Article

Meal Prep That You Can Look Forward To.

Ruth MacIntyre

Updated

October 20, 2025

Nutrition

Ruth Mac picking up a piece of watermelon, with the sea in the background.

Tired of deciding what to eat every day? You’re not alone. We’ve all had those moments standing in front of the fridge, hungry and tired, thinking: “What on earth am I going to eat?” Meal prep often sounds like a massive commitment. You might be thinking it's hours of chopping and cooking, but, thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t need to live off dry chicken and broccoli or give up your weekends to stay on track. Let’s make meal prep simple, flexible, and actually helpful.

Start with Just Two Things

✅ Prep one or two proteins Think grilled chicken, boiled eggs, tinned salmon, tofu, or mince. Choose what you enjoy and simply cook a little extra.

✅ Make or buy one or two low-calorie sauces or dressings Yoghurt with herbs, tomato-based sauce, garlic or tahini dips, or a lighter sweet chilli all work perfectly.

These two steps form your Meal Base.

Each day, just add:

🥗 Salad or veg
🍚 Rice, quinoa, wraps, or potatoes

That’s it. No overthinking. No stress. Just mix, match, and eat.

Ruth Mac sitting on a tree stump, holding a drinking flask, and looking over her shoulder with the sea in the background.

"Meal prep isn’t about perfection... it’s about removing decisions before you’re tired and hungry."

How to Make It Stick

Pick a time each week to do your prep and write it in your calendar (I do mine on a Sunday evening). Use a planner or notes app to jot down meal ideas for the week. Don’t aim for perfection. Even prepping one thing makes a difference.

When you simplify meal prep, you reduce decision fatigue. This is the mental drain that comes from making too many small choices each day and i It helps you:

Avoid grabbing random foods that don’t align with your goals.
Stay consistent without relying on willpower.
Make the healthy choice the easy choice.

This is the real secret to easier fat loss — not more restriction, just less overwhelm.

Meal prep doesn’t have to mean perfection or piles of Tupperware. It’s simply a small weekly investment that saves time, stress, and energy later. Start with one or two proteins and one dressing this week. That’s enough to make a difference and it might just change how you eat all week long. And of course, If you want more structure, support, and sanity around your food and fitness, then join The No Crap Cake Method — where we help women 40+ eat well, feel strong, and make healthy living simple again.