If you’re meal prepping, then you should also be aware of food safety. How long does meal prep food last in the refrigerator? Find out some tips here.

Meal prepping is an awesome experience and practice but understanding how long certain meal-prep foods last in the refrigerator is important. You’ll save a lot of stress, time, and money by figuring out how far in advance you can actually meal prep using certain foods.

While many people meal prep for the entire week to get ahead, some people actually try to do it even further out than that. And it’s true that this is ambitious in planning, but its’ not really a great habit to get into.

Does meal prep food go bad?

It absolutely can! Just like all food, there is an expiration date on food items that you need to pay attention to. This is true for frozen food, fresh food, canned food…you name it. Anything that can be eaten has an expiration date and it’s important to know that.

Once you make a meal, it’s also important to understand that the food won’t stay as fresh for as long once packages are open and seals are broken. This is just the way it is.

Meal prep food can and will go bad if you’re trying to make meals that are longer than 5-7 days out.

How long will chicken and rice stay good in the fridge?

The lifespan of chicken and rice that has been meal prepped and is stored in the fridge is going to be 3-4 days long. This is why sometimes planning out a week won’t always work.

If you’re wanting to plan out a week, make certain to have your meat meals earlier in the week and push out your leafy greens and vegetables as far as possible during the week since they tend to do better long term than other food products.

Do eggs that are meal prepped last in the fridge?

When it comes to eggs, they’re such a simple food to whip up quickly that unless they’re hard-boiled or deviled, many people don’t really include them in their meal prep plans.

Keep in mind though that scrambled eggs actually freeze well so if you’re wanting to scramble up some eggs to use them up and save for them, just scramble them and store them in a freezer-proof container in your freezer.

How long do meal prep foods last in the freezer?

The lifespan of most freezer foods is going to be 2-3 months maximum. This is good to know for meal prep purposes and will help you plan accordingly. If you’re wanting to get ahead, you could easily meal prep your lunch or breakfast for the next month and store it all in the freezer easily enough.

How long do certain meal prep foods last in the refrigerator?

A good rule of thumb to remember is that if you’re questioning it, it’s probably not a good idea to eat it. Anything meat over 3 days is iffy at best and if you’re trying to meal prep for anything longer than that, you need to look at food items comprised of fruits and vegetables.

It’s entirely possible to meal prep your entire week of recipes and cook some during the beginning of the week and some during the middle of the week to make certain that all of the food items are safe to eat without worries. It all just depends on how much time you have to meal prep and cook.

It’s also a good rule of thumb to understand that if you’ve cooked meat and it’s coming up on it’s three days in the fridge, you might want to consider freezing it for later as well. Putting it in the freezer allows you a little more time to figure out what you’re going to do with it if anything. And it’s better than just making a quick decision and throwing it out.

Meal prepping allows you to eat foods in a way that keeps them fresh and delicious, just make certain that you’re not pushing the boundaries. You can easily meal prep for the week but you do have to be smart about it.

Anything dealing with meat or protein is going to go bad a lot faster than fresh fruit or vegetables. And this is something that you should keep in mind when shopping for your meal prep plans as well.

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How Long Do Certain Meal Prep Foods Last In The Refrigerator?