Alina Moss loved the idea of meal prepping. The problem was… she hated actually doing it. “The thought of spending three hours cooking on Sunday made me want to order takeout instead,” she laughs.
She admired the Mediterranean diet for its heart-healthy benefits and fresh flavors—but the idea of making full menus in advance felt overwhelming. So instead of trying to prep complete meals, Alina changed her approach: she prepped building blocks.
“I’d roast a tray of vegetables, cook a pot of farro, and marinate some chickpeas,” she says. That way, throughout the week, she could mix and match quickly without cooking from scratch every night.
Some days it turned into a grain bowl with olives and feta. Other nights, she’d toss everything into a warm soup or a quick sauté. She even kept jars of homemade dressing and fresh herbs on hand to liven things up.
The beauty of the Mediterranean approach, for Alina, was its flexibility. “It’s not about rules,” she explains. “It’s about flavor, balance, and ease.”
Meal prep no longer feels like a chore. It feels like a favor she does for her future self. “Now I can come home from work, open the fridge, and dinner’s already halfway there,” she says.
Her advice? “Prep just enough to keep things flowing—not so much that you burn out before Monday ends.”
