Meal Prep for GAPS Diet: Time-Saving Tips for Busy Moms

Meal prep for the GAPS diet can feel overwhelming – especially for moms trying to juggle healing meals, picky eaters, and a never-ending to-do list. If you’ve been asking yourself “how do I make the GAPS diet easier as a mom?”, you’re not alone. The GAPS protocol is powerful for gut healing, but it comes with a steep learning curve and a lot of time in the kitchen.

The good news? With smart meal prep strategies and a few time-saving tools, you can make nourishing, homemade meals without burning out. In this blog post, you’ll learn practical ways to simplify GAPS cooking, batch prep essentials like meat stock and ferments, and structure your week so you’re not cooking from scratch every day.

Whether you’re just beginning the Intro Diet or managing Full GAPS with a family, these mom-friendly tips will help you stay consistent, save time, and actually enjoy the healing journey.

Why Meal Prep for the GAPS Diet Matters

For busy moms juggling multiple responsibilities, a little planning and prep can cut down your daily cooking time and still enjoy healthy, gut-friendly meals.

Meal prep helps you:

• Stick to the GAPS diet without constant stress
• Avoid the temptation to “cheat” or give up
• Ensure you have GAPS staples like meat stock, ferments, and nutrient-dense meals on hand
• Feel more in control and less burned out

GAPS Food Prep: Set Yourself Up for Success

Start with a Simple Weekly Plan

The first step to meal prep success on GAPS is to keep it simple. Choose a few recipes that include meat and veggies that your family loves and repeat them. Use theme nights or protein-specific nights to reduce decision fatigue. This is what my dinner plan looks like on Full GAPS:

• Monday: Chicken Soup
• Tuesday: Double batch of soup, Beef or Lamb Soup, serve half
• Wednesday: Leftovers from the night before
• Thursday: Mince dish
• Friday: Dippy Eggs + Thin Slice Pork Belly (breakfast for dinner)
• Saturday: Meat stock crispy wing or steak
• Sunday: Roast meat + veggies

I batch cook and have leftovers for lunches so I am not starting each day from scratch. And serve a fermented vegetable with each meal.

Prep Your Kitchen for Efficiency

A well-organized kitchen saves time and stress.

• Reset your kitchen so that you have a clear and tidy counter after each meal.
• Keep your most used kitchen tools, such as a stockpot, immersion blender, and mason jars easily accessible.
• Keep fermented foods in a dedicated fridge space and make sure to label them.

Batch Cook Basics

Cook in bulk double or triple batches of staple GAPS recipes:

• Meat stock: Freeze in silicone trays or glass jars
• Cooked meats: Cook or roast meats that can be used for multiple meals throughout the week.
• Fermented Foods:  Find a routine that works for you. Vegetable ferments can be made weekly or monthly, but I find dairy ferments need to be done more frequently, daily, or weekly

Time-Saving GAPS Diet Tips for Meal Prep

These meal prep tips are designed especially for busy moms on the GAPS diet who need every minute to count.

1. Cook Once, Eat 3 Times

This hack is a lifesaver in the kitchen. Every time you cook think: What other meals can I use this for?

Example: Whole Chicken Cooked for Meat Stock

• Meal 1: Crispy chicken wings or drumsticks with sauerkraut
• Meal 2:  Shred chicken into a soup with carrots, leeks, and cauliflower
• Meal 3: Make chicken and avocado salad

Same goes for:

Ground beef: Savoury mince bowl, lettuce wrap tacos, hamburger soup, meatzza.

Roast lamb: Serve with veggies, in a soup, or crispy with eggs.

2. Freeze Like a Pro

Freezing is your shortcut to fast meals. Whether you are freezing whole meals or extra meat stock, sauces, or purees, they make for easy grab-and-go portions later.

• Use silicone or glass trays for broth, gravy, or purees.
• Store freezer items in flat, Ziplock bags to save space.
• Label everything with contents and date.

Some great freezer-friendly GAPS recipes:

• Soups and stews
• Veggie mashes like Cauliflower Mash
• Cooked meat in meat stock
• Liver pate
• Prechopped raw vegetables

3. 15-Minute Prep Sessions

You do need a full afternoon on the weekend to meal prep. Quick sessions, 15 minutes or less throughout the week can keep your fridge stocked.

Quick wins:

• Chop veggies to use for the next couple of days (carrots, onions, cauliflower)

• Pre-cook or roast some veggies to mash
• Place your meat in the fridge to defrost
• Strain a batch of milk kefir

4. Master One-Pot & Sheet Pan Meals

One-pot meals are a lifesaver on the GAPS Diet. They are hearty, nourishing, and require very little cleanup.

Try these recipes:

• Creamy Chicken & Leek
• Easy Slow Cooker Beef Soup
• Healing Chicken Soup
• Oxtail Soup

5. Use Ferments to Your Advantage

Ferments are a GAPS essential, and they are easier than you think. They take time to go through the fermentation process, but are quick to prep. Make them weekly or monthly.

Here is my ferment routine:

• Sauerkraut: Large batches monthly
• Milk kefir: every couple of days
• Yogurt or sour cream: weekly

This routine allows me to always have healing probiotic food on hand.

6. Power Breakfasts, Prepped Ahead

Busy mornings? Prepping breakfast can be a real time saver.

• Egg muffins: Veggies and mince
• Sausage hash: Reheat and scramble in some eggs
• Meat stock to-go: A thermos of meat stock or puree soup to sip on, on the way to work or during the school run

Prep these on the weekend and store in the fridge or freezer for quick grab and heat meals.

Tools to Simplify Your GAPS Food Prep

Meal prep on the GAPS diet can be time-consuming, but with the right tools, you’ll save hours each week and make the process much more manageable. These kitchen essentials will help you streamline your routine and stay on track with nourishing, gut-healing meals.

• Immersion blender: For soups, purees, and sauces
• Slow cooker or Instant Pot: Set-it-and-forget-it meals like stew, broth, and pot roasts
• Wide-mouth mason jars: Ideal for storing homemade meat stock, soups, and fermented foods. The wide mouths make filling and cleaning a breeze.
• Silicone freezer trays: Perfect for freezing small portions of sauces or liver pate
• Good knives + large cutting board: Chopping goes faster with the right tools
• Extra freezer space: Having room to store batch-cooked meals or prep-ahead ingredients makes weekly cooking so much easier.

Investing in the right tools truly makes GAPS meal prep faster, easier, and more enjoyable.

Real-Life Weekly Meal Prep Sample

Here’s how to structure a simple GAPS meal prep routine to avoid burning out:

Saturday:

• Make a big pot of meat stock for drinking
• Start a batch of sauerkraut

Sunday:

• Prep egg muffins for breakfast
• Roast a tray of veggies

Monday:

• Slow-cooker soup with chicken + veggies
• Make a batch of sour cream
• Chop veggies for today and tomorrow
• Make a batch of milk kefir

Tuesday:

• Cook a double batch of soup, freeze half
• Chop veggies for stir-fry or stew
• Strain milk kefir

Wednesday:

• Reheat soup for dinner
• Puree cauliflower and store in the fridge

Thursday

• Make a batch of yogurt

Friday

• Take it easy — the hard work is done!

This kind of kitchen rhythm makes GAPS sustainable without overwhelming your schedule.

Healing Doesn’t Have to Mean Hustling

Sticking with the GAPS diet as a mom is no small feat — but with smart meal prep strategies, it doesn’t have to take over your life. When you batch cook, freeze strategically, and prep just a little ahead, you create space for healing and peace.

Remember: You don’t have to be perfect. Focus on progress, not perfection. Do what you can, and trust that even the small steps you’re taking are helping your family move toward greater health.

FAQ

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GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.

The information in this blog post is my personal experience and for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease; and does not consider your individual situation. If you have medical questions, please consult with a qualified medical practitioner.