Meal Prep Sunday: A Complete System That Takes 2 Hours

Every single day:

“What should we eat?” “I don’t know, what do you want?” “I don’t know, what do we have?” “I don’t know, let’s just order something.”

Sound familiar?

The Problem

Decision fatigue about food is real.

When you don’t have a plan, you default to:

• Ordering takeout (expensive, often unhealthy)
• Eating random stuff from the fridge
• Skipping meals
• Making the same 3 things on repeat

None of these are ideal.

The Solution: Meal Prep Sunday

One afternoon. One time. 2 hours.

Answer “what’s for dinner?” for the entire week. Cook what needs cooking. Prep what needs prepping.

Then coast through Monday-Friday without thinking about it.

The System

Step 1: Plan (20 minutes)

Choose 3-4 dinners for the week.

Not 7. Not 5. Just 3-4.

Why fewer?

• Leftovers cover other nights
• Flexibility for spontaneous plans
• Less variety = less cooking = more realistic

For each meal, note:

• Recipe or instructions
• Ingredients needed

Step 2: Inventory Check (5 minutes)

What do you already have?

Cross off ingredients you don’t need to buy. This saves money and reduces food waste.

Step 3: Shop (30-45 minutes)

One trip. One list.

Online ordering helps here. You can place the order Friday, have it delivered Saturday or Sunday.

No more midweek “oh we need milk” trips.

Step 4: Prep (60-90 minutes)

This is the actual meal prep:

Must do:

• Wash and chop vegetables
• Marinate proteins
• Cook grains (rice, quinoa) in bulk
• Prepare salad ingredients

Optional but helpful:

• Pre-cook proteins
• Make sauces or dressings
• Portion snacks

Store properly:

• Clear containers you can see into
• Label if needed
• Maximize fridge visibility

Step 5: Execute (minimal daily effort)

Each night, assembling takes 15-20 minutes instead of 45.

Vegetables are chopped. Protein is marinated. Grains are cooked.

Dinner happens. Fast.

Sample Week

Day	Meal	Prep Status
Sun	Prep day	Eating out or simple
Mon	Sheet pan chicken + veggies	All prepped, just cook
Tue	Stir fry with rice	Veggies cut, rice made
Wed	Tacos	Protein marinated, toppings ready
Thu	Leftovers	Already done
Fri	Pizza night	You earned this
Sat	Flexible	Finish leftovers or go out

Common Mistakes

Planning too many meals 3-4 is the sweet spot. More than that and prep becomes overwhelming.

No recipe access during prep Have your recipes pulled up. Know what you’re doing before you start.

Prepping things that don’t keep well Avocado? Prep day-of. Onions? Done on Sunday, fine all week.

Not using containers you can see into If you can’t see the food, you forget it exists. Clear containers prevent waste.

The App

I built MealPlanner to make this system stick.

Browse recipes. Drag them onto your calendar. Auto-generate a shopping list.

Plan once. Eat well all week.

— Dolce