Meal prepping may sound like the exclusive domain of fitness influencers and hyper-organized Pinterest moms, but hear me out. You don’t have to own seventeen matching glass containers or prepare a week’s worth of organic zucchini noodles to get on board. Meal prepping isn’t about turning your fridge into a kale shrine. It’s about making your life easier (and maybe saving yourself from another emergency bag of chips for dinner).

For those of us who consider “cereal as a meal” a legitimate lifestyle choice, I bring you the Lazy Cook’s Guide to Meal Prepping for the Week. No frills, no fuss, just simple steps to help you survive the week with your dignity intact—and plenty of edible options.

Why Meal Prep? (Even for the Lazy Among Us)

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s worth asking, “Why bother?” Good question. The answer? Four words:

  1. Time saver: Less time cooking means more time for Netflix, scrolling TikTok, or staring blankly at the wall. Whatever floats your boat.
  2. Money saver: Step away from DoorDash. Meal prepping makes eating out look like highway robbery.
  3. Stress reducer: Planning ahead means no more “What’s for dinner?” panic attacks.
  4. Health booster (Optional.): If you’re feeling ambitious, you can actually sneak some nutrition into your prepped meals. Or just prep nachos every night. No judgment.

Now that we’re all aboard the meal prep train, let's nerd out about how to do it without breaking a sweat.

Step 1: Get Real About Your Cooking Style

First things first, accept who you are in the kitchen. If the idea of dicing onions or sizzling sauces makes you cringe, that’s okay. There’s no rule that says meal prep has to involve elaborate culinary artistry. Keep it simple. Think ingredients you can eat on autopilot, recipes with three steps max, and anything that only dirties one dish.

Lazy Pro Tip:

Pick meals that you like to eat again and again. If leftovers bore you by Day Two, your fridge will turn into a crypt of sad, uneaten leftovers by Wednesday. Nobody wants that.

Here are lazy cook crowd-pleasers to consider:

  • Pasta (endless options, minimal thinking)
  • Wraps (throw random things in a tortilla and call it gourmet)
  • Bowls (rice or salad as the base; toppings go wild)

Remember, low effort doesn’t mean low flavor. Some of the best meals require less work than folding a fitted sheet.

Step 2: Plan, But Not Too Hard

Relax. This isn’t a college thesis. Your meal prep plan only needs to answer two basic questions:

  1. What do I want to eat this week?
  2. How lazy do I feel about making it?

Pick two to three recipes to rotate throughout the week. Any more, and you’ll hate everyone—including yourself. Bonus points if they share ingredients, so you’re not buying 37 things for three meals. For example, roasted veggies can vibe with rice bowls, wraps, or as a standalone side. Ground meat? Works for tacos, pasta sauce, or sloppy joes. Efficient and delicious.

Lazy Pro Tip:

Make a shopping list. Trust me. Wandering the grocery store without one turns into buying snacks and forgetting dinner. Write only what you need and stick to it like it’s a legal document.

Here’s an example for the ultra-lazy:

  • Protein (chicken thighs, rotisserie chicken, canned beans, or tofu)
  • Carbs (rice, pasta, bread)
  • Veggies (whatever looks least painful to prep)
  • Extras (cheese, hummus, sauces)

Simple, right?

Step 3: The Art of Batch Cooking

Now comes the heavy lifting. (Just kidding. It’s barely lifting.)

Batch cooking is your best friend. The goal is to maximize output with minimal effort. It’s like cloning your meals to relieve future-you of kitchen duties.

What to Prep in Batches:

  • Proteins: Bake a tray of chicken thighs or tofu cubes. Or cheat like a pro and shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Done.
  • Grains: Make a big batch of rice, quinoa, or pasta. Both fridges and freezers love carbs, so they’ll sit happily until you need them.
  • Veggies: Roast sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, or whatever veggie calls to you on sale. Toss them on one tray, oven it up, and forget about them until the timer beeps.

Lazy Pro Tip: Season aggressively. Salt, garlic, paprika, and anything pre-labeled as “seasoning blend” are your shortcuts to making your mass-cooked food taste like you tried.

Here’s a basic formula for a meal-prep hero bowl:

  1. Grain (cooked rice, quinoa, etc.)
  2. Veggies (roasted or fresh)
  3. Protein (whatever you batch-cooked)
  4. Sauce (hummus, salsa, sriracha, or that leftover dressing you forgot about)

Tastes gourmet, but zero effort. You’re welcome.

Step 4: Get to Know Freezer Hacks

Your freezer is a lazy cook’s paradise. It’s where meal prepping goes to hibernate until needed. Freeze in single servings to avoid awkward block-of-ice situations later.

What Freezes Well:

  • Soups and stews (basically frozen hugs in a bowl)
  • Cooked grains (rice or quinoa defrosts like a dream)
  • Precooked proteins (e.g., shredded chicken or meatballs)
  • Breakfast muffins (tiny, portable fuel for mornings or midnight snacks)

Lazy Pro Tip: Write the contents and date on your freezer bags. No more mystery meals where you’re unsure if it’s soup or a science experiment.

If freezing isn’t your thing or you run out of space (looking at you, Costco impulse buyers), focus on meals that can chill happily in the fridge for a few days.

Step 5: Low-Effort Meal Assembly

Here comes the best part of lazy meal prep: minimum assembly, zero stress. You already worked ahead, so assembling dinner becomes a Choose Your Own Adventure game. Assemble prepped ingredients in whatever combination your mood dictates.

Example Combos:

  • Wraps: Shredded chicken + hummus + spinach + roasted red pepper (instant sandwich vibes)
  • Bowls: Rice + roasted veggies + sriracha drizzle (easy, spicy, and satisfying)
  • Breakfast-for-Dinner (Why not?): Scrambled eggs + roasted sweet potato chunks + hot sauce

For snacks? Stockpile grab-and-go heroes like boiled eggs, cheese sticks, or pre-sliced fruit. Lazy and genius.

Lazy Pro Tip: Invest in cheap food containers. No need to buy those Instagram-perfect glass ones unless you’re feeling bougie.

Step 6: Hack Your Week

Here’s the secret sauce to being a lazy meal-prep pro. You don’t have to prep everything. Some meals can be thrown together on the fly with ingredients you’ve pre-cooked. Save your sanity and focus on areas where prep matters most (like dinner or post-work snacks).

Super Lazy Hacks:

  • Rotisserie chicken makes you look like a kitchen grandmaster with no effort.
  • Frozen veggies can roast straight in the oven when you’re too exhausted to chop.
  • Canned beans? Instant protein magic.
  • Pre-washed greens? Worth the splurge. You’ll thank yourself later.

Meal prepping doesn’t have to be a Herculean task. With the right shortcuts and a pinch of strategic laziness, you can prep just enough to feel like you’ve mastered adulthood. Remember, it’s not about perfection; it’s about survival—with tasty food on hand.

And if you only manage to chop some veggies and stock your kitchen with pasta and sauce? That counts. Sometimes lazy is efficient, and at the end of the day, nobody needs to know how ridiculously easy your fabulous meals were to make.