Today’s topic is essential for personal finance purposes. If you want to save time and money, hire a dedicated meal prep-per for a fraction of the money spent dining at restaurants or ordering food delivery. It was a service I once incorporated into my catering business some years back.

Alternatively, hire a live-in chef and live the American life of the wealthy and famous.

Daughter(s)Meal Prepping

Permit me to “boast” of my very owns for a minute; thirty seconds each. Both have cultivated the healthy lifestyle at much earlier ages than their parents did, both are thrifty to some extend; reserving indulgences to their chosen demesne, and both prep meals intermittently. I’ve watched them both at work. So proud of them both.

Today, I want to particularly share my younger one’s meal preparation only because, this time, she chose to share a photo of her works with me. 😉

Precious2

Precious2 is my younger daughter’s pet name. Her meal prep contains two choices of carb (rice and sweet potatoes), her choice of protein was salmon, she also added apple chicken sausages I believe to go with the potatoes. This time, her vegetable was broccoli. She normally has her choice of dessert/sweets – which she varies between watermelon, cantaloupe, or grapes; photo not shared.

She freezes half of the meals prepped and refrigerates the other half. The frozen ones still tastes as fresh as the day she made them when they are brought out to defrost and eat.

For the next week or two, depending on how many bowls she prepped, she will not have to worry about dinner after work and especially on those days she works late. Moreover, she saves money from ordering food delivery.

Benefits of Meal Prepping for Busy Professionals

Meal prepping has gained popularity among busy professionals, fitness enthusiasts, and those looking to optimize their time and finances. By preparing meals in advance, you not only gain control over your nutritional intake but also save time, money, and energy throughout the week.. Let’s dive into the key benefits of meal prepping, along with practical tips on pricing and food safety.

1. Benefits of Meal Prepping

1.1. Time Efficiency

For busy professionals, time is often in short supply. Prepping meals ahead of time allows individuals to avoid the hassle of daily cooking, saving hours each week. Instead of figuring out what to cook each evening, you simply heat up a ready-made meal, freeing up time for work, relaxation, or exercise.

1.2. Cost Savings

One of the main reasons people turn to meal prepping is the significant savings it offers. When you buy ingredients in bulk and cook in batches, your cost per meal decreases. Economies of scale, right? Dining out or ordering takeout, on the other hand, can quickly add up. For example:

• Dining Out: The average cost of dining out for lunch and dinner is approximately $12 and $20 respectively per meal; $32 if you eat out for both lunch and dinner. If you eat out, lunch and dinner, five days a week, you could spend $160.
• Meal Prepping: Meal prepping reduces this cost to around $5 to $8 per meal. For five days, you could spend as little as $25 to $40, leading to potential savings of $120 to $135 each week.

1.3. Health Benefits

Meal prepping gives individuals complete control over ingredients, portion sizes, and nutritional value. This is particularly beneficial for those with dietary restrictions or fitness goals, as pre-made meals from restaurants often contain hidden sugars, fats, or high sodium levels. With meal prepping, it’s easy to manage calories, balance macros, and ensure each meal is nourishing.

My daughter chose her preferred ingredients in line with her fitness goals.

1.4. Environmental Impact

By cooking in bulk, there’s less food waste and reduced packaging compared to ordering takeout, which often comes with disposable containers, plastic utensils, and excessive packaging. Meal prepping also encourages mindful grocery shopping and reduces unnecessary waste.

2. Pricing for Meal Prepping

As stated above, there is an economies of scale because she bought her ingredients in bulk. The cost of each food is lower as a result when compared to dining out, ordering food delivery, or cooking daily. She also chose her preferred ingredients rather than being restricted to what a meal prep service offers. Her preparation time is a few hours in one day, and she doesn’t have to worry about food safety concerns that one might have with transporting and delivery the food. Here’s a breakdown:

A competitive price for a meal prep service ranges from $8 to $12 per meal for standard meals, depending on the complexity and ingredients. Premium meals with high-end ingredients or specialized diets may range from $12 to $18 per meal.

As also previously stated competitive price for a meal prep service ranges from $8 to $12 per meal for standard meals, depending on the complexity and ingredients. Premium meals with high-end ingredients or specialized diets, such as low salt, low sugar, or low carb, may range from $12 to $18 per meal.

Food Safety: How Long to Safely Prep Meals For

Food safety is critical when it comes to meal prepping. Improper storage can lead to foodborne Daughter preps for one (1) or (2) weeks at a stretch; more the latter, in order to ensure that her meals remain fresh to eat, she:

• Refrigerates half of them using airtight containers to maintain freshness and avoid contamination. The meals can be safely refrigerated for 3 to 4 days, and
• Freezes the remainder for longer storage. Meals can typically be frozen for up to 3 months. Since she will not be able to consume all the prepped meals immediately, she’s busy, and can often be called upon anytime, this is especially useful for her. She then labels the meals with dates to help her track their use-by times.

1. Refrigeration vs. Freezing: When to Use Each

• Refrigeration is ideal for meals that will be eaten within a few days, such as fresh salads, roasted vegetables, and cooked proteins.
• Freezing: it’s often said that freezing is better for meals that need to last longer or include ingredients that maintain their texture and flavor after thawing, such as casseroles, soups, and stews. The truth though is that you can freeze almost any kind of food, even vegetables. If you freeze fresh vegetables, you have fresh-frozen vege 😊

2. Dining Out vs. Meal Prepping: A Financial Comparison

Here’s a week-long comparison of dining out versus meal prepping:

Dining Out for a Week:

• Lunch: $12/day x 5 days = $60
• Dinner: $20/day x 5 days = $100
• Total: $160 per week

Meal Prepping for a Week:

• Lunch: $5/meal x 5 days = $25
• Dinner: $8/meal x 5 days = $40
• Total: $65 per week

In this example, meal prepping saves approximately $95 per week, adding up to $380 per month or more than $4,500 per year!

In conclusion, meal prepping is a great way to save time and money for busy individuals. You can D-I-Y, hire a dedicated meal prep-per, or subscribe to a meal prepping service.

Click here to see the Top Ten meal prepping services as ranked by Top10.