By Josephine Agbonkhese

Meal prepping—the act of preparing a meal or recipe, then portioning it out to create grab-and-go meals for later, is increasingly becoming a trend. But why not? We live in a busier world, making daily food preparation more hectic.

That’s without mentioning that it is convenient, efficient, reduces waste, and reduces the temptation to eat outside your meal plan. Meal prepping also allows you eat home-cooked meals regularly.

As simple as it sounds, it contributes also to health, reduces stress and helps manage time effectively. Here are five meal prep ideas you can plan for this week.

1. Jollof Rice with Chicken and Veggies
   Main Dish: Jollof rice with grilled or stewed chicken.
   Prep: Cook a large batch of jollof rice using parboiled rice, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices (thyme, curry, bay leaves). Prepare a separate chicken stew with tomatoes, peppers, and seasoning cubes. Grill or bake chicken thighs for variety.
   Sides: Steam mixed vegetables (carrots, green beans, peas) or make a simple coleslaw with cabbage and carrots.
   Storage: Divide jollof rice into meal prep containers (about 1 cup per portion). Add 1–2 pieces of chicken and a portion of veggies or coleslaw. Store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for longer (up to 2 weeks).
   Reheat: Microwave for 2–3 minutes, adding a splash of water to keep rice moist.
2. Egusi Soup with Pounded Yam or Eba
   Main Dish: Egusi (melon seed) soup with beef, fish, or chicken.
   Prep: Cook egusi soup in bulk with ground melon seeds, palm oil, spinach or ugu leaves, onions, peppers, and protein (beef, smoked fish, or chicken). Season with crayfish and locust beans (iru) for depth. Prepare pounded yam (use yam flour for convenience) or gari for eba.
   Sides: Add a small portion of boiled yam or plantain as an alternative side.
   Storage: Portion egusi soup into containers (about 1–1.5 cups per serving). Store pounded yam or gari separately in small portions. Refrigerate soup for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Pounded yam can be refrigerated for 2–3 days or frozen in small balls.
   Reheat: Warm soup in a microwave or stovetop; reheat pounded yam by steaming or microwaving with a damp paper towel.
   Tip: Make extra soup and freeze in small batches to pair with fresh gari for quick eba meals.
3. Yam Porridge (Asaro) with Fish or Chicken
   Main Dish: Yam porridge with smoked fish or chicken.
   Prep: Cook yam cubes in a blend of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and palm oil. Add smoked fish or shredded chicken for protein, and season with crayfish and seasoning cubes. Add ugu or scent leaves for flavour.
   Sides: Pair with a small portion of steamed greens (spinach or fluted pumpkin).
   Storage: Portion porridge into containers (1.5 cups per serving). Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for 2 weeks.
   Reheat: Microwave or reheat on stovetop with a little water to loosen consistency.
4. Beans and Plantain Pottage
   Main Dish: Beans pottage (ewa agoyin or regular stewed beans) with ripe plantain.
   Prep: Cook brown or black-eyed beans with a spicy pepper sauce (ata dindin) made from red bell peppers, scotch bonnet, and onions. Add palm oil and crayfish for flavour. Boil or fry ripe plantain slices.
   Sides: Add a boiled egg or small portion of stewed fish for variety.
   Storage: Divide beans pottage (1 cup per serving) and plantain into containers. Refrigerate for 4 days or freeze for 2 weeks.
   Reheat: Microwave or warm on stovetop; plantain can be reheated separately to maintain texture.