Only meal prepping once a week

While many home chefs plan their meals for the week on Sundays, one day a week is insufficient for food preparation. Food stored in the refrigerator will begin to spoil and bacteria will grow in three to four days (via Mayo Clinic). To avoid this, prep a couple of days a week to ensure dishes don't sit in the refrigerator for too long. Cook on Sundays and Thursdays, for example, to ensure fresh meals. You can also freeze portions of food to ensure that they are always available. According to the FDA, frozen prepared foods have a longer shelf life; for example, most soups and stews last two to three months.

Meal prepping more than once a week also allows you to experiment with different dishes. Because some foods, such as pasta and rice, do not freeze well, you can mix and match to make the most of your freezer space and time. Burritos, meatballs, tuna patties, soups, and casseroles are the best meals to freeze. You can even portion them out before storing them for quick individual meals. Meatballs and patties can be frozen covered and on a baking sheet, but remember to transfer them to a freezer bag to avoid sticking.