The Kitchen · Prep

Set the Week

Sunday prep, made calm.

This is the one habit that changes everything — and it isn't about recipes. It's a couple of intentional hours to get your fridge ready: wash the greens, roast a few vegetables, cook a grain, make a dressing, cook a protein or two. Nothing rigid. You prep the things you and your family actually love to eat, and then, all week, dinner is just a matter of combining what's already there. It shouldn't feel like bodybuilding meal prep. It should feel like setting your kitchen up for a week of easy, beautiful Mediterranean eating.

🗓 Plan 🛒 Shop 🥗 Prep 🍽 Cook 🌿 What's in season
Choose your pace

Your week's recipes

Planning some meals? Tap 🗓 Add to my week on any recipe and it gathers here — then send the whole ingredient list to your shopping list in one tap.

The rhythm: WashChopCookRoastMixStoreEnjoy

Wash & ready the produce

Wash, dry, and store in clear glass containers. When food is clean, visible and ready to grab, it's what you'll reach for first.

Greensromaine, mixed greens, spinach, arugula
Vegetablescucumbers, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, celery, radishes
Fresh herbsparsley, basil, dill, mint
Gina's tip: wrap fresh herbs in a slightly damp paper towel and store in a sealed glass container — they'll stay fresh far longer.

Eat with the season

Fruit is sweetest, cheapest and best in its season — shop what's fresh, not the same list all year.

🌸 Spring
Strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, kiwi, cherries (late spring)
☀️ Summer
Watermelon, peaches, nectarines, blueberries, blackberries
🍂 Fall
Apples, pears, grapes, figs, pomegranates
❄️ Winter
Sumo & Cara Cara oranges, grapefruit, apples, pears
Prep tip: only what you'll enjoy in the next few days — keep washed berries dry until serving, slice apples just before eating (or toss with a little lemon), and store cut melon in airtight glass. What's in season →

Roast a tray of veg

Choose 3–4 each week. Toss with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and a little garlic or oregano, then roast until tender and lightly caramelized.

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Zucchini
  • Eggplant
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Asparagus
  • Mushrooms
  • Bell peppers
  • Red onion
  • Beets
Want more inspiration? See the recipes for:
Roasted Cauliflower · Roasted Sweet Potatoes · Roasted Asparagus · Roasted Beets · Roasted Brussels Sprouts

A grain or two

Cook one or two grains each week and let them cool completely before storing. They're the perfect base for grain bowls, salads, soups and simple side dishes.

  • Farro
  • Brown rice
  • Quinoa
Want more inspiration? See the Grain Recipes.

A pot of beans & lentils

Soak and simmer dried, or simply rinse and drain canned. A few varieties on hand make it easy to add plant protein and fiber to salads, soups, grain bowls and sides.

  • Chickpeas (garbanzo)
  • Cannellini
  • Great Northern
  • Butter beans (lima)
  • Black beans
  • Kidney beans
  • Navy beans
  • Pinto beans
  • French green lentils (du Puy)
  • Brown lentils
  • Red lentils
Want more inspiration? See the recipes for:
Seasoned Chickpeas · Herbed White Beans · Mediterranean Lentils
Each one is a template — swap in any bean or lentil from the list.

Get ahead on protein

Having a cooked protein waiting in the fridge makes healthy meals almost effortless. Grill, roast or bake one or two each week, then enjoy them in salads, wraps, grain bowls, soups or quick dinners.

  • Chicken
  • Salmon
  • Shrimp
  • Turkey
  • Hard-boiled eggs
Want more inspiration? See the recipes for:
Roast Chicken · Lemon Herb Chicken · Greek Chicken · Baked Salmon · Garlic Shrimp · Turkey Meatballs
🔥 Start with flavor — see Stir up a marinade below.

Stir up a marinade

This is where meal prep becomes meal magic. Mix one marinade on Sunday and let it do the work all week — a few hours of marinating turns simple ingredients into something special.

  • Greek
  • Lemon herb
  • Steak
  • Vegetable
Want more inspiration? See the Marinade Recipes.

Whisk a dressing

Keep one homemade dressing in the refrigerator and every salad, grain bowl and roasted vegetable is just a drizzle away from becoming a meal.

  • Lemon vinaigrette
  • Greek
  • Lemon dill
  • Creamy herb
  • White balsamic
Want more inspiration? See the recipes for:
Classic Lemon · Greek · Lemon Dill · Creamy Herb · White Balsamic

A dip or a spread

Keep one homemade dip in the refrigerator and healthy snacks become the easy choice. It's a little luxury you'll reach for all week.

  • Hummus
  • Whipped feta
  • White bean
  • Tzatziki
Want more inspiration? See the Dip & Spread Recipes.

Snacks, ready to grab

Make the healthy choice the easy choice — portion snacks into small containers and put them where you and your family will see them first.

  • Mixed nuts
  • Fresh-cut vegetables
  • Hummus
  • Greek yogurt
  • Cottage cheese
  • Marinated olives
  • Seasonal fruit
  • Cheese cubes
  • Whole-grain crackers

A smoothie station

Keep the makings ready, and breakfast is thirty seconds away.

  • Frozen berries
  • Frozen bananas
  • Frozen peaches
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Almond milk
  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Chia seeds
  • Ground flaxseed
Want more inspiration? See Smoothies & Juices.

Gina's tip

You don't have to prepare everything every week — please don't. Choose one grain, one or two proteins, a few roasted vegetables, washed greens, and one homemade dressing. With those basics ready, you can build salads, grain bowls, wraps, soups and quick dinners all week without ever asking, “what should I make tonight?” Store it all in clear, labeled glass. When healthy food is washed, cooked and easy to see, you simply reach for it. Cooking for a family? Prep a little more of the same — the same jars feed one beautifully and four just as easily.

This week, I set…

The idea of Set the Week: prep a few building blocks over the weekend — a batch of greens, a grain, some beans, a protein, a dressing — not whole meals. Tick each one as you get it ready; it saves, so all week you can see what's done and just assemble.

The calm underneath

Set the week, then set yourself

A prepared kitchen quiets one kind of noise. SOVA quiets the other — a few breaths before the week begins, so you meet it settled instead of scrambling.

Step inside SOVA →