose meat from the fridge, and mix and match it with the veggies and sauces I have on hand. Easy peasy! Need a more detailed example? I’ve got you.
My Own Mix & Match Meals
Last week, these were my mix and match ingredients:
Meat: I prepped pepperoncini beef, cooked taco turkey meat with some peppers and onions, and then pressure cooked a bunch of chicken and shredded it.
Vegetables: 2 heads of cauliflower, zucchini, salad kits (I love these!), shredded bagged cabbage, and bib lettuce.
Sauces: We all have sauces in our fridge, but my go-tos are good mustard, salad dressing, marinades, salsa, tomato sauce, and Trader Joe’s BBQ sauce.
here are eight ideas on how to put them together:
Pepperoncini beef over sauteed cabbage
Pepperoncini beef over mashed or riced cauliflower
Turkey taco meat in a lettuce cup
Chicken with BBQ sauce on a salad kit
Turkey taco quesadillas
Turkey taco skillet with veggies and salsa
Chicken and tomato sauce on zoodles or over roasted cauliflower
Toss the chicken in a pot with any leftover veg at the end of the week and make soup.
Need Carbs?
Carbs are an easy addition to your meal prep, or simply make them while you cook your meal.
Cook a pot of rice
Boil a pot of noodles
Make a bunch of baked potatoes or yams
Cut up a loaf of crusty bread
I love this style of meal prep, because you aren’t tied down to a meal you planned six days ago. With just a little bit of planning and prep, you have so many options for dinner and your life just got that much simpler.