How to Decide Between Prepared Meals vs. Meal Prepping

By Joshua D. Glawson
Originally Published: https://mealpreponfleek.com/prepared-meals-vs-meal-prepping/

Whether you are looking to save time or money, finding the best meal options for you and your family is super important to achieving your goals. Spending time in the grocery store and then cooking for the evening can be a significant time-consuming task, and without proper preparation there could be a lot of wasted food. For the average person working a day job,
choosing prepackaged meals or meal prepping will help them save time. Figuring out which can be the most difficult, so we at Meal Prep on Fleek are here to assist!
 
●       To save time and money with prepackaged or meal prepping.
●       Anyone who wants to save time and money cooking at home.
●       We will cover prepackaged meals versus meal prepping, and provide 3 meal
suggestions if you’re new to meal prepping.

Choose the Right Type of Meal Prep.

There are two main types of meal prep: prepared meals and meal prep kits. Prepared meals are made up of ingredients that you prepare yourself. They usually take longer than meal prep kits, but they allow you more control over how much food you consume. Meal prep kits are ready-to-eat meals that come with everything you need to complete a recipe. They typically require less planning and preparation time than prepared meals.

Prepared Meals vs. Meal Prepping, Why Does it Matter?

Prepackaged meals consist of the cooking directions and all of the unprepared ingredients for a given meal. Usually, these meals feed an average family of four. Over the past five years,
several major companies in the prepacked food world have started delivering prepackaged
meals to homes across the US. With the convenience of not having to go grocery shopping
comes a higher cost. The average cost for prepackaged meals is around $10 per meal serving.

Meal prepping consists of acquiring your own ingredients in bulk, along with your favorite
recipes from Meal Prep on Fleek. Because you are selecting your own meat(s), vegetables, and
seasoning, you will have higher quality of each since you have control over your selections and
often fresher. Meal prepping also comes at a lower cost when compared to prepackaged meals. The average cost for meal prepped meals is around $5 per meal serving.

If we consider a family of 4, that eats 3 meals per day each, after 7 days this makes a total of 84 meals (the math: 4 people x 3 meals x 7 days = 84 meals)…

Prepackaged: 84 meals x $10 = $840 per week.
Meal Prepping: 84 meals x $5 = $420 per week.

At this cost difference, for most working parents in the US today, going to the grocery store for
an hour once a week is worth the $400+ savings per week. For most families, that’s good, hard
earned, money better used elsewhere.

How to Save Money with These 3 Recipes

At Meal Prep on Fleek we have recipes readily available, along with a community of other meal
preppers, and we are constantly updating with new and exciting recipes. Here are three easy
budget-friendly meals you and your family can enjoy this week by meal prepping:

Chicken Shawarma With Sweet Potato Fries

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Garlic Coconut Butter Chicken Thighs and Zoodles

There are many ways to save money with food prepping, especially when compared to
prepackaged meals. By having more control over your selection of meats, vegetables, and
spices, you will be able to control the costs better than prepackaged meals. At around half the
cost of prepackaged meals, meal prepping is the clear winner.

We have heard some people have gotten their meal prepping down below $3 per meal, so the
possibilities are open wide. We encourage our members to share their recipes and costs, so
that we may continue helping others save time and money with meal prepping. If you have
recipes that are $5 or less per meal, share them in the comments below. We may give you a
shout out!