How To Meal Prep 16+ Meals In Less Than Two Hours

So technically the title of this post should be, How to meal prep 16+ meals and snacks and veggies and pasta in less than two hours. Maybe more, depending on your portion sizes. But who's being picky about words at this point?

One of my favorite parts of meal prep is packaging everything up. Crazy, right? But there's something about knowing we'll be able to heat each one up quick and not have to worry about cooking all week that makes me incredibly happy. 

So what follows is exactly what I did this past Saturday afternoon, all in less than two hours. It can be adapted for whatever meat and sides you'd like, as well as how many portions and for what sizes. Do one, do the next one, switch out the one that's done, and keep going while you alternate skillets. Let me know how you made this plan your own!

Grocery List:

4 chicken breasts

2 lb ground beef

1 lb steak tips

1 pork tenderloin, preseasoned

2 6-oz strip steaks

12 eggs

Frozen veggie/pasta mix

Frozen broccoli

1. Chicken: This will bake while everything else is cooking on the stovetop. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse the chicken breasts and coat both sides with tequila-lime seasoning. Once in the baking dish, add 1 Tbsp minced garlic and one Tbsp butter to the top of each breast. Bake for 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts. Let rest until you're ready to prep.

2. Ground beef: We go through a lot of ground beef in our house. Right now we're eating it with shredded cheese on avocado halves, adding it to our senior dog's food, and using it as tiny training treats for the puppy. Spray the bottom of a large cast iron skillet with nonstick spray. Heat over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Season with steak seasoning and break up the ground beef to coat completely. Brown thoroughly and remove to a bowl to let rest until you're ready to prep. Wipe out the skillet.

3. Steak tips: I'm a huge fan of steak tips because they make their own gravy. So when you say something extra is just gravy, this is what you're talking about. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and add in the steak tips. Season with steak seasoning and stir fry. As the gravy thickens, stir it all together to coat the steak tips. Remove the steak to a bowl and let rest until you're ready to prep. Wipe out the skillet.

4. Pork tenderloin: We don't very often eat pork (sorry, Iowa farmers, I deeply apologize), but when we do I always choose a pre-marinated tenderloin. On medium-high, heat a small amount of juice or peach tea in the bottom of the large skillet - this will make it much juicier and yummier than oil, I promise. Cut the tenderloin into 10-12 pieces and pan fry them in the juice/tea, which will thicken slightly as you cook. Flip at least twice to coat in the liquid and the meat is cooked through. Let rest until you're ready to prep.

5. Strip steaks: These were in the deep freeze. I had forgotten about them. Now they're delicious. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in the medium skillet. Coat both sides of the steaks with steak seasoning and lay them in the heated oil. Danny likes more-rare-than-medium, so I only leave them for about 4 minutes per side. This makes them so easy to slice into strips and package up, and they'll cook a little more when you heat them, if that's how you like them. Adjust the time accordingly and flip them only once. Let rest until you're ready to prep.

6. Hard-boiled eggs: There are always some eggs ready to snack on in the fridge. They're high in protein for Danny, and I can turn them into egg salad in seconds - score! Pull the eggs out and have them sitting on the counter to warm up while you're cooking. Heat enough water in a stock pot to fit a dozen eggs. Once the water's boiling, use a ladle to gently drop in the eggs. Once they're all in, set the timer for 10 minutes and let them return to a boil. After 10 minutes, drain out all the hot water and replace it with cold water. Keep switching out the water until the eggs have cooled completely and peel them. Dry them and store in the fridge for 4-5 days in a tightly sealed container.

7. Prep: Divide the meat into your containers by portion first, then fill the rest of the way with frozen veggies and pasta. You can usually split a bag into two or three containers so there will be plenty to go around. We're pretty basic around here, sticking to broccoli for Danny and veggie pasta for me. There are lots of choices out there, though, so take a look and pick a couple of that you love and would look forward to eating each day. Clear out some space int he fridge and enjoy seeing the fully stocked shelves ready for the week.