Meal prep

Meal prep (short for meal preparation) means cooking several dishes or components in advance on a set day, so that during the week you only have to put meals together instead of cooking them. The trick isn't perfection but building blocks: a big batch of brown rice, a tray of roasted vegetables, a pot of lentils, a few boiled eggs – and from these you can make different plates for several days. Anything you won't need until later waits in portions in the freezer – for rice, that means everything that won't be eaten the very next day.

This is especially helpful for weight loss because it takes away the hungry 6 pm decision. If you're tired and turn from the fridge to a delivery app, you usually end up eating more fat and salt than you planned. When a ready-made portion is waiting, the healthy choice is also the easy choice. Portion sizes take care of themselves too, because you decide them calmly and on a full stomach while packing.

Hygiene is the most important point: cool cooked food within two hours, transfer it to shallow containers and store it at 7 °C or below (as recommended by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, BfR). According to the German Federal Centre for Nutrition (BZfE), pre-cooked meals keep for two to three days in the fridge and around three months in the freezer. Cool rice and pasta particularly quickly, as otherwise bacteria such as Bacillus cereus can multiply; ideally eat cooked rice within a day or freeze it in portions straight away. When reheating, make sure everything gets piping hot.

A good way for families to start: don't prepare the whole week, just breakfast and two dinners. Children love helping to fill and label the containers – a sticky note with the date saves any guesswork. Fresh components such as salad, avocado or herbs only go in just before eating, so day three still tastes as good as day one.

Important: meal prep is a tool, not an obligation. If a week turns chaotic, frozen vegetables, tinned pulses and wholegrain bread make an equally good plan B.