Meal Prep: A Week of Food in Two Hours

On nights when you get home tired, deciding what to cook is the hardest job of the day. Meal prep means you put the time in once and spend the rest of the week just combining and reheating.

Plan and shop

Write the week's menu and look for shared ingredients. Roast chicken, for example, works in a salad and in a stew.

Sort your shopping list by store aisle so the trip is quicker.

Read more: Persian Rice with a Golden Tahdig Crust, Step by Step

Cook the basics

Make a grain such as rice, one protein and roasted or steamed vegetables at the same time. Use the oven and the stovetop together.

Keep sauces and dressings separate so meals don't get repetitive and stay fresh.

Store it properly

Cool food before it goes in the fridge, but don't leave it out for more than two hours.

Put the first three days in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. Label every container with the date.

The takeaway

A simple weekend plan lets you prepare the base of a whole week's meals, saving time and cutting down on takeout.

This is a sample article, written to show what the blog can do.