Would you like to save significant time and energy in meal prepping? If so, then “gravel” is for you.

“Gravel” is my word for frozen, pre-chopped or diced celery, carrots, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and so on. It’s also my word for pre-cooked and drained ground beef, ground turkey, and ground sausage.

Once a month I’ll dice or chop 2 or 3 stalks of celery, a bag of carrots, 6 or 7 onions, 9 or 10 bell peppers, and a couple large boxes of mushrooms. I spread these prepped veggies out on parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze them. Once frozen, I transfer them to plastic zippered freezer bags and return these to the freezer.

And once a month I’ll cook up 4 or 5 pounds of ground beef, 2 or 3 pounds of ground turkey, and 2 or 3 pounds of ground Italian sausage. After this cooked meat is drained of all its fat, I spread it out on the above-mentioned parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze it. Once frozen, same drill: I transfer the frozen goods to plastic zippered freezer bags and return it all to the freezer.

You can see how convenient these “gravels” make meal prep. When wanting to cook a pot of soup, I can whip up a mire poix in 5 minutes, instead of 20 or 30 minutes. When wanting to make a dish calling for cooked ground meat, I can put it together in 15 minutes instead of 30 or 40 minutes.

These frozen, pre-prepped foods are just basic ingredients loads of casseroles and other one-dish recipes traditionally call for. Here's my experience of items that work well as gravels:

• Already mentioned—cooked ground beef, turkey, and sausage (with the fat drained off)
• Cooked and shredded or diced chicken
• Cooked and shredded or diced roast beef
• Already mentioned—chopped or diced onions, celery, carrots bell peppers, and mushrooms
• Grated or shredded carrots, tossed in lemon juice so they don't turn quite so brown
• Grated or shredded cabbage
• Cooked and grated potatoes
• Shredded cheeses
• Grated citrus rinds (otherwise known as "zests")
• Bread and cracker crumbs
• Etc. The choices are limited only to your imagination.

Have you already tried this time-saving meal-prep trick? If so, can you add anything to this list? I like to label the bags as to the contents, date prepped, and plans for use. Is there anything you’d add to the labeling?

Lastly, there’s the benefit of time saved in clean-up. Far fewer pans and utensils to wash at the time of putting a meal together.

I’ve been “graveling” my meals for years now, and can’t say enough about the convenience and ease this routine provides. Give it a try and let me know what you think.