Meal preparation can take more time than expected depending on the menu you choose and the number of people you're meal-prepping for. 

So here comes the weekend, your only time off from work and your obligations yet you need to spend time on meal preparation to make sure that you're all set for the week ahead. 

You're hesitant to accommodate the possibility that meal preparation time can actually be shorter than it normally takes. Why? You don't want to risk the chances of having a perfectly clean and healthy meal. 

Read through some tips on how to save time on your meal preparation, who knows one if not all works for you. Buy yourself more much deserved time to relax and unwind on a weekend without missing on your meal preparation and without having to compromise the quality of food that you make for your family. 

Know What You're Preparing

It is imperative for you to have a meal plan or menu list that you want to prepare. This gives you the time to get all that you need from the grocery in one trip. 

Get Everything Out

Get everything that you need during the meal-prep out and ready. When I say "everything" I mean all - not just the ingredients or condiments or vegetables or meat, I mean the utensils, your measuring cups, knives for cutting and more. Make sure you have storage containers, bowls or take away containers for your chopped vegetables, minced condiments or for prepared food for easy storage. 

Double-Batch 

Double batch on menu that can be re-heated or an easy freeze-thaw-eat meals. This will not only save you on cooking time, it will also save you a lot on the clean up time. 

"PRE"pare Food Ahead of Time

Pre-cook lunch or dinner earlier while your munchkins are taking a nap. By doing this you already have the meal ready, kitchen clean and tidy before lunch or dinner. How beautiful! All you'll do left are the dishes. 

Inventory

Keep an inventory of your ingredients. What's still there, what's not. How much more you have left and how much more you need. This will save you from buying ingredients that you do not need and from having to go on a second trip to the grocery for forgetting something. 

Do it on a Sunday

Weekends are the utmost time for rest, relaxation and the chores. Do your meal-prep on a Sunday. A day after you've rested on a Saturday and a day before you jump start the week on a Monday. 

Now, do you think these tips will work for you? It's definitely worth the try. Who knows how much time you get to save on your next meal-prep.