8 Ways to Master Meal Prep This Fall
Most of us believe there are two types of people in this world: those who meal prep, and those who can't be bothered. I see a third group: the meal prep curious, aka potential meal prep converts who understand the benefits but just can't seem to get organized.
To be fair, meal prep doesn’t just happen. It requires a little bit of foresight, at least some planning, and a decent chunk of prep time. But, in fall, meal prep comes together like magic. Root vegetables are made to be roasted in batches. Hearty kale stands up to salad dressings for days without getting soggy. And, really, have you ever actually seen an apple go bad in the fridge?
In other words, fall is a great time to get into meal prepping. Your produce will last longer, your pre-made meals will taste good all week, and the rewards (time and money saved, delicious meals at the ready) are high. Overwhelmed with the abundance of sturdy seasonal produce? Here are some tips to get you started, both from staffers and from wellness bloggers who meal prep like it’s their job—because it is.
Laura Murray1/8When in doubt, make soup
"My two favorite things to make on Sundays in the fall are pumpkin butternut squash soup and turkey chili. I like making these since they don’t get soggy after sitting in the fridge for a night or two like roasted or steamed vegetables would. My tip is to make a large batch of a hearty soup since it can easily be reheated. When I get tired of eating the pumpkin butternut squash soup after a few days, I drizzle it over mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or any type of grain to mix it up." — Samantha Siegfried, editorial business assistant
Alex Lau2/8Get to know (and love) granola
“A fall meal-prep must for me is homemade granola. I love whipping this up—not only because it makes my apartment smell heavenly but the hearty blend of rolled oats, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, nuts, seeds, and a touch of maple syrup make it the perfect fall snack or treat to bake in bulk and have on hand for your busy week. I live for this crunchy granola over coconut yogurt, mixed into overnight oats, or simply straight up.” — Samah Dada, wellness recipe developer and food photographer
Peden + Munk3/8Reconsider your roasted vegetables
"I like roasting squash, mashing it up, and then keeping it in the fridge to smear on grainy toast, sometimes also with butter (healthyish!), cinnamon, and sugar. It’s like fall cinnamon toast, and it’s really good." —Emma Wartzman, editorial web assistant
Photo by Laura Murray, styling by Judy Mancini.4/8Tear up some kale
"I always like to have a big Ziploc bag of torn kale in my fridge, which means I’ve spent more episodes of Broad City than I can count tearing kale. I’ll use it for lunch al desko salads with chicken thighs and apple slices, for super quick weeknight dinner side salads (just kale and vinaigrette), or tossed in with leftover quinoa or farro and roasted carrots or squash for a grain bowl." —Meryl Rothstein, senior editor
Alex Lau5/8Make seasonal produce go sweet or savory
“Fall is by far my absolute favorite season to prep food in. I love gathering a bunch of the season's freshest ingredients like pumpkin, acorn squash, apples, sweet potato, brussels sprouts each week and switching up how I use them. They are my go-to's for both savory and sweet dishes. I especially love making my Paleo Sweet Potato Loaf or a Brussels sprout slaw early in the week to snack on during the weekday crazy!”—Rachel Mansfield, recipe developer and wellness blogger
Marcus Nilsson6/8Roast and repurpose chicken
"I take one rotisserie chicken (or roast chicken, if I give myself the time) and repurpose it across the board. The first day is straight-up chicken with a side of roasted veg, greens, or whatever else I bought at the store that day. Then I take the meat off the bones and store it in deli cups to use later. I then make a quick stock with the bones: Cover them with a few cups of water, some aromatics (carrots, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, herbs) and simmer for around an hour or 90 mins while I watch Netflix. The next day, I incorporate the chicken into other dishes. Roasted squash, chicken, greens, apple, and pepitas is an ideal fall salad with an apple cider vinaigrette. Hardy greens stir-fried with chicken and a soy-miso sauce is also great over rice. —Alyse Whitney, associate web editor
Marcus Nilsson7/8Start with a sauce
"I’ve always been a sporadic meal-prepper—when I’m my best self I have a bag of turkey chili or pork ragu in the freezer, ready to thaw on the stovetop when I walk in from work—but, lately, I find that my favorite prep involves sauces and condiments, two things that always seem too labor-intensive for a regular rushed weeknight. I made too many quick-pickled red onions last week for black bean burritos, and they were just the thing to use on lettuce wraps last night and probably the pizza tonight. I made a peanut sauce over the weekend for a Japanese spinach dish (gomaae) and have all kinds of plans for the huge jar that’s left over: easy upgrade for steamed broccoli or just tossed with pasta or soba for my daughter’s favorite: cold sesame noodles with cucumbers."—Jennifer Rosenstrach, contributing editor
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott8/8Riff on a grain (or grainless) bowl
"My go-to is really big vegetable-full, one-pot recipes—think buddha/hippy bowls. Mine are usually raw, but when the weather starts to cool down, roasted root vegetables are definitely included. I've developed a recipe that I recommend to my clients who are starting out with meal prep, and it's still one of my favorites because it's easy, and easy to create variations of. The gist: a giant base of dark greens (kale, collard greens, or cabbages which all hold up better than light lettuces or spinach), quinoa or buckwheat if you eat grains, tons of fresh chopped veggies, and healthy fat (avocado, olive or algae oil, coconut yogurt or tahini)." — Rachelle Robinett, wellness coach and Healthyish contributor
