# Meal prep and meal planning glossary

> Plain-English definitions of meal prep, nutrition and food safety terms.

Canonical URL: https://weeklymealprep.food/glossary

**Batch cooking**: Cooking a large quantity of one recipe at once and portioning it for several meals. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/meal-prep-for-beginners))

**Blanching**: Briefly boiling vegetables, then plunging them into ice water. It preserves color and texture, especially before freezing. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/freezer-meal-prep))

**Calorie deficit**: Eating fewer calories than your body uses over time, which leads to weight loss. The right size of deficit is personal; ask a clinician. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/meal-planning-for-weight-loss))

**Component prep**: Prepping separate building blocks (a grain, a protein, vegetables, a sauce) that you combine into different meals during the week. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/sunday-meal-prep-routine))

**Cook once, eat twice**: Deliberately cooking extra so leftovers become a second, different meal. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/cook-once-eat-twice-leftovers))

**Cross-contact**: When an allergen or gluten transfers from one food or surface to another. It matters for allergies and celiac disease. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/gluten-free-meal-prep))

**Danger zone**: The temperature range between 40°F and 140°F (4°C to 60°C) in which bacteria multiply quickly, according to USDA. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/how-long-does-meal-prep-last-in-the-fridge))

**Diabetes Plate Method**: A simple plate guide from the American Diabetes Association: half non-starchy vegetables, a quarter lean protein and a quarter carbohydrate foods. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/diabetes-friendly-meal-planning))

**FIFO**: First in, first out. Put newer food behind older food so the oldest gets used first. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/grocery-list-strategies))

**Flash freezing**: Freezing items spread out on a tray before bagging them, so they do not stick together. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/freezer-meal-prep))

**Freezer meal**: A fully or partly cooked meal stored frozen to reheat or finish cooking later. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/freezer-meal-prep))

**Gluten-free**: In the US, a food labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten under FDA rules. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/gluten-free-meal-prep))

**Glycemic index**: A ranking of how quickly a carbohydrate food raises blood glucose compared with a reference food. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/diabetes-friendly-meal-planning))

**Halal**: Permissible under Islamic dietary law. Certification standards vary, so check labels and follow your own religious authority. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/halal-meal-planning))

**High-protein**: Meals or diets that emphasize protein, often used to support satiety or muscle gain. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/high-protein-meal-prep))

**Ingredient prep**: Washing, chopping and portioning raw ingredients ahead of time without fully cooking meals. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/meal-prep-for-beginners))

**Keto**: A very low-carbohydrate, high-fat eating pattern intended to shift the body toward using fat and ketones for fuel. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/keto-meal-prep))

**Kosher**: Conforming to Jewish dietary law (kashrut), including rules on permitted foods and separating meat and dairy. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/kosher-meal-planning))

**Macros**: Short for macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fat, the nutrients that supply calories. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/macro-friendly-meal-prep))

**Meal planning**: Deciding in advance what you will eat over a period, usually a week, and shopping for it in one go. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/how-to-meal-plan-for-the-week))

**Meal prep**: Cooking, portioning or preparing food ahead of time so meals are quick to assemble later. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/meal-prep-for-beginners))

**Mediterranean diet**: An eating pattern built on vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, fish and nuts, with less red meat. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/high-protein-meal-prep))

**Mise en place**: French for “everything in its place”: measuring and arranging ingredients before you start cooking. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/sunday-meal-prep-routine))

**Net carbs**: Total carbohydrates minus fiber (and sometimes sugar alcohols). It is a popular low-carb counting method, not an FDA label term. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/keto-meal-prep))

**Paleo**: An eating pattern that avoids grains, legumes, dairy and processed foods, focusing on meat, fish, vegetables, fruit and nuts. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/macro-friendly-meal-prep))

**Pantry staples**: Shelf-stable basics such as rice, pasta, canned beans, oils and spices that you keep on hand to fill gaps in a plan. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/budget-meal-planning))

**Pareve**: In kosher law, foods that are neither meat nor dairy, such as eggs, fish, fruit and vegetables. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/kosher-meal-planning))

**Planned leftovers**: Leftovers you schedule on purpose, such as a leftover-lunch day after a big dinner. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/cook-once-eat-twice-leftovers))

**Plant-based**: Eating mostly or entirely foods from plants. It can include vegetarian and vegan diets. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/vegetarian-meal-prep))

**Portion control**: Serving measured amounts so a meal matches your calorie or macro target. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/meal-planning-for-weight-loss))

**RDA**: Recommended Dietary Allowance, the daily intake that meets the needs of nearly all healthy people. For protein it is 0.8 g per kg of body weight. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/high-protein-meal-prep))

**Safe minimum internal temperature**: The temperature food must reach to be safe, for example 165°F (74°C) for poultry and reheated leftovers. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/how-long-does-meal-prep-last-in-the-fridge))

**Sheet-pan meal**: A complete meal of protein and vegetables roasted together on one tray, a common meal prep shortcut. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/sunday-meal-prep-routine))

**Shelf-stable**: Food that is safe at room temperature until opened, such as canned goods and dry grains. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/budget-meal-planning))

**TDEE**: Total daily energy expenditure: the calories you burn in a day, including activity. It is an estimate used to set calorie targets. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/macro-friendly-meal-prep))

**Theme nights**: Assigning a type of meal to each weekday, such as Taco Tuesday or Soup Sunday, to speed up planning. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/family-meal-planning))

**Two-hour rule**: USDA guidance to refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours of cooking, or 1 hour above 90°F. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/how-long-does-meal-prep-last-in-the-fridge))

**Unit price**: The cost per ounce, pound or item, shown on many shelf tags. It is the fairest way to compare package sizes. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/budget-meal-planning))

**Vegan**: A diet with no animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs and usually honey. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/vegetarian-meal-prep))

**Vegetarian**: A diet without meat or fish. Many vegetarians eat dairy and eggs. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/vegetarian-meal-prep))

**Whole30**: A 30-day elimination program that removes added sugar, grains, legumes, dairy and alcohol. ([guide](https://weeklymealprep.food/blog/macro-friendly-meal-prep))