Momma, I get it…you’re busy so adding meal prep to your long list of things to do each week is probably not high on your priority list. But today I want to give you some tips to make the most of your “meal prep” time. Why do you put meal prep in quotes Ashlee? Because I believe that you don’t need to necessarily dedicate a large chunk of time to meal prep and I’m going to share why…
I will caveat this post by saying that I used to be a traditional meal prepper (that might not be a word, but we’re going with it). I used to take a large portion of one day a week (typically Sunday) and prepare the bulk of my food for the week. This was usually during my University and College years when I was cooking for one and I hated cooking (I’m still not a fan of cooking for the record). I also was not bothered by eating the same thing for dinner 3 or more nights in a row so this worked for me…but my husband is not really into that so I needed to change it up. This can also be true of kiddos especially if it’s not their favourite food on the menu. So how do you do it…
Tip 1: Plan Ahead
Yes this is hands down the hardest part of prepping and keeping nutrition a priority in your home. Planning can be time consuming and overwhelming in the beginning…I 100% understand that so start small. Choose 1-2 meals a week that you are planning ahead and work your way up to planning them all. Remember that when it comes to any changes in regards to anything at all it’s better to not try and change everything at once anyways. When you begin on your meal planning and prepping journey start a binder in your kitchen or a note in your phone with all your commonly used recipes including their ingredients (I use an app called Anylist which I love. It allows me to put my own recipes in, import recipes from the internet, create my grocery list and has a calendar where I can add my meals for the week to it. It’s 9.99 a year and it’s honestly the best 10 bucks I ever spent!). Use your plan to make your grocery list for the week but make sure that you also assess what you already have at home. Consider if there are things that need to be used up or things that you can use out of your freezer. Planning in this way gets rid of the question “What are we going to have for dinner?” (honestly the most hated question in my house when we don’t have a plan) and it can help you save money and time. Although planning can be overwhelming in the beginning it is well worth your time, and I promise this will get much quicker as you go along and get more comfortable with it.
Tip 2: Use Your Time in The Kitchen to Your Full Advantage
Are you in the kitchen making dinner. Are you watching the water boil, or occasionally stirring something on the stove. Why not use this time to your advantage. I often chop vegetables for future use when I have moments like this or I will divide food up into containers for the next couple days or prep my snacks for the next day. Sometimes these small moments when you are already standing in the kitchen can be valuable time that will save you time and headaches later. Try to look for these pockets and use them to your advantage.
Tip 3: Prep in Small Doses
This is the one that flips traditional meal planning and prep on its head. You don’t need to set aside multiple hours in a single day to be able to meal prep effectively. This goes back in part to using those small pockets of time when you are in the kitchen anyways but there is more to it than that. Try cooking extra protein sources (you know the ones you are cooking for dinner anyways) and use them for lunches or another dinner later that week. Pro tip: when you are prepping extra protein avoid putting spices or seasoning on it when you are cooking it (the stuff you plan to use for future). This opens up the ways that you can use that protein later in the week. Do you have the oven turned on already to cook your kids chicken nuggets? Why not throw some veggies on the second rack and roast them? (you can even chop these one night and cook them the next). Cooking extra or multiple things at one is hands down one of the most valuable meal prep lessons on the market. It sounds simple, but it’s often not something that we think about in the moment which is why planning can be super valuable in saving you time later in the week. At the end of the day it’s important to know that you do not need to sit aside large pockets of time (cause momma I know you don’t have them) to get some prep done. Look for the small opportunities and use them to your advantage as often as possible.
Tip 4: Use Your Freezer
Ahhh…batch cooking and the freezer are a match made in heaven. This is something I do…like ALL THE TIME. Now when it comes to your freezer keep in mind there are some things that just don’t freeze well but there are plenty of things that do freeze very well. And these meals can be literal lifesavers! Soups and stews generally freeze pretty well (be cautious with creamy soups, milk and milk products don’t tend to freeze as well as others). Pasta dishes can also freeze pretty well too (I generally cook the pasta most of the way through before freezing but it will cook some more when you heat it up so it doesn’t need to be completely cooked, you can also leave sauce off this if you want and add it at the time of cooking). I also do lots of things like taco meat (seasoned and I cook the veggies right in which can be used on top of salads or for tacos), fajitas (same as above), and stir fry as well (I generally cook the meat and veggies and add the sauce then freeze, when you go to eat it all you need to do is cook your rice or pasta or whatever you would like to put it one). As a caveat I do usually take one morning on a weekend about once a month to prep a few of these all at once and then freeze but this isn’t necessary. You can just double up on the batch when you are cooking it originally instead if you don’t have the time to set aside. Honestly, your freezer can be a lifesaver if you use it effectively.
Tip 5: Use Your Crockpot/Instapot/Ect
This is one that I definitely don’t take advantage of enough and I know that I need to do it more often. Crockpots are great for having dinner ready to put on the table when you walk in the door and Instapots cut food cooking time down drastically. These things can be lifesavers when it comes to quick and easy meals for sure. I don’t have a lot of tips around their use because like I said I don’t use them enough…but stay tuned…it will probably come at some point!
Tip 6: Get Your Kids Involved
I think that a lot of mommas struggle with prep because they have to chase kiddos around and have a million and one things on the go and I completely understand that! Getting your kids involved in the meal planning and prepping can be helpful. Maybe your kiddos get to pick one meal each week and help you prepare it. Obviously getting your kids involved will change as they get older but at a young age they can likely help you stir or mix things and dump things into bowls. As they get older they may be able to help you measure ingredients and progress to helping chop veggies or even prepping a side dish or salad for you all on their own. Involving your kids will help keep them entertained while you cook but will also give you an opportunity to open up the door for healthy conversations about food and nutrition in your family.
At the end of the day meal prep can help you in a pinch and can save you time during the weeks but also keep in mind that you have to make meal prep work for you. If you need to buy pre-chopped veggies and fruit or salad kits go for it! Meal planning and prepping is going to look different for each and every family and there is nothing wrong with that. For me personally, I’m thankful on nights when I have had a long day and come home and don’t want to cook for the meals that I have prepped and in the freezer. But there are also nights when this happens where it ends up being takeout (and there is nothing wrong with that). Make it work for you and make it fit your life…because honestly…there’s no sense in doing it if it doesn’t work for you! So make it your own!
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