Plan Weekly Meals
45 minutesPick 4 base recipes, shared proteins, and rotating sauces for variety.
Beginner3-4 hours weekly
Batch Cooking Guide
Free step-by-step batch cooking for busy professionals. Plan batch cooking with calculators and checklists covering plan weekly meals, shop and scale recipes.
busy professionalsmeal preppersfamilies
Workflow
Shop and Scale Recipes
1 hourMultiply recipes by portion count; buy family-pack proteins.
Batch Cook Proteins and Bases
2-3 hoursSheet-pan proteins, instant pot grains, and one-pot soups simultaneously.
Portion and Store
30 minutesWeigh portions into containers; label date; fridge 4 days, freeze rest.
Tools Used
- Party Food CalculatorPrimary
Calculate total portions for the week.
- Cups to Grams ConverterPrimarySupporting
Scale bulk recipes by weight. · Track weekly meal prep grocery spend.
- Calorie CalculatorPrimary
Portion meals to calorie targets.
- Fahrenheit to Celsius ConverterReference
Set oven temps for sheet-pan batch roasting.
Checklist
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Planning
Prep
Safety
Storage
Reference Materials
Meal Prep Storage GuideTable
Safe storage times for batch cooked food.
| Food | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked poultry | 3-4 days | 2-6 months |
| Cooked rice | 3-4 days | 1 month |
| Soups/stews | 3-4 days | 2-3 months |
Portion Cooling RuleStandard
Cool to 70°F within 2 hours, then 40°F within 4 hours total.
Same Pan, Three Meals
Roast chicken thighs once — tacos, bowls, and salads all week.
Freeze Flat in Bags
Stackable frozen bags save freezer space vs bulky containers.
Sauce on the Side
Sauces separate keep textures fresh through the week.
Safety Notes
- Reheat leftovers to 165°F internal — microwave cold spots harbor bacteria.
- Do not refreeze thawed cooked food unless it was thawed in fridge.