This learning plan shows you how to meal prep like a professional chef, turning everyday cooking into a simple and creative process. Through step-by-step tasks and practical exercises, you’ll learn how to plan balanced menus, shop smartly, prepare flexible ingredients, enhance flavours, and create your own recipes. Each unit builds on the last, helping you improve your skills and gain confidence in the kitchen. By the end, you’ll have a range of chef-inspired meals, useful techniques, and a system for making tasty, waste-free meals.
This plan is designed for beginners and intermediate home cooks looking to enhance their meal prep game. All tasks use accessible tools and ingredients, with optional challenges to stretch your creativity. Perfect for anyone aiming to save time, reduce food waste, and elevate the quality of their meals.
Milestone: By the end of this unit, you’ll have a one-week meal plan that balances proteins, vegetables, and grains or starches. You’ll also have practised essential cooking skills, preparing you to tackle more advanced tasks in later units.
Optional Unit Challenge: Create a themed one-week menu, such as a Mediterranean or Asian-inspired plan, incorporating overlapping ingredients and at least one new dish.
Follow the article's tips to create a one-week menu that balances proteins, vegetables, and grains or starches.
Include at least one "base" ingredient, such as roasted chicken or rice, that can be used in multiple meals to reduce prep time and minimise waste.
Identify one new recipe to try, using the article’s advice to ensure it complements other meals in your plan.
Planning with a focus on balanced components ensures flexibility and variety throughout the week.
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As you watch, note three essential cooking skills or tips, such as how to chop efficiently, sauté properly, or balance flavours.
Practise one skill from the video immediately, like chopping an onion, cooking rice, or seasoning with herbs and spices.
Use what you’ve learned to prepare a simple dish, such as a sautéed vegetable side or a basic grain bowl.
Mastering basic techniques makes meal prep smoother and more enjoyable while building your confidence in the kitchen.
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Milestone: By the end of this unit, you’ll have shopped strategically for a one-week menu, optimised your kitchen setup with the right containers and tools, and organised your workspace for efficient and professional meal prep.
Optional Unit Challenge: Create a “meal prep station” in your kitchen. Include essential tools (e.g., knives, cutting boards, measuring cups) and ensure everything is within easy reach. Test the station by prepping a batch of ingredients and note how it improves your workflow.
Use the article’s advice and your plan from Unit 1 to plan a shopping list that supports component cooking. Organise your list into categories (e.g., proteins, vegetables, grains, pantry staples) to make shopping efficient.
Check that you chose ingredients that overlap between multiple meals to reduce waste (e.g., chicken for tacos and grain bowls or zucchini for roasting and sautéing).
Shop for fresh, high-quality produce and proteins while keeping an eye out for bulk or cost-effective options.
Planning ahead and selecting versatile ingredients set the stage for successful and creative chef-style meal prep throughout the week
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Watch the video to learn about efficient kitchen organisation, container selection and labelling
Assess your current container collection and upgrade as needed to include stackable, airtight options.
A well-organised kitchen and high-quality containers simplify storage and make meal prep more efficient.
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Milestone: By the end of this unit, you’ll have explored different techniques to enhance the flavour of your meals and assembled balanced, delicious dishes using your prepped components.
Optional Unit Challenge: Create a three-course meal (starter, main, and side or dessert) using your prepped components. Incorporate at least one new flavour-boosting technique in each course, such as using fresh herbs, a citrus zest, or a homemade sauce or dressing.
Follow along with the video to prep a batch of proteins, such as grilled chicken or roasted tofu, focusing on proper seasoning and cooking techniques.
Store proteins in meal-sized portions in airtight containers.
Pair one protein with a grain or vegetable to assemble your first meal, experimenting with complementary flavours and textures.
Cooking proteins in bulk with versatile seasonings ensures you can easily mix and match throughout the week.
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Learn about different ways to enhance the flavour of your meals, such as using fresh herbs, citrus, vinegars, or spice blends.
Choose one protein, one vegetable, and one grain from your prepped components and experiment with adding a new flavour to each (e.g., lemon zest on roasted vegetables or a spice rub on chicken).
Create a meal that incorporates at least two new flavour techniques and taste how they elevate the dish.
Simple yet impactful flavour-boosting techniques can transform basic components into restaurant-quality dishes.
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Milestone: By the end of this unit, you’ll know how to reduce waste with efficient storage methods and have a tested, personalised recipe that applies chef-style techniques to your own cooking
Optional Unit Challenge: Share your newly developed recipe with friends or family and gather feedback.
Watch the video to learn strategies for storing food efficiently, reducing waste, and preserving flavour and texture.
Test different storage methods for your prepped components, such as freezing individual portions, storing vegetables in breathable bags, or using airtight containers for grains and proteins.
Identify ways to repurpose leftovers creatively, like turning roasted vegetables into a soup or grains into a stir-fry.
Track your food waste for one week and reflect on how you can reduce it further using tips from the video.
Efficient storage techniques reduce waste, save money, and ensure your ingredients stay fresh longer.
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Understand the fundamentals of creating new recipes, including brainstorming, testing, and refining.
Develop a unique recipe using your prepped components, applying flavour-boosting techniques learned in previous units.
Test your recipe, make necessary adjustments, and document the final version.
Recipe development allows you to combine creativity with practical skills, creating meals tailored to your tastes and lifestyle.
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What were the three most valuable lessons you learned about meal prep during this course? How has your approach to meal prep evolved from when you started? Which meal or recipe that you prepared are you most proud of, and why? What challenges did you encounter during the course, and how did you overcome them? How have your organisation, cooking, or flavour-boosting skills improved? What’s the next step in your meal prep journey? (e.g., trying new cuisines, refining your process, or sharing your skills with others) Instructions: Spend 20–30 minutes answering these questions in your progress journal. If you feel comfortable, share your reflections with a friend, family member, or online community for feedback and encouragement. Set one specific goal for the next month to continue developing your chef-style meal prep skills. Examples include mastering a new technique, experimenting with a new ingredient, or hosting a meal prep showcase.
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