
I used to believe that eating healthy meant spending my entire life in the kitchen.
After a long day the last thing I wanted to do was chop vegetables and cook a complicated meal. It was so much easier to fall back on old habits like ordering takeout or grabbing whatever was fast and easy. That cycle was a huge part of my struggle with binge eating and my weight. At my heaviest I felt trapped not just by my body but by my daily routines. Cooking felt like another monumental task I just didn't have the energy for.
But changing my relationship with food prep was one of the biggest keys to losing over 110 pounds. It wasn’t about becoming a master chef. It was about learning how to make good food accessible and easy. I discovered that with a few simple strategies I could spend less time in the kitchen and still eat well every single day.
If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of daily cooking I get it. I’ve been there. But I promise you it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are ten hacks that completely changed the game for me.
Plan Your Meals (But Keep It Simple)
The question “What’s for dinner?” can be surprisingly stressful. Making that decision when you're already tired and hungry is a recipe for bad choices. Planning your meals eliminates that daily stress. But this doesn’t mean you need a rigid spreadsheet for every meal. Just choose three or four dinner recipes for the week. That's it. This gives you options and flexibility while still providing a clear roadmap.
Create a Master Grocery List
Once you have your handful of meals create a grocery list based on what you need. I like to organize my list by the store’s layout: produce first then meat and dairy then pantry items. This stops you from wandering aimlessly up and down aisles. You get in you get what you need and you get out. It saves time and prevents impulse buys that don’t fit your plan.
Embrace Batch Cooking
This is probably the single most effective hack. You don't have to prep entire meals. Instead cook core ingredients in bulk. Spend an hour or two on Sunday cooking a big pot of rice or quinoa grilling a pack of chicken breasts or roasting a large pan of mixed vegetables. Store these components in separate containers in the fridge. Now during the week cooking becomes a simple assembly job. You can build a chicken and veggie bowl in five minutes.
Make Your Freezer Your Best Friend
Your freezer is an incredible tool for quick meals. If you make a big batch of chili soup or stew portion it out and freeze it for later. This has saved me from ordering pizza more times than I can count. You can also freeze chopped vegetables like onions bell peppers and carrots. When a recipe calls for them just grab a handful from the freezer. No chopping required.
Learn the "Mise en Place" Method
This sounds fancy but it’s incredibly simple. It’s a French term that means “everything in its place.” Before you turn on the stove take a few minutes to chop all your vegetables measure out your spices and get every ingredient ready. It might feel like an extra step but it makes the actual cooking process incredibly smooth and stress-free. You’re not scrambling to find the paprika while your garlic is burning in the pan.
Cook One-Pan and One-Pot Wonders
I love meals that require minimal cleanup. Sheet pan dinners are amazing for this. The formula is simple: throw a protein (like chicken sausage or fish) and a bunch of chopped vegetables on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil season well and roast until everything is cooked through. One pan to cook one pan to clean. The same goes for one-pot meals like soups stews and pastas.
Master a Few Go-To Recipes
You do not need hundreds of recipes. You just need a handful of simple healthy meals that you can cook without even thinking. For me that’s a simple stir-fry a big salad with grilled chicken or a quick lentil soup. Find three to five "no-brainer" recipes that you enjoy and always keep the basic ingredients on hand. This is your safety net for extra busy nights.
Think in "Components" Not Just Meals
This is a slight shift from traditional meal prep but it offers more variety. Instead of making five identical containers of chicken broccoli and rice for the week prep the components separately.
- One container of shredded chicken
- One container of cooked quinoa
- One container of washed and chopped lettuce
- One jar of homemade vinaigrette
- One container of roasted sweet potatoes
Now you can mix and match all week. You can make a salad a grain bowl tacos or a wrap using the same core ingredients. You won't get bored by eating the exact same meal every day.
Clean as You Go
Nothing kills the joy of a good meal faster than a mountain of dirty dishes. Get into the habit of cleaning up while you cook. While something is simmering in a pot wash the cutting board and the knife you used. Wipe down the counter. By the time your meal is ready the kitchen is already mostly clean. This was a huge mental shift for me. It transformed cooking from a messy chore into a more peaceful and orderly process.
Use the Right Tools
You don't need a kitchen full of expensive gadgets. In fact too many tools can just create clutter. But a few key items make a massive difference. A good sharp chef's knife is non-negotiable. It makes chopping faster safer and more enjoyable. A slow cooker can also be a great friend. You can throw ingredients in it in the morning and come home to a perfectly cooked meal. Focus on tools that serve multiple purposes and genuinely make your life easier.
For me bringing this kind of order to my kitchen was part of a larger journey of bringing order to my life. When I was struggling with my health everything felt chaotic and out of control. Learning to plan and prepare my food was a small act of discipline. It was a way of showing gratitude for the body God gave me and taking responsibility for its care. It wasn't a punishment. It was an act of peace.
You can start small. You don’t have to implement all these hacks at once.
What is one thing you can do this week to make meal prep a little easier? Maybe it’s just planning three meals or batch-cooking a pot of rice. Start there. Small consistent steps are what build a new way of life.