Meal Prep & Planning

I have received a lot of emails and questions on Instagram about meal prep and planning.  So, this post is all about meal prep and planning today.

Some people like to do all their food prep on the weekends.  For instance, they make chicken wraps, and have that for lunch every single day that week.  My family likes more variety than that.  So, that strategy isn’t an option for my family.  If your family doesn’t mind eating the same thing all week, then by all means, adopt that strategy {would make meal planning super easy!}  Personally, I like to spread the work out little by little throughout the week.  That way, I don’t have to give up a whole portion of my weekend dedicated to food prep.  Therefore, I have found making lunch and a breakfast item the day before works beautifully for our family for a few different reasons.  The first reason being, I like to limit my time over the stove during the day when my son is awake.  Not only for safety reasons, but I would prefer spending that time doing something fun with my son.  Second, it’s healthy, convenient food since it’s already made.  So, if we have a playdate in the morning or some other activity, once we get home, I just heat the meal up instead of using convenient packaged food or fast food.  Lastly, my hubby can grab the breakfast and lunch I packed for him after his Crossfit workout in the morning, and head on in to work.  Basically, preparing the day or weekend before is a huge time saver, and I am able to control food quality.

Most of the time, I prepare stuff the day before, either during nap time or after my munchkin’s bed time.  If I make a casserole, stew, chili, or soup I double the recipe and freeze the rest in single servings.  Occasionally, when preparing dinner, I will double the amount so we have leftovers for lunch the next day.  Another time saving tip is to prepare your meal the day before using a crock pot.

Here’s what works for my family during the week:

On Sundays, I plan the meals for that week, make a grocery list accordingly, and go to the grocery store.  I get my meal inspiration from Pinterest, cookbooks, or fill requests from my hubby.  

For breakfast, I like to make overnight oats or Chia seed pudding the day before.  As well as muffins, donuts, and egg muffins – which may also be frozen and then quickly reheated when you need breakfast in a hurry.  Normally, I will add some fresh fruit, protein {eggs, bacon, sausage, Greek Yogurt, Keifer mixed with Chia seeds}, and/or sometimes Ezekiel toast to make a complete meal.

For lunch, I reheat what I prepared the night before.  I may add some fresh fruit, cheese slices, avocado, or tomato.

I always make dinner the day of, and usually my munchkin likes to help me.  I usually bake one item in the oven and cook one item on the stovetop, like cook a protein in a saute pan or steam veggies.  Almost every week, I get bone-in chicken breast and pork tenderloin that I can roast in the oven.  Which is great, because you just have to season and throw into a preheated oven and it usually takes about 45 – 60 minutes to bake.  During that time, we usually go on a walk.  When we come back from our walk, I wash the veggie {kale, swiss chard, broccoli, etc.} and steam.  Or, I will roast a veggie in the oven like cauliflower and carrots, sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts for about 45 minutes, and then cook the protein on the stove.  And if we want another side item {we don’t always have a side item}, I can reheat single servings of something like Ranch Cheddar Quinoa Cups that have been thawing in the refrigerator during the day.  Or, sometimes I will make salad, zucchini noodles, rice, pasta, or slice up tomatoes and avocado, as a side.  I really like to have one thing roasting in the oven and one or two items on the stove top.  I feel like it’s less stressful trying to time everything that is cooking, if I have one thing that is slowly cooking in the oven that I just have to pull out once the timmer goes off or the oven turns off because the probe in the meat reads done, and really only have to worry about the stove top items.  Plus, if your munchkin needs you for something {to get something, open something, or just watch them}, you take care of whatever they need, and run back to the kitchen and flip the chicken or turn off the burner once the kale is finished steaming.

To sum up:  Meal Prep Time Saving Tips

1.  Make meals ahead of time, either the day before or on the weekend. 2.  Double batches of stew, casseroles, chili, soup, or side items and freeze in single servings, as either a complete meal or side item.  This way for dinner you can just steam &/or roast a veggie and protein for a complete meal. 3.  Roast either a veggie/protein in the oven, and while cooking a veggie/protein on the stovetop so you are not juggling too many things on the stove top. 4.  Make a crock pot meal so you don’t have to do any cooking for either dinner &/or lunch the next day. 5.  Double your dinner so you have lunch for the next day.

Yes, it’s a bit of a juggling act to prepare healthy, organic, whole, REAL food, meals with kiddos and a busy schedule but it can be done, and it’s SOOOOOOO worth it.