Meal Prep Calculator

Meal Prep Quantity & Cost Calculator

Plan your meal prep efficiently by calculating the total ingredient quantities and estimated costs for your desired number of meals. This helps ensure you buy just enough and stay within budget.

Ingredient Details (per single serving):

function calculateMealPrep() { var numMeals = parseFloat(document.getElementById("numMeals").value); var recipeServings = parseFloat(document.getElementById("recipeServings").value); var ing1Name = document.getElementById("ing1Name").value; var ing1Qty = parseFloat(document.getElementById("ing1Qty").value); var ing1Cost = parseFloat(document.getElementById("ing1Cost").value); var ing2Name = document.getElementById("ing2Name").value; var ing2Qty = parseFloat(document.getElementById("ing2Qty").value); var ing2Cost = parseFloat(document.getElementById("ing2Cost").value); var ing3Name = document.getElementById("ing3Name").value; var ing3Qty = parseFloat(document.getElementById("ing3Qty").value); var ing3Cost = parseFloat(document.getElementById("ing3Cost").value); var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result"); resultDiv.innerHTML = ""; // Clear previous results // Input validation if (isNaN(numMeals) || numMeals <= 0) { resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid number of meals to prep (must be a positive number)."; return; } if (isNaN(recipeServings) || recipeServings <= 0) { resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid number of servings your recipe yields (must be a positive number)."; return; } // Calculate total batches needed var totalBatches = Math.ceil(numMeals / recipeServings); var output = "

Meal Prep Summary:

"; output += "To prepare " + numMeals + " individual meals, you will need to make " + totalBatches + " batches of your recipe."; output += "

Total Ingredient Quantities Needed:

"; var totalCostPerMeal = 0; var totalOverallCost = 0; var costCalculated = false; // Ingredient 1 if (ing1Name && !isNaN(ing1Qty) && ing1Qty >= 0) { var totalIng1Qty = ing1Qty * numMeals; output += "" + ing1Name + ": " + totalIng1Qty.toFixed(0) + " grams"; if (!isNaN(ing1Cost) && ing1Cost >= 0) { totalCostPerMeal += (ing1Qty * ing1Cost); totalOverallCost += (totalIng1Qty * ing1Cost); costCalculated = true; } } else if (ing1Name) { output += "Warning: Invalid quantity for " + ing1Name + ". Skipping quantity calculation for this ingredient."; } // Ingredient 2 if (ing2Name && !isNaN(ing2Qty) && ing2Qty >= 0) { var totalIng2Qty = ing2Qty * numMeals; output += "" + ing2Name + ": " + totalIng2Qty.toFixed(0) + " grams"; if (!isNaN(ing2Cost) && ing2Cost >= 0) { totalCostPerMeal += (ing2Qty * ing2Cost); totalOverallCost += (totalIng2Qty * ing2Cost); costCalculated = true; } } else if (ing2Name) { output += "Warning: Invalid quantity for " + ing2Name + ". Skipping quantity calculation for this ingredient."; } // Ingredient 3 if (ing3Name && !isNaN(ing3Qty) && ing3Qty >= 0) { var totalIng3Qty = ing3Qty * numMeals; output += "" + ing3Name + ": " + totalIng3Qty.toFixed(0) + " grams"; if (!isNaN(ing3Cost) && ing3Cost >= 0) { totalCostPerMeal += (ing3Qty * ing3Cost); totalOverallCost += (totalIng3Qty * ing3Cost); costCalculated = true; } } else if (ing3Name) { output += "Warning: Invalid quantity for " + ing3Name + ". Skipping quantity calculation for this ingredient."; } if (costCalculated) { output += "

Estimated Costs:

"; output += "Estimated Cost Per Meal: $" + totalCostPerMeal.toFixed(2) + ""; output += "Estimated Total Cost for " + numMeals + " Meals: $" + totalOverallCost.toFixed(2) + ""; } else { output += "Cost calculations skipped as ingredient costs were not provided or were invalid."; } resultDiv.innerHTML = output; } .meal-prep-calculator-container { background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; max-width: 700px; margin: 20px auto; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; } .meal-prep-calculator-container h2, .meal-prep-calculator-container h3, .meal-prep-calculator-container h4 { color: #333; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 10px; } .meal-prep-calculator-container p { margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 1.6; } .calculator-inputs label { display: inline-block; width: 250px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; } .calculator-inputs input[type="number"], .calculator-inputs input[type="text"] { width: calc(100% – 260px); /* Adjust width considering label */ padding: 8px; margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; box-sizing: border-box; /* Include padding and border in the element's total width and height */ } .calculator-inputs button { background-color: #4CAF50; color: white; padding: 12px 20px; border: none; border-radius: 4px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; margin-top: 15px; } .calculator-inputs button:hover { background-color: #45a049; } #result { background-color: #eef; border: 1px solid #ccf; padding: 15px; border-radius: 5px; margin-top: 20px; } #result h3, #result h4 { color: #0056b3; }

Understanding and Mastering Meal Prep with Our Calculator

What is Meal Prep?

Meal preparation, commonly known as meal prep, is the process of planning and preparing your meals in advance. This can range from simply chopping vegetables for a few days to cooking entire meals for the week ahead. It's a popular strategy for individuals looking to save time, eat healthier, manage their budget, and reduce food waste.

Typical meal prep involves cooking staple ingredients like grains, proteins, and vegetables in bulk, then portioning them into individual containers. This makes grabbing a healthy meal quick and easy, eliminating the need for last-minute cooking or relying on less healthy takeout options.

Why Use a Meal Prep Calculator?

While meal prep offers numerous benefits, scaling recipes and managing ingredient quantities can sometimes be challenging. This is where a dedicated Meal Prep Calculator becomes invaluable. Our calculator helps you:

• Accurately Scale Ingredients: Easily determine the exact amount of each ingredient you need based on the number of meals you want to prepare, preventing over- or under-buying.
• Manage Your Budget: By inputting the cost per unit of your ingredients, you can get an estimated cost per meal and total cost for your prep, helping you stick to your food budget.
• Reduce Food Waste: Buying precise quantities means less food goes bad, saving you money and contributing to a more sustainable kitchen.
• Streamline Your Shopping List: With calculated quantities, your grocery list becomes precise and efficient.
• Ensure Consistent Portions: Helps maintain consistent portion sizes across all your prepared meals.

How to Use This Meal Prep Calculator

Using our calculator is straightforward. Follow these steps:

1. Number of Individual Meals to Prep: Enter the total number of individual meals you aim to prepare. For example, if you want to prepare 5 lunches for yourself and 5 for a partner, you would enter '10'.
2. Servings Your Base Recipe Yields: Input how many individual servings your chosen recipe typically makes. If your favorite chicken and rice recipe usually serves 4 people, enter '4'.
3. Ingredient Details: For up to three main ingredients, enter:
   • Ingredient Name: A descriptive name (e.g., "Chicken Breast", "Cooked Brown Rice", "Steamed Broccoli").
   • Quantity per Serving (grams): The amount of that ingredient in a single serving of your recipe (e.g., 150 grams of chicken).
   • Cost per Gram ($): The cost of that ingredient per gram. To calculate this, divide the total cost of the ingredient by its total weight in grams (e.g., if 1 kg of chicken costs $10, then 10 / 1000 = $0.01 per gram). You can leave this blank or enter 0 if you don't want to calculate costs for a specific ingredient.
4. Click "Calculate Meal Prep": The calculator will instantly display the total batches needed, the total quantity of each ingredient required, and the estimated cost per meal and total cost (if cost data was provided).

Example Calculation: Chicken, Rice, and Broccoli Prep

Let's say you want to prepare 10 individual meals for the week. Your go-to recipe for chicken, rice, and broccoli typically yields 4 servings.

• Number of Individual Meals to Prep: 10
• Servings Your Base Recipe Yields: 4
• Ingredient 1: Chicken Breast
  • Quantity per Serving: 150 grams
  • Cost per Gram: $0.01 (assuming $10/kg)
• Ingredient 2: Cooked Rice
  • Quantity per Serving: 200 grams
  • Cost per Gram: $0.002 (assuming $2/kg)
• Ingredient 3: Broccoli
  • Quantity per Serving: 100 grams
  • Cost per Gram: $0.005 (assuming $5/kg)

Upon clicking "Calculate Meal Prep", the results would show:

• To prepare 10 individual meals, you will need to make 3 batches of your recipe (10 meals / 4 servings per batch = 2.5 batches, rounded up to 3).
• Total Chicken Breast Needed: 1500 grams (1.5 kg)
• Total Cooked Rice Needed: 2000 grams (2 kg)
• Total Broccoli Needed: 1000 grams (1 kg)
• Estimated Cost Per Meal: $2.70 (150g*$0.01 + 200g*$0.002 + 100g*$0.005)
• Estimated Total Cost for 10 Meals: $27.00

Tips for Successful Meal Prepping

• Start Small: Don't try to prep every meal for the entire week initially. Start with lunches or dinners for a few days.
• Choose Versatile Recipes: Opt for recipes that hold up well in the fridge and can be easily reheated without losing quality.
• Invest in Good Containers: Airtight, microwave-safe, and freezer-safe containers are essential for food safety and longevity.
• Vary Your Meals: To avoid boredom, try to rotate recipes or vary your protein/carb/veg combinations.
• Batch Cook Staples: Cook large quantities of grains (rice, quinoa), roasted vegetables, or grilled proteins that can be mixed and matched.
• Prioritize Food Safety: Ensure food is cooled quickly before refrigerating and reheated thoroughly.

With the help of this calculator, you can take the guesswork out of meal prep, making it a more enjoyable and sustainable part of your healthy lifestyle.