2‑Hour Sunday Meal‑Prep: Healthy Lunches for the Whole Workweek

**Meal‑preppers slash takeaway spending by 56 % and gain 50 min free time nightly (USDA 2024).**

- Cook once, eat 5 days - Use 3 core bases: quinoa, chicken, roasted veg - Cool to ≤ 4 °C within 2 h; reheat ≥ 74 °C

Preparing multiple portions of balanced meals in a single cooking window, portioning them into grab‑and‑go containers.

1. **Time** – 2 h upfront vs ~9 h total daily cooking. 2. **Money** – bulk buying cuts ingredient cost 20‑30 %. 3. **Nutrition control** – pre‑portioned macros & calories.

1. Plan menu & shopping list. 2. Pre‑heat oven & start grains. 3. Season & bake proteins + veggies together. 4. Cool, weigh, portion, label. 5. Store: 3 boxes fridge, 2 boxes freezer.

| Day | Lunch box | kcal | P | C | F | |-----|-----------|-----|---|---|---| | Mon | Teriyaki chicken + quinoa + broccoli | 480 | 35 | 45 | 14 | | Tue | Chickpea curry + brown rice + spinach | 510 | 22 | 68 | 12 | | Wed | Tuna pesto pasta + peas | 495 | 34 | 55 | 15 | | Thu | Beef chili + sweet‑potato mash | 530 | 38 | 48 | 18 | | Fri | Greek salad + grilled turkey + pita | 470 | 36 | 40 | 13 |

- Shallow containers cool < 2 h. - Fridge ≤ 4 °C (eat within 3‑4 days). - Freeze extra portions up to 3 months.

- Two large sheet pans - Rice/pressure cooker - Digital probe thermometer - BPA‑free glass meal‑prep boxes

| Myth | Fact | |------|------| | “Meal‑prepped food is soggy.” | Proper cooling & reheating keep texture. | “Takes the same time as daily cooking.” | Average time saved ≈ 7 h/week.

👉 **Download our printable batch‑cooking checklist** and timer schedule.

Invest 120 min on Sunday, gain healthy lunches all week and free up evenings for what matters.

1. USDA Food‑Time Survey, 2024. 2. EFSA domestic chilling guidelines, 2023.