Woman Eating Burger

Reasons Why People Fail at Meal Prep

Problem #1

You Are Busy and Hungry - A Fast Burger Seems Convenient

No one starts out their morning by thinking to themselves,” I am going to make poor food choices today.” But the number one reason people end up eating junk food is the failure to plan. Food planning is not how most folks want to spend their time. It seems easier to grab fast food or graze on snacks rather than pack a nutritious lunch. 

 

The Solution

Discover a few simple meals that you can put together is the first step in the process. They can be as simple as a turkey sandwich, or a few boiled eggs to start. 
This is only to start because if you keep bringing the same foods over and over you will get bored and be tempted again by that junk food burger. 

Problem #2

You're Tired of Eating The Same Thing

This is a common mistake made by those who actually have the intent to prepare their own meals. They will cook up some generic chicken, boil some rice, and roast vegetables. This sounds like a great idea, right?  Wrong!  
After 2 days of eating the same lunch, you will begin to get bored

The Solution

Find a way to use those same ingredients, but season them differently. You could one day eat them warm and the next day or incorporate them into an interesting salad with a complete opposite flavor. On the third and final day, you could put the ingredients into a pita pocket. 

Problem #3

You're Missing the Ingredients Needed to Change Up Your Meal

This comes down to a failure to plan out your meals and make a shopping list. For some making a shopping list is a task that is more mundane than washing and ironing your clothes. However, without a plan, you will be back buying that fast food burger.

The Solution

Create a list of meals you plan to prepare for the next week. If you use an online order system you can simply add the ingredients. If you are shopping for groceries yourself consider utilizing an AI.  An Alexa device has a shopping list feature that works well. It can be verbally updated as you look in your pantry or fridge. When you are at the grocery store you can just pull up your app and check off the items as you source them. 

Problem #4

Meal Prepping for the Entire Family is Time Consuming.

Busy parents often are the targets of fast food commercials. They know you are short on time and convince you that heading through the drive thru is a better option. But is it really? 

A CBS News article quotes Dr. Eliana Perrin, professor of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine. “Eating too much fast food is bad for children’s health because of the high calorie count coupled with too few nutrients, Perrin said. A poor diet can also lead to heart problems and obesity.”

The Solution

Planning family meals is almost easier since ingredients can be purchased in large quantities. Buying a 3 pound package of ground beef that can be turned into 3 different meals is a good place to start.  When you incorporate the freezer into your planning you can really step up the family prepared meals. Make breakfast sandwiches, quesadillas and soups that can all be stored in the freezer. 

Problem #5

Creating Menus Can be a Big Project

Unless you are a professional chef, the average person has little experience creating menus in advance. That is why in previous generations, days of the week were assigned the same menu. Wednesday was always spaghetti in our house.   If that works for you great!, If not, you may want to look into a way to get some assistance with this project. 

The Solution

We took months to test recipes, add them to a menu, and create meal plans. We do this for a living. If you work or care take for others we may have the perfect solution for you. Check out a sample meal plan.  The good news is once you become a Meal Prep Made member you get so much more than just the menus and meal plans.

You get 5 weeks of live online instruction and support. You get all the recipes with full nutritional information. We even provide auto generated shopping lists and ways for you to customize your Meal Prep Made plans.  We take the hassle out of your planning, so you can spend more time doing the things that you do best. 

Food Safety

5 Dangerous Thanksgiving Food Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Mistake #1

Not Properly Thawing The Frozen Turkey

When it comes to thawing the bird- the key is to think ahead.

    • How many pounds do you have?
    • How many days will you be required to leave it that in the refrigerator to reach its thawing point?

The dangerous mistake occurs when the turkey is not thawed in the refrigerator. Never thaw on the counter or just sitting in a sink full of water.
The FDA guideline states frozen food of any kind should only be thawed in one of 3 ways:

      • In the refrigerator
      • Under continuous running cold water
      • In the microwave. (If food is thawed in the microwave it must be cooked immediately.)

Thankfully Butterball has a calculator that will help you plan

    • How much turkey you need by weight
    • How long to thaw a frozen turkey by the pound
    • How long your cook time will be

Mistake #2

Undercooking The Turkey

Cooking a turkey can be a daunting task if you have never done so. Be sure to remove all the innards and the neck which will be tucked inside. You can use them to make a stock for the gravy.

The danger lies in the internal cooking temperature of the turkey. Turkey is considered poultry and the FDA urges that all poultry must be cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Make sure you have tested your food thermometer. Keep it handy and check various parts of the bird. It is not done until every area you insert the thermometer in reads at least 165 degrees F. To test the accuracy of your thermometer you can place it in a glass of ice water for thirty seconds. If it reads 32 degrees F your device passes the test.

Mistake #3

Not Reheating the Side Dishes to the Correct Temperature

Most people will make at least a few of the Thanksgiving side dishes ahead of time. This makes perfect sense considering how much cooking is involved.

Where this can become dangerous is assuming that since a side dish was once cooked properly it can be served with just the chill removed. All ready-to-heat food is required to be heated until an internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

The reason you must reheat to an internal temperature of 165 F is that bacteria grow very rapidly as food passes through what is called the temperature danger zone.

The temperature range for the danger zone is 40F-140 degrees F. These little bacteria can make someone very ill. Especially when it comes to children, the elderly, pregnant women, and anyone who may be immunocompromised. Think about who might be sitting at your table this holiday season and use your thermometer to check temps as you reheat the side dishes.

Mistake #4

Leaving The Food Sit Out Hours After Serving

Many people have a sit-down family-style meal where everyone passes each delicious dish one at a time. Other households prefer to serve a wonderful buffet-style meal in which everyone makes a plate from a central location and carries their Thanksgiving dinner to their own seat. 

Regardless of how you prefer to dine food-safety should still be top of mind.

Remember the old days where children were always instructed to wash their hands before dinner? This is still a great idea, in fact in a post-pandemic world, everyone should wash their hands before sharing serving utensils. You as the cook should be washing in between touching each food item.

When it comes to serving your Thanksgiving feast the biggest rule of thumb is to not let any of the food sit out for more than two- hours. Once everyone has had time to eat pack up the food and get it in the refrigerator. If it is still hot or warm simply divide it into smaller containers.

Mistake #5

The Mishandling Of The Thanksgiving Leftovers

Packing food in small containers with leftovers in them makes sense on so many levels.

  • If you are packing that leftover turkey stuffing and gravy into single-use disposable containers your wonderful Thanksgiving leftovers can be offered to your guests as they leave.
  • If the containers are reheatable you can portion out some ready-to-go meals for your family too.


  • In the long run, this is the most efficient way to eat all the lovely thanksgiving food items in a timely manner. We live by the food-safety 3-day rule, by Sunday night all the leftovers must be frozen or thrown out.  Make sure you follow the food safety rules of reheating foods to 165 degrees F also. Yes, you can eat the turkey meat cold, but if want some mashed potatoes and gravy or mac and cheese remember to use the thermometer.

When it comes to food safety you really can not pick and choose. Bacteria and viruses are part of the world around us. We must learn to live with them and use the knowledge at hand to protect those around us.

As the cook and or the host of a meal it is your responsibility to ensure that you have properly warded off the potential spread of viruses and properly killed off any bacteria that can potentially make you or someone you love ill. Having a happy holiday season starts with being healthy.

Remember thaw food properly, cook poultry to 165 degrees F, reheat foods to 165 degrees F,  refrigerate leftovers within two hours,  freeze or discard leftovers after three  days and wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.

Have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving !
To learn more about safe and healthy meal prep visit our site at MealPrepMade.Com