How To Meal Prep For A Busy Training Schedule

Whether you’re gearing up for a high-mileage training block or just want to stay fueled while you handle life, meal prepping can be a game-changer. Taking an hour or two on the weekend — or even just a few minutes before bed — can save you money and ensure you hit your nutrition goals. Wondering where to get started? This guide has some actionable tips for incorporating meal planning and prep into even the busiest schedules. 

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Keep supplies on hand.

You don’t need a ton of fancy spices and ingredients to successfully meal prep, but it helps to keep certain pantry basics stocked and ready to go. Depending on your dietary preferences, consider stocking your kitchen with rice, oats, yogurt, root vegetables, salad greens, olive oil, and lean proteins. These nutritious basics can be the building blocks of many meals and snacks, such as overnight oats, roasted veggies with grilled chicken, and a variety of rice bowls.

Make a weekly plan. 

Before you hit the grocery store, take a good look at your calendar and come up with a rough estimate of how many meals and snacks you’ll want ready to go. A week when you’re home most nights by 6 pm will look very different from a week with house guests or business travel. If you’d rather just have options on hand, consider making big batches of grains, roasted veggies, and proteins — they can be mixed and matched or used as convenient sides throughout the week.

Identify pain points and outsource when it makes sense.

If certain things feel like a struggle, remember that you don’t have to make everything from scratch. If you never seem to have enough time to roast a chicken, buy a rotisserie bird from the grocery store. And while they’re pricier, pre-washed and chopped produce can save you a ton of work when cooking. For the weeks when you have absolutely no bandwidth, there are some great pre-made meal options these days, whether it’s from the cooler case at the supermarket or through a mail-order company like Trifecta Nutrition, Factor 75, or Hungry Root. 

Cook in batches. 

If you set aside a few hours for meal prep, making things in bulk can be the most efficient option. You can cook a double batch of muffins or a big pot of chili, and plan to eat some soon and freeze the rest. Once you get into a routine, you’ll have a cache of ready-to-eat food to choose from.

Utilize your freezer.

Along with batch cooking, taking advantage of your fridge and freezer can ensure everything you make stays fresh until you want it. There are some neat products available that can improve freezer storage: large ice cube molds are great for storing soups and stews, and a vacuum sealer helps prevent freezer burn. Of course, glass containers, mason jars, and zippered plastic bags all work well, too. Do your future self a favor and label everything you stash in the freezer with its name and "made on" date. Bonus points if you include re-heating instructions!

Meal prepping doesn’t have to be complicated— and you certainly don’t have to make everything from scratch. Start small, stick to the basics, and before long, fueling well will be second nature. 

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