Sunday meal prep is one of those habits that sounds great in theory but often falls apart in practice. Too complicated, too time-consuming, too much washing up. This guide strips it back to what actually works: a simple two-hour session that sets your family up for a full week of healthy, home-cooked meals.
The Golden Rule: Cook Once, Eat Four Times
The key to efficient meal prep is building around versatile base components rather than complete dishes. Cook a big batch of brown rice, roast a tray of mixed vegetables, poach a few chicken breasts, and wash and chop all your salad ingredients. From those four components you can build 12+ different meals throughout the week.
Your Sunday Shopping List
- 1kg brown rice or mixed grains
- 2 whole chickens or 8 chicken thighs (from Pono & Sons Butchery)
- 1 large bag mixed seasonal veg (capsicum, courgette, broccoli, sweet potato)
- 2 dozen eggs
- Fresh leafy greens (spinach, kale, rocket), use within 3 days
- 1 large container Greek yoghurt
- 4 cans chickpeas or lentils
- Lemons, garlic, and olive oil
The Two-Hour Timeline
Start with anything that takes the longest: put the rice on (40 mins), get the chicken in the oven (45 mins), and while those cook, roast your veg (30 mins) and hard-boil a batch of eggs (12 mins). While everything cooks, wash, dry, and store your salad greens and prep your sauces and dressings. By the time the oven items are done, you'll have a fridge stocked for the week.
“Meal prep isn't about perfection. It's about removing the daily decision fatigue of 'what's for dinner?' so you can eat well even on your worst day.”
— Aiko Tanaka
Keeping It Fresh All Week
Invest in a good set of glass containers with airtight lids. Store grains and proteins together, keep wet and dry ingredients separate, and never store avocado or tomato pre-cut as they degrade quickly. Dress salads immediately before eating, not in advance.
Order everything you need for your prep session on Ms Online Shop. We deliver before 9am on Sundays, so your ingredients are waiting when you wake up.
