Meal Prep for Beginners: 5 Myths Debunked

You’ve seen the TikToks. The rainbow veggie-prepped glass containers, the perfectly color-coded grocery lists, the fridge that somehow looks like a magazine spread…

And maybe you’ve thought:

“There’s no way I have time for that.”

Your idea of meal prep might look like spending your entire Sunday in the kitchen—chopping, roasting, and labeling foods—just for a little freedom during the week. But when Sunday rolls around? The last thing you want to do is cook. Sound familiar?

Hi, I’m Elia.

I’m an in-home personal chef and meal prep coach for busy New Yorkers. Food is my love language, and I’m here to gently say: most of what you’ve been told about meal prep…

It’s just not true. 

There are so many meal prep myths out there, and I hear them from clients daily. My job as their meal prep coach is not only to teach them the life skill of meal prepping, but also to debunk the myths that have been ingrained in all of our minds via social media.

Meal prep for beginners can feel manageable. Flexible. Even (dare I say it?) enjoyable.

Let’s walk through five of the most common myths I hear from moms, professionals, and just about anyone trying to eat well without losing their mind—or their weekend.

MYTH 1: “Meal Prep Takes up too Much of my Time”

I get it—your time is precious. You’re busy, but you’re also HUNGRY, and need food to survive. So what can you do about that? Let’s get into it!

When you think of meal prep, it’s easy to imagine hours spent cooking every single meal for the entire week.

But real-life practical meal prep, the kind of prep I teach, it’s not about filling your fridge with seven identical Tupperware meals, forcing you to eat the same thing over and over again. It’s about utilizing your weekly meal plan and prepping a handful of ingredients that allow for creating various healthy meals more easily later on.

Imagine:

• A sheet pan of your favorite roasted veggies

• A pot of rice

• A baked pasta dish (or other freezer-friendly dish), to have later in the week

• 2-3 proteins, like this perfectly cooked chicken breast, these turkey pesto meatballs, or miso maple salmon

• A simple dressing or sauce

With just a few hours in the kitchen (not your whole weekend), you get to enjoy a week’s worth of delicious foods that help you feel good, AND give you your time back! No scrambling, no stress—just options for time-saving meals that only need warming up or a quick sauté. 

MYTH 2: “You’ll be Eating the Same Thing for Days”

If the thought of eating dry chicken and soggy broccoli four nights in a row makes you want to throw in the towel, you’re not alone. This is a popular complaint! And many people don’t even like to reheat their proteins…the same rules apply! Keep reading for my expert tips and suggestions.

Being smart in the kitchen means knowing what kind of personality type you are. Are you someone who likes to have just enough ingredients on hand for a single day? Or maybe you lean more on the side of practical and efficient and like to spend a few hours getting your entire week planned and prepped!

Understanding what best fits your personality and lifestyle lays the foundation for what systems you will put into place to help you reclaim your time and eat well. You can learn your meal prep personality by taking this free meal prep personality quiz! The results will help you learn how to use your natural daily routines and rhythms to meal prep, so you can finally feel more at ease in the kitchen!

If you’re new to meal prepping, you may be thinking that you need to prepare the same two or three meals for the entire week. In Modern Meal Prep, I teach you how to build meals around simple base ingredients that mix and match, PLUS they actually taste good. Your sheet pan roasted veggies become part of your burrito on Monday, stuffed in your tacos on Tuesday, and in your breakfast frittata by Wednesday.

Meal prep doesn't have to be boring or inedible. It just has to be smart.

MYTH 3: “Meal Prep is Just for Fitness Enthusiasts”

Sure, you’ve seen the gym bros and health coaches sharing perfectly portioned protein-packed meals on Instagram—but meal prep isn’t reserved for the fitness world.

Meal prep is for the tired teacher, the working mom, the solo [insert your age]-something, too.

It’s for anyone craving a little less chaos and a little more nourishment.

Meal prepping is one of the most important acts of self-care you can do for yourself. When you eat well, you’re proving to yourself that your health and wellness are a priority. Eating better leads to sleeping better, functioning better, being more productive at work, and even showing up calmer and sharper for your kids.

And here’s the truth: with a few simple shifts in mindset and strategy, meal prep can meet you where you are—whether that’s throwing together lunches between meetings or just trying to eat something other than Goldfish, or your toddler’s crusts, at 3 pm. Which brings me to the next myth!

MYTH 4: “I Have to Take Care of my Kid’s Food First”

Let me say this louder for the moms in the back:

You are not the leftovers.

I’ve been there— when I was a nanny for 3 toddlers, back in my grad school days, I was always planning every meal and snack for the kids...and me? I ate their cold grilled cheese crusts or a bowl of cereal when I got home at 9 pm. What I can tell you is that I never felt nourished! 

Somehow, we've been taught that we need to prep separately for ourselves, or that we are left to eat junk, takeout, or leftover crumbs and crusts. But what if meal prep was one flexible plan that works for the whole family—and includes you too?

Inside Modern Meal Prep, I teach moms how to create routines that actually feed everyone, without you turning into a short-order cook.

And if you’re looking for fresh and simple recipes that are perfect for the whole family, and practical meal prep hacks for a stress-free kitchen experience, check out my new weekly email subscription launching soon, The Weekly Nosh. 

Because, mama, you deserve more than scraps. You deserve ease, nourishment, and a delicious plate of food to look forward to at mealtime.

MYTH 5: “Meal Prep has to Look Perfect”

Here’s your permission slip to forget the Pinterest pressure.

Real-life meal prep is a little messy. A little imperfect. And that’s what makes it work.

You don’t need aesthetic bento boxes or a fridge that looks like The Home Edit to eat well. You need a system that fits your life—and meals that are ready when you need them, not when they look cute for Instagram.

Meal prep can be a game-changer for making healthy, delicious meals quickly and easily. You don’t have to master the art of cooking aesthetics; you just need a little practice and to follow some time-saving tips and tricks.

The Bottom Line?

Let me reassure you that it is absolutely okay to mess up! Trial and error are normal and part of the process. This is where I come in! I’ve spent years doing the work and fine-tuning systems to make your life easier. Just like learning anything else, meal prep is a skill that can be taught!

If you are serious about living a more wholesome life, creating more memorable moments around the table with your friends and family, and reclaiming your time, check out Modern Meal Prep.

Modern Meal Prep is my step-by-step self-paced course that helps you build a routine that saves time, supports your family, and actually sticks.

Meal prep doesn’t need to be complicated, overwhelming, or Insta-perfect. It just needs to work for you. 

You bring real life. I’ll bring the strategy. Let’s make your kitchen feel like a win again!

If you liked this blog, let us know by leaving a comment below. Happy meal prepping!