If you're constantly busy and struggle to find the time to cook, meal prepping can be a lifesaver when you're trying to create healthier eating habits. Ever finished work or got to the end of after-school pickup and  thought, 'I'm just too tired to cook'?

Meal prepping does require some planning ahead, but having healthier foods readily available at home is important for success with healthy eating. Here are some tips to get you started.

Make time

You will need to set aside time to do this regularly. Successful meal prepping generally requires you to make a habit of it, so we would recommend that you aim to do some form of prepping - even if it's just one lot of baking - on the same day each week. For your average work/school week, a Sunday is generally a good idea as your food will be as fresh a possible early on in the week and likely last you through to the Friday if you plan for it.

Depending on your setup at home for food storage (i.e. containers, freezer space) and your need for prepped food, you may prefer to do it fortnightly or monthly.

If you're so busy that you can't find the time each week to cook some extra meals, start making extra serves of your regular meals during the week.

Sort your setup

You'll need to have enough storage containers, cupboard/fridge/freezer space, ice packs or lunch boxes etc., to store, transport and re-heat your food. There's no point in making all the extra food if you have nowhere to keep it!

Make sure you have the right containers for the things you're planning to make. Soup and stews with a lot of liquid will need sealable containers that are watertight to prevent leakage. If you'll be thawing food in the containers and putting them straight into a microwave, check they are BPA-free, dishwasher safe and microwave safe.

Label everything you make with what it is, the date you made it and an expiry/best before date if you know it. It can be easy to lose meals in the bottom of the freezer and you'll want to easily know what they are later.

Pick your recipes

Be strategic about what you're making - what do you need to get you through to the same time next week? Baking? Lunches? Dinners? Check what you have stockpiled in the freezer each week and make what you need.

It could be enough to alleviate the pressure during the week to make one dinner, one lunch thing and one type of baking. We mentioned previously you might save extra serves of your regular meals; start cooking in bulk, add extras to bump up your meals (i.e. add a tin of lentils to spaghetti bolognese).

Whatever you decide to prep, it doesn't need to be complicated; in fact, the simpler the better. Choose meals that are quick to whip up, and create a decent quantity so you will have plenty of serves that come out of your efforts. Slow cooker meals such as soups, stews and curries are fantastic for this.

If you have kids at home, get them to participate so they can develop this great habit at the same time while working on their skills in the kitchen; these are such valuable thing for them to learn!

Think outside the box

Meal prepping doesn't need to be just about storing pre-made meals and snacks that have been fully prepared. You could:

• Chop your vegetables when you first unpack them from the grocery or produce store, then keep them in individual containers ready for easy use during the week. Chopping is one of the most time consuming parts of meal preparation, having it sorted right from the start can save you the hassle later.
• Partially make a meal. A generic onion, garlic, minced beef and/or lentils, and chopped tomatoes can be stored as a 'base' that can be split up and later turned into nachos, spaghetti bolognese, lasagne, burritos or shepherd's pie with a few extra ingredients and cooking.

Mix it up

Make an assortment of different things so you don't get bored. While it may be tempting to make one enormous batch of spag bol and divide it into 20 serves, it would likely take up all your storage space, use all your containers, and you'll get sick of having the same meal every time you need a pre-prepped lunch or dinner!

Try a new recipe every now and then to keep thing fresh and interesting.

Image / NZ Real Health