Breakfast Meal Prep: Make-Ahead Mornings

Weekday breakfasts fail for lack of time, not lack of ideas. An hour of preparation at the weekend can cover most of the week. Here is a plan that mixes cold, warm and grab-and-go options so you do not get bored.

Overnight oats: up to four days

Make four jars of overnight oats at once. They keep up to 4 days in the fridge. Store toppings such as berries and nuts separately and add them in the morning so they stay fresh and crunchy.

Freezer pancakes: up to two months

Cook a full batch of buttermilk pancakes and cool them on a rack. Freeze them in a single layer on a tray, then move them to a bag with parchment between them. On a weekday morning, reheat them straight from frozen in the toaster.

Shakshuka sauce: up to three days

The spiced tomato and pepper sauce for shakshuka keeps 3 days in the fridge. In the morning, heat a portion in a small skillet until it simmers, crack in an egg or two, cover and cook until the whites are fully set. It takes about 10 minutes.

Hard-boiled eggs: up to one week

Hard-boiled eggs keep up to a week in the fridge, peeled or unpeeled. Cool them quickly in iced water after cooking and refrigerate within 2 hours.

A simple Sunday schedule

1. Start the shakshuka sauce simmering.
2. While it cooks, mix the overnight oats and divide them into jars.
3. Boil the eggs, then cool them in iced water.
4. Cook the pancakes while the sauce cools.
5. Label everything with the date and refrigerate or freeze.

Keep it safe

Cool cooked food quickly and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Keep your fridge at 40°F (4°C) or below, and eat refrigerated leftovers within the times above. When in doubt, throw it out.