Let's be honest, even for those of us who love to cook, sometimes wish we could shave off some prep time in the kitchen.
Enter Samantha Mathews, a Missouri-based mom and full-time content creator, whose now-viral hack could alleviate the culinary conundrum for any fans of meal-prepping with just a few clicks of online ordering.
"Buying each of these ingredients and making at home would be cheaper, but it would be almost a full day of meal prep. So for me, it's less about saving money and more about saving time," Mathews said, speaking to "Good Morning America" about her Chipotle catering meal prep hack.
@wearedanandsam It for real be like that 🤣🤣 #mealprep #chipotlemealprep #mealprepping #chipotle #restaurantmealprep ♬ original sound - Mark.Payton.Photography
"In my case, time is money. Plus, it's cheaper than what you would pay if you went out to eat every day for lunch," she explained. "Instead, you can eat it from the comfort of your home or office."
Earlier this year in May, Mathews said she spotted "something about 'restaurant meal prep' on TikTok" where people would "purchase catering or family sized portions from your favorite restaurants and you meal prep with it."
She decided to try the trend herself, ordering catering from Chipotle and assembling individual meals in containers in her kitchen.
"I love Chipotle, [so] I decided to start there," she said.
Mathews said she "spent a total of $134.04 and got 14 meals out of it," which came out to about "$9.57 per meal."
@wearedanandsam Meal prep hack for you from my wife! 😎#mealprep #mealprephack #restaurantmealprep #wifereaction #husbandreaction #couplecomedy #couplecontent ♬ original sound - Dan and Sam
Her favorite combination from the fast casual Mexican grill? "Burrito bowl with chicken, white rice, corn salsa, fajita veggies, and guacamole," she said.
Similarly, Mathews said she tested the meal prep workaround with "Texas Roadhouse family meals and Sam's Club prepared entrees," both of which she said have been "perfect for this as well."
