Meal prep is not about spending Sunday cooking elaborate recipes into matching containers. For most people, it is about removing the daily decisions that consistently produce poor food choices — making the healthy option the easy option by doing 45 minutes of preparation at the start of the week.
The Sunday 60-minute meal prep blueprint
| Task | Time | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Batch cook 6–8 chicken breasts (oven, 200°C, 22 min) | 25 min active + 22 min oven | Protein for 5+ lunches and dinners |
| Hard boil 8–10 eggs | 12 min (while chicken cooks) | Instant snacks and breakfast additions all week |
| Cook 400g dry lentils or prepare 2 tins (drain, portion) | 20 min (or 5 min from tin) | Protein + fibre for salads, soups, sides |
| Make 4 overnight oats jars | 10 min | Ready breakfast Monday–Thursday |
| Portion snacks (cottage cheese, yoghurt pots, nuts) | 5 min | Zero-decision snacks ready to grab |
| Wash and chop salad veg | 10 min | Lunch assembly in 2 minutes all week |
What to prep vs what to cook fresh
- Prep in advance: protein sources (chicken, eggs, lentils), overnight oats, snack portions, chopped vegetables
- Cook fresh: fish (best cooked same day), stir fries (15 min max), anything with eggs (scrambled, omelette)
- Buy ready: tinned fish (tuna, sardines, mackerel), cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, smoked salmon — these are already “prepped” and require no cooking
The 5 containers that make a week of meal prep work
- Large container: all batch-cooked chicken breast, sliced
- Egg tray: hard-boiled eggs in their shells (lasts 7 days)
- Salad container: chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes, mixed leaves (lasts 3–4 days)
- Grain container: 600g cooked brown rice or lentils
- 4 × overnight oat jars: ready-to-eat breakfast Mon–Thu
Sponsored — Hello Fresh
For the days when meal prep did not happen — or when you want proper dinners without the planning — Hello Fresh provides pre-portioned ingredients for home-cooked meals in 20–30 minutes. No food waste, no supermarket run, calorie information included. Use code ALAN50 for 50% off your first box.
🌿 Lily & Loaf Daily Fuel — when meal prep falls short
For the days when the meal prep container is empty and time is short, Daily Fuel provides 21g of complete protein with 15 vitamins and minerals and 5g of fibre in 2 minutes. A reliable nutritional backup that ensures protein targets are met regardless of what the day produced.
📋 Download the free 14-day meal plan for a structured two-week eating guide to follow alongside your prep routine.
Related: High Protein Meals for Weight Loss UK | Losing Weight with a Desk Job UK
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