Meal prep for a busy week | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 下周看起来会很忙，所以提前准备一些饭菜会有帮助。

   Next week looks busy, so preparing some meals in advance would help.

   下周

   next week

   看起来

   look; seem

   会

   will; be likely to

   很忙

   busy; very busy

   所以

   so; therefore

   提前

   in advance

   准备

   prepare

   一些

   some

   饭菜

   food; meals

   有帮助

   be helpful

   More detail

   下周 means “next week.” 周 is the word for “week,” and a time expression can appear at the beginning of a Chinese sentence. Example: 下周我很忙 means “I’ll be busy next week.” 看起来 means “look” or “seem,” forming an impression from appearance or available evidence. It can come before an adjective or description: 这道菜看起来很好吃 means “This dish looks delicious.” 会 is a modal placed before the predicate. Here it marks a future expectation or prediction: 明天会下雨 means “It will rain tomorrow.” The same form has other uses in other contexts, including expressing ability, but that is not its meaning here. 很忙 describes being busy. 忙 is the adjective “busy.” 很 commonly occurs before an adjective used as the predicate; although it can mean “very,” in this structure it does not necessarily assert a strong degree, so the fixed meaning here is naturally “busy.” Example: 我今天很忙 means “I’m very busy today” or, depending on context, simply “I’m busy today.” 所以 connects a reason or situation to its result and means “so” or “therefore.” Example: 天气很冷，所以我穿外套 means “The weather is cold, so I’m wearing a coat.” 提前 means “in advance” or “ahead of time.” It can come before an action to show that the action happens earlier than needed or expected: 请提前告诉我 means “Please tell me in advance.” 准备 is the verb “prepare.” Here it refers to preparing food, but it can also be used for preparing other things or getting ready: 我准备午饭 means “I prepare lunch.” 一些 means “some.” It indicates an unspecified amount rather than an exact number; it does not by itself assert a particular count. Example: 我买了一些水果 means “I bought some fruit.” 饭菜 is a noun for food or prepared dishes. In this sentence, the context and translation support the natural meaning “meals.” Example: 桌上有饭菜 means “There is food on the table.” 有帮助 is a reusable expression meaning “be helpful.” 有 contributes “have” or “there is,” while 帮助 means “help”; together, the expression describes something as useful. Example: 这本书对初学者有帮助 means “This book is helpful to beginners.” The sentence first sets the time with 下周, then says that this period 看起来会很忙: it looks likely to be busy. 所以 introduces the result. The subject of the second clause is the action 提前准备一些饭菜—preparing some meals in advance—and 会有帮助 says that this action would be helpful. Together, the utterance means: “Next week looks busy, so preparing some meals in advance would help.”

2. 提前准备饭菜会有帮助，但要避免每天吃同样的东西。

   Meal prep will help, but avoid eating the same thing every day.

   提前准备

   prepare in advance

   饭菜

   meals

   会有帮助

   will help

   但

   but

   要避免

   should avoid

   每天

   every day

   吃

   eat

   同样的东西

   the same thing

   More detail

   提前准备 means preparing something ahead of time. 提前 places the action before the relevant later time, while 准备 is the verb “to prepare.” This pattern is reusable with other objects, such as 提前买票 (“buy tickets in advance”). 饭菜 refers here to prepared food or meals. It is a useful food-related noun; 饭 alone can mean a meal or cooked rice, while 菜 can mean a dish or vegetables depending on context. The combined form 饭菜 focuses on the food being prepared as meals. 会有帮助 expresses that something will be helpful. 会 commonly marks a future or expected result, and 有帮助 literally describes something as having helpfulness. The subject of this clause is the preceding activity, so the meaning is that preparing meals in advance will help. For example, 早点睡会有帮助 means “Going to bed earlier will help.” 但 connects the helpful suggestion with a contrasting one. It is a short conjunction meaning “but.” 要避免 means “should avoid” in this sentence. 避免 is the lexical verb “to avoid,” and 要 here gives the following action a recommendation or instruction-like force. The object of 避免 comes afterward: the action to be avoided is 每天吃同样的东西. 每天 means “every day.” 每 means “every,” and 天 means “day”; together they form a time expression for something that happens on each day. For example, 我每天走路 means “I walk every day.” 吃 is the verb “to eat.” It is unchanged here for person and number, so the surrounding context supplies who is meant. In this sentence it is the action governed by 避免: the recommendation is to avoid eating a certain kind of food. 同样的东西 means “the same thing.” 同样的 modifies the noun 东西: 同样 means “same” or “the same kind,” 的 links the description to the noun, and 东西 is the general noun “thing.” For example, 不要买同样的东西 means “Don’t buy the same thing.” Together, 提前准备饭菜 is the activity of preparing meals in advance. Adding 会有帮助 presents its expected benefit: it will help. 但 then introduces a contrast, and 要避免每天吃同样的东西 recommends avoiding the habit of eating the same thing every day. The whole utterance therefore gives two connected pieces of advice: prepare meals ahead of time, but keep the meals varied rather than eating the same food each day.

3. 我想做一大锅蔬菜咖喱。

   I was thinking of making a big batch of vegetable curry.

   我想

   I’m thinking of / I want to

   做

   make; cook

   大

   big

   锅

   pot

   蔬菜

   vegetables

   咖喱

   curry

   More detail

   我想 introduces the speaker’s thought or intention: “I’m thinking of…” or “I want to…”. In this sentence, 想 is the verb meaning “think of / want to,” and it is followed by an action. Chinese does not mark past tense on 想 here, so the English “was thinking” comes from the chosen translation and context, not from a past ending in the Chinese form. Example: 我想做汤。 — “I want to make soup.” 做 means “make” here, with cooking as the relevant activity. Its base form is also the ordinary form used after 想; it does not change for the speaker or for the object. Example: 她做晚饭。 — “She cooks dinner.” 大 describes size and means “big” here. It modifies 锅 in the measure phrase 一大锅, so the intended idea is a large potful or large batch, not simply a generally big object elsewhere in the sentence. Its opposite is 小 “small.” Example: 这是大锅。 — “This is a large pot.” 锅 is a noun meaning “pot.” In 一大锅, it also serves as the container-based measure word for the amount: literally, a big pot of something. The following food specifies what the pot contains. Example: 一锅汤 means “a pot of soup.” 蔬菜 means “vegetables” and appears before 咖喱 to specify the type of curry: “vegetable curry.” It functions as a noun modifier here rather than as the object of 做 by itself. Example: 蔬菜汤 means “vegetable soup.” 咖喱 means “curry,” the food being made. Together with the preceding modifier, 蔬菜咖喱 means “vegetable curry.” Example: 我喜欢咖喱。 — “I like curry.” The chunks combine as 我想 + 做 + 一大锅 + 蔬菜咖喱: the speaker expresses the intention or thought of making a large potful of vegetable curry. 一 marks one unit in the measure phrase, while 大 describes that potful as large; it does not mean that the sentence claims a precise numerical serving count. The complete meaning is: “I was thinking of making a big batch of vegetable curry.”

4. 如果你把它分成合适的份量并安全地储存起来，这样就可以。

   That works if you portion it properly and store it safely.

   如果

   if

   你

   you

   把

   object-fronting marker

   它

   it

   分成

   divide into

   合适的

   suitable

   份量

   portion

   并

   and

   安全地

   safely

   储存起来

   store away

   这样

   that way

   就可以

   then it works

   More detail

   如果 introduces a condition: “if …”. A reusable pattern is 如果 A，就 B (“if A, then B”). In this sentence, the condition is the preparation and storage described before the result 这样就可以. 你 means “you” and is the subject of the conditional actions. It is the ordinary second-person pronoun; it does not itself indicate singular or plural. 把 marks the object that is handled or changed. The pattern 把 + object + verb phrase puts attention on what happens to that object. Here, 把它分成…… means to portion the item into suitable amounts. 把 is not a translation of “the”; it is a construction marker. 它 is the third-person pronoun for a nonhuman or otherwise non-person referent here, translated as “it.” Its exact referent is supplied by the context rather than by the pronoun’s form. A useful pattern is 把它 + action, as in 把它放在桌上 (“put it on the table”). 分成 means “divide or portion into.” 分 is the verb “divide,” and 成 indicates the resulting division or form: 分成 A means “divide into A.” For example, 把面团分成三份 means “divide the dough into three portions.” 合适的 means “suitable” or “appropriate.” 合适 is the adjective, and 的 lets it modify the following noun: 合适的份量 is “a suitable portion amount.” It describes suitability for the situation; it does not itself specify a numerical amount. 份量 means “portion size” or “amount.” It is a noun for the amount assigned to one portion. In this sentence, 分成合适的份量 means to portion the item into amounts that are suitable, without stating how many portions there are. 并 connects the two coordinated actions and is somewhat formal or written compared with simply using 和 between noun phrases. Here it links 分成…… and 储存起来……: “portion it … and store it …”. 安全地 means “safely.” 安全 means “safe,” and 地 turns the description into an adverbial modifier of the following action. Compare 安全地储存 (“store safely”) with 安全的储存方法 (“a safe storage method”), where 的 connects the adjective to a noun instead. 储存起来 means “store away” or “put into storage.” 储存 is the verb “store”; 起来 here highlights putting something into a kept or stored state, rather than merely naming storage as a general activity. The combined form is useful for describing an object being put away for later. For example, 把文件储存起来 means “save/store the files away.” 这样 means “that way” or “in this manner.” It points to the method just described rather than naming a new object. In 这样就可以, it introduces the result of following that method. 就可以 means “then it works” or “then that is acceptable” in this context. 就 marks the result that follows once the condition is met, while 可以 expresses that the proposed procedure is acceptable or will work here. This use of 可以 is not primarily a statement of physical ability. Together, 如果你把它分成合适的份量并安全地储存起来 means “if you portion it into suitable amounts and store it safely.” The conditional result 这样就可以 means “then that works” or “that is fine.” The complete utterance is therefore: “That works if you portion it properly and store it safely.”

5. 我应该把一部分冷冻起来，把剩下的放在冰箱里吗？

   Should I freeze some and keep the rest in the fridge?

   我应该

   I should

   一部分

   some; a portion

   冷冻起来

   freeze

   剩下的

   the rest

   放在

   put; keep in

   冰箱

   fridge

   吗

   question marker

   More detail

   我应该 combines 我 (I) with 应该 (should). In this sentence, it presents the speaker's proposed action as something that may be advisable; the final 吗 makes the whole proposal a yes-or-no question. Chinese verbs do not change form for the subject: 我应该, 你应该, and 他们应该 all use 应该. Example: 我应该现在走吗？ — “Should I leave now?” 一部分 means an unspecified part or portion of something. In this expression, 一 is part of the phrase and does not by itself assert a particular number of items or an exact size. Example: 我只吃一部分。 — “I’ll eat only part of it.” 冷冻起来 uses 冷冻 (freeze) with 起来, which presents the item as being put into a frozen or stored state. The object comes before this verb phrase in the larger pattern 把 + object + 冷冻起来. Example: 把肉冷冻起来。 — “Freeze the meat.” The verb form does not change for past or present time; context supplies the time. 剩下的 means “the part that remains” or “the rest.” Here, 剩下 describes what remains, and 的 turns that description into a noun-like expression. It refers to the remainder after the portion mentioned earlier, without naming a separate noun. Example: 这些苹果，剩下的放这里。 — “Put the remaining apples here.” 放在 means “put or keep in/on/at,” with 在 introducing the location. It makes the destination or location explicit. Example: 把书放在桌子上。 — “Put the book on the table.” 冰箱 means “refrigerator” or “fridge.” In 放在冰箱里, 冰箱 is the location noun and 里 means “inside”; the complete location phrase is “in the fridge.” Example: 牛奶在冰箱里。 — “The milk is in the fridge.” 吗 is placed at the end to turn the preceding statement into a yes-or-no question. The statement pattern is 我应该把一部分冷冻起来，把剩下的放在冰箱里; adding 吗 asks whether this plan is appropriate. The sentence uses the disposal construction 把 + object + verb phrase twice. The first object is 一部分, followed by 冷冻起来; the second is 剩下的, followed by 放在冰箱里. The two actions are coordinated: freeze some of the item and keep the remainder in the fridge. Thus the whole utterance means, “Should I freeze some and keep the rest in the fridge?”

6. 冷冻几份吧。

   Freeze a few portions.

   冷冻

   freeze

   几份

   a few portions

   吧

   suggestion marker

   More detail

   冷冻 is the verb meaning “to freeze” here. It can be used for putting food into a frozen state or storing it frozen. The form in this sentence is a plain verb form, suitable in a concise suggestion. Example: 把汤冷冻起来。 — “Freeze the soup.” 起来 can be added when the focus is on putting something into that state or storing it that way; it is not present in the fixed sentence. 几份 means “a few portions.” 份 is a measure word used for portions, servings, or sets of something, while 几 asks for or indicates a small, unspecified number. The phrase does not identify the exact number. Example: 准备几份沙拉。 — “Prepare a few portions of salad.” 吧 is placed at the end to make the utterance a suggestion or proposal. It softens the directive: the speaker is proposing freezing a few portions rather than giving a blunt command. Example: 我们明天再讨论吧。 — “Let’s discuss it tomorrow.” Together, 冷冻 + 几份 gives the action and its object: “freeze a few portions.” The final 吧 presents that action as a suggestion, producing the complete meaning “Freeze a few portions.”

7. 给每个容器贴上标签，这样就容易选择了。

   Label each container so it is easy to choose.

   给

   for; to

   每个

   each; every

   容器

   container

   贴

   to stick; to attach

   标签

   label

   这样

   this way; so

   容易

   easy

   选择

   to choose

   More detail

   给 introduces the target of the action here: the containers receive the labeling. In the pattern 给 + object + verb, it can mean doing something to or for that object; here it is not a separate command to give something. Example: 给盒子盖上盖子。 — “Put a lid on the box.” 每个 means “each/every” and refers to the members of a set one by one. 每 commonly combines with a classifier or noun, as in 每个人 “each person” and 每次 “each time.” Here 个 is the classifier used with 容器. 容器 is the noun “container.” It is a general term for something used to hold something else. Example: 这个容器很大。 — “This container is very large.” 贴 is the verb “to stick or attach.” In this sentence, 贴上 adds 上 as a result complement: the label becomes attached to the container. The observed verb is 贴, not a form derived from 标签. Example: 请把照片贴在墙上。 — “Please stick the photo on the wall.” 标签 is the noun “label.” In 贴上标签, it is the item being attached, so the reusable pattern is 贴上 + label/item “attach a label/item.” Example: 我给文件贴上标签。 — “I attach a label to the document.” 这样 refers to the manner just described: doing the labeling in that way. It commonly introduces a resulting consequence, often in the pattern 这样就 + result, meaning “this way, it will then …” or “that makes ….” 容易 is the descriptive word “easy.” Before a verb, 容易 + verb says that the action is easy to carry out. Its opposite is 困难 “difficult,” as in 这道题容易做。 — “This problem is easy to do.” 选择 is the verb “to choose/select.” It can take the item chosen directly, as in 选择一个。 — “Choose one.” In 容易选择, it is the action whose difficulty is being described. The final 了 marks the resulting change of state: after the labels are attached, choosing is now easy. Together, 给每个容器贴上标签 means “attach a label to each container.” 这样 points back to that procedure, and 就容易选择了 presents its consequence: it is then easy to choose, as stated in the fixed translation. The full utterance is therefore: “Label each container so it is easy to choose.”

8. 我午餐还需要营养均衡的食物，不能只有米饭。

   I also need something balanced for lunch, not just rice.

   我

   I

   午餐

   lunch

   还

   also

   需要

   need

   营养均衡

   nutritionally balanced

   食物

   food

   不能

   cannot

   只有

   only

   米饭

   cooked rice

   More detail

   我 means “I” here. It is the first-person singular pronoun: the speaker presents themself as the person who needs the food. A useful contrast is 你 “you,” which refers to the person addressed. 午餐 means “lunch.” It is a noun used for the midday meal. In a reusable pattern, 午餐吃…… means “eat … for lunch,” while 午餐需要…… means “need … for lunch.” 还 adds “also” here: the speaker needs this in addition to something already understood from the context. Its position before 需要 makes it part of the predicate. In other contexts, 还 can mean “still,” but “also” is the intended meaning in this sentence. 需要 means “need.” Its base form does not change for the first-person subject 我; Chinese verbs generally do not take person-number endings. Example: 我需要水。 — “I need water.” 营养均衡 describes food whose nutrition is balanced. 营养 means “nutrition,” and 均衡 means “balanced,” but together they form the useful descriptive expression “nutritionally balanced.” In 营养均衡的食物, the particle 的 links this description to the noun that follows it: “food that is nutritionally balanced.” 食物 means “food” in a general sense. It is the noun modified by 营养均衡的; the phrase does not refer to one specifically named food. Example: 这是健康的食物。 — “This is healthy food.” 不能 means “cannot” or “must not” in this context. It is formed from 不 “not” plus 能 “can/be able to,” and it marks a restriction on what is acceptable. Here it applies to the following arrangement, not simply to the speaker’s physical ability. 只有 means “only” when it limits what is included. 只有米饭 therefore means that rice is the sole food included. This is different from 有 “have”: 只有米饭 says “only rice,” while 有米饭 merely says “there is rice” or “has rice.” 米饭 means cooked rice, the prepared rice commonly eaten as part of a meal. 米 by itself means uncooked rice or rice as a grain, so 米饭 is the appropriate meal-related noun here. Example: 我喜欢吃米饭。 — “I like eating rice.” Together, 我午餐还需要营养均衡的食物 means “I also need something nutritionally balanced for lunch.” The structure is: subject 我 + time/meal setting 午餐 + additive adverb 还 + verb 需要 + noun phrase 营养均衡的食物. The second clause, 不能只有米饭, adds the restriction “it cannot be only rice.” The complete utterance means: “I also need something balanced for lunch, not just rice.”

9. 根据你想吃什么，加入鸡蛋、豆子或鸡肉。

   Add eggs, beans, or chicken, depending on what you feel like eating.

   根据

   depending on; according to

   想吃

   feel like eating

   什么

   what

   加入

   add

   鸡蛋

   eggs

   豆子

   beans

   或

   or

   鸡肉

   chicken

   More detail

   根据 means “according to” or “based on.” In this sentence it introduces the condition used to decide what comes next: 根据 + condition, “depending on …”. Example: 根据天气决定。 — “Decide according to the weather.” 你 is the second-person pronoun “you.” It does not change for gender or number in this form. Here it is the person whose preference is being described. 想吃 combines 想 (“want to; feel like”) with 吃 (“eat”). 想 expresses a desire or intention, while 吃 names the action. The pattern 想 + verb is reusable: 我想喝水。 — “I want to drink water.” 什么 means “what.” In 吃什么, it asks what food someone wants to eat: 你想吃什么？ — “What do you want to eat?” Chinese does not change 什么 for grammatical number or gender. Together, 你想吃什么 means “what you feel like eating” or more literally “what you want to eat.” As the phrase after 根据, it supplies the basis for the choice: 根据你想吃什么 means “depending on what you feel like eating.” 加入 means “add” or “put in” here. It is a verb for putting an ingredient into a dish or mixture. The same word can have other uses, such as “join” an organization, so the following food nouns establish the ingredient sense. Example: 加入盐。 — “Add salt.” 鸡蛋 means “egg” or “eggs.” 鸡 means chicken and 蛋 means egg, but 鸡蛋 is the ordinary compound for a chicken egg; it is not a grammatical plural form. Chinese nouns generally do not require a plural ending in this kind of ingredient list. 豆子 means “beans.” The ending 子 is part of this noun as used here; it is not a separate plural marker. Example: 加入豆子。 — “Add beans.” 或 means “or” and connects alternatives. Here it links the listed ingredients rather than adding all of them as one required combination. In ordinary conversational Chinese, 还是 is commonly used for “or” in a question, while 或 is natural in this kind of instruction or written-style alternative list. 鸡肉 means “chicken” as meat. 鸡 means chicken and 肉 means meat, so 鸡肉 refers to chicken meat rather than a whole chicken. Like the other ingredient nouns here, it does not show an English-style plural ending. The whole structure is 根据 + [你想吃什么]，加入 + [鸡蛋、豆子或鸡肉]: “Depending on what you feel like eating, add eggs, beans, or chicken.” 根据 introduces the deciding condition, and 加入 gives the action. The comma separates that condition from the instruction; the alternatives are joined by 或.

10. 如果剩菜吃起来觉得无聊，我可以换一种配菜。

    If the leftovers feel boring, I can change the side dish.

    如果

    if

    剩菜

    leftovers

    吃起来

    taste or feel when eaten

    觉得

    feel; think

    无聊

    boring

    我可以

    I can

    换

    change; switch

    一种

    one kind or type

    配菜

    side dish

    More detail

    如果 introduces a condition: “if …”. A reusable pattern is 如果 + condition, result, as in 如果下雨，我们就不出门。 (“If it rains, we will not go out.”) The sentence does not need 就 here; the result clause can follow directly. 剩菜 means leftover food or leftovers. 菜 can mean a dish or food, while 剩 marks something left over. Chinese does not add a plural ending to this form, so the context determines whether it refers to one leftover dish or leftovers generally. 吃起来 is the pattern 吃起来 + adjective, meaning “to taste/feel when eaten.” 起来 here helps present an impression arising from performing the action, rather than simply naming the action of eating. For example, 这个汤喝起来很清淡。 means “This soup tastes light.” 觉得 means “to feel” or “to find/think” in the sense of forming an assessment. In this sentence it introduces the speaker’s assessment of the leftovers’ eating experience: 吃起来觉得无聊 means that eating them feels boring. A useful pattern is 觉得 + adjective, as in 我觉得这个办法很好。 (“I think this method is very good.”) 无聊 describes something as boring or uninteresting. It is an adjective here, describing the experience of eating the leftovers, not a grammatical marker of time or quantity. For a person’s state, Chinese can also use 感到无聊 (“feel bored”), but that is a different construction from describing food or an activity as 无聊. 我可以 combines 我 (“I”) with 可以 (“can; be able to” or “be allowed to”). Here 可以 expresses that the speaker has the option or ability to change the side dish. The reusable pattern is subject + 可以 + verb, as in 你可以选择豆子。 (“You can choose beans.”) The following verb supplies the action that is possible. 换 means “to change” or “to switch,” and here it means replacing the current side dish with another kind. It is a verb, so the form does not change for person or number. For example, 我想换座位。 means “I want to change seats.” 一种 means “one kind/type” in the expression 一种 + noun. 种 is the classifier for kinds or types, and 一 plus this classifier presents a type rather than asserting a separately counted object. For example, 另一种方法 means “another method/type of method.” 配菜 means “side dish” or an accompaniment served with a main food. 配 conveys the idea of accompanying or matching, and 菜 refers here to a dish or food. In this sentence, it is the object of 换: the speaker can switch the side dish. Together, 如果剩菜吃起来觉得无聊 sets the condition: “if eating the leftovers feels boring.” 我可以换一种配菜 gives the possible response: “I can switch to a different kind of side dish.” The whole utterance therefore means: “If the leftovers feel boring, I can change the side dish.”

11. 小小的改变能让提前准备的饭菜更好吃。

    Small changes make prepared meals more enjoyable.

    小小的

    small; slight

    改变

    change

    能让

    can make

    提前准备的

    prepared in advance

    饭菜

    meal; prepared food

    更好吃

    tastier; more enjoyable

    More detail

    小小的 describes 改变 as small or slight. 小小 is a reduplicated form of 小, giving the description a compact, gentle emphasis; 的 marks the phrase as modifying the noun that follows. Example: 这是一个小小的礼物。 — “This is a small gift.” 改变 means “change” here and functions as the subject noun: “a change” or, in context, “changes.” The same form can also be used as a verb in other sentences. Example: 我们需要改变计划。 — “We need to change the plan.” 能让 combines 能, “can,” with 让, “let” or “make.” The pattern A 能让 B + description means “A can make B …”; 能 expresses possibility or ability, while 让 introduces the thing affected. Example: 音乐能让房间更温暖。 — “Music can make the room feel warmer.” 提前准备的 modifies the noun after it. 提前 means “in advance,” 准备 means “prepare,” and the final 的 turns this verb phrase into an attributive modifier: 提前准备的饭菜 means “meals prepared in advance.” This pattern does not require an English-style relative pronoun. Example: 这是我提前准备的材料。 — “These are the materials I prepared in advance.” 饭菜 refers to a meal or prepared food, especially food served as part of a meal. It is a combined noun rather than the adjective or comparative element in the sentence. Example: 饭菜已经好了。 — “The meal is ready.” 更好吃 says that the food has a higher degree of tastiness. 好吃 means “tasty” or “delicious,” and 更 marks a comparison or an increased degree: 更 + adjective. Example: 加一点香料会更好吃。 — “Adding a little seasoning will make it tastier.” Together, 小小的改变 is the subject, 能让 expresses “can make,” 提前准备的饭菜 is the affected food, and 更好吃 describes the resulting higher degree of tastiness. The whole utterance means: “Small changes can make prepared meals more enjoyable,” or more literally, “Small changes can make meals prepared in advance tastier.”